Blur: Out Of Time?
Posted Thu 22 May 2008 10:37PM BST by Johnny Famethrowa in Touching The Void
With Phil Collins today announcing his retirement at the Ivor Novellos and Raef Bjayou getting the boot off "The Apprentice", we all need to look to the future. While the "Sussusudio" hit-maker and drumming goliath, most fondly remembered for his last public appearance on ‘Miami Vice' in 1985 and subsequent emigration to Switzerland, will be missed, I'm hopeful Raef can bounce back. Famethrowa, in fact, would suggest he expand his stage portfolio and be parachuted onto the set of "Quantum Of Solace" to displace Daniel Craig as James Bond. But it's music I know back to front, not cinema.Which brings me to Blur, another subject of importance to the national psyche and again a matter of discussion following new comments from Alex James. The bass player, taking time off from eating cheese and challenging Colombian drug barons he probably still owes money to, was asked this week if the band will ever reform. "We're all pretty busy but I'd be surprised if it never happens", he admitted, in what is becoming a bi-monthly barrel scrape as we gaze misty-eyed towards the Britpop glory years. But what strikes me about it this time, is does anyone actually still care?
It's hardly as if that era means anything in 2008. Look at their peers: The Charlatans giving their new album away (I'm struggling to give an old one away on eBay, in fact), Supergrass imitating everyone but themselves to earn a buck, Primal Scream reduced to cheap bar room boogie. They all look spent. And yet there's Oasis, Blur's infamous rivals, causing a furore just by leaking three old (and very stale) demos for their implausibly anticipated new album. Surely Damon Albarn and co still have better music than "Stop The Clocks" in them?
After the 2003 departure of brilliant shambles Graham Coxon and the pretty terrific "Think Tank", Albarn seemed intent on a follow-up. In late 2007, all four held clear-the-air talks and yet it seems he's ultimately gone off the idea. "It's best we all just get on with our lives", he said recently, calling the idea "pointless". Perhaps he's right. Perhaps we don't need another Blur record. Perhaps we should just leave Damon to get on with his own career. He could explore other avenues, do an opera, a genre-smashing 22nd century cartoon band, work with some African musicians or perhaps compose the music for a Mars landing. Oh, but he's already done all that...
Today's Famethrowa's
New: "Bob Valaas" Fleet Foxes
Old: "Out Of Time" Blur
