Blur – The Ballad of Darren ALBUM REVIEW

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Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwReCTWEotU

Starts much stronger than it finishes.

More rock reviews: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP4CSgl7K7ori6-Iz-AWcX561iWCfapt_

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FAV TRACKS: THE BALLAD, ST. CHARLES SQUARE, BARBARIC, RUSSIAN STRINGS, THE NARCISSIST

LEAST FAV TRACK: GOODBYE ALBERT

BLUR – THE BALLAD OF DARREN / 2023 / PARLOPHONE / INDIE ROCK, CHAMBER POP

6/10

Y’all know this is just my opinion, right?

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32 thoughts on “Blur – The Ballad of Darren ALBUM REVIEW”

  7. Magic Whip is a nuanced concept album, not a "mid-range comeback album" – what is this music nerd on about? The Ballad is less exciting, but really growing on me.

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  10. sorry the Magic Whip is boring but this is interesting? usually totally agree with Fantano but def at odds with his takes here. Goodbye, Albert also one of the best songs on the album. Ballad of Damon is just forgettable MOR.

    PS: Magic Whip RULES.

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  11. Am I the only one getting really strong Mac Demarco and David Bowie vibes from this whole album?

    Also the lyrical content is so pointed and unapologetically vicious about the break up, it's actually unpleasant to listen to.

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  13. theneedledrop Thoughts on (any of) the following albums melon?

    -Robert Glasper, Derrick Hodge – Run The World: Season 2 (Music from the STARZ Original Series)
    -Terrace Martin, Curly – Curly
    -Post Malone – Austin

    Reply

  15. I mean the melon is so prolific that obviously he can't live with these albums before reviewing them and normally I let that go…not this time I'm afraid, he's listened to this twice at most whilst on a conference call to his copywrite lawyers and that won't do when confronted with genius of this magnitude…this album is magnificent…these tiktok creators man

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  19. i mean if your main reason of giving it a 6/10 is that it starts off much stronger than it finishes, name me a blur album that doesnt do that
    parklife, 13, self-titled, great escape, and think tank ALL of their 'stronger' songs at the beginning, taking parklife for example, it starts off with very strong tracks such as: 'girls and boys', 'tracy jacks', 'end of a century', 'parklife', and bank holiday, after that most of the songs are all very weak and soft-sounding, and that still ranked as one of the best britpop albums of the entire britpop era.
    the ballad of darren starts off with strongly, just like all their other good albums, and ends off weak. I don't think that makes it deserve a 6/10, even if the stronger tracks might not be that strong.

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  20. 7/10. Needs more changes of pace, it’s all a bit slumpy. However, the ballads as they are are beautifully constructed and heartfelt. Feels like a lot of care went into making the record. If you added an extra banger or two it would be a strong 8. As it is, it’s decent but a bit samey. Could be a grower though

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  21. The Magic Whip is great. Enjoyed it then as I do now – TBOD is not better, it just falls a bit flat and forced. Disappointing, but I'm glad this return gave us 'The Narcissist' and 'Sticks and Stones' if nothing else

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  23. Ok, so I'm gonna be honest. I love gorillaz, and Damon Albarn is the mastermind behind that outfit. But I never knew that he was also a part of blur until my friend told me. Therefore, I gave this album a try, thinking it was gonna be a shoe in for me to love this thing because more cool music from Damon albarn, yes 👍. But honestly, I'm still just a gorillaz fan. Maybe I messed up with this being my first exposure to the band, but this album was a boring and confusing listen for me. Half the time, I didn't know where songs were going, and the lyrics weren't captivating. Plus, how can the guy that's behind gorillaz make this slow and boring of sounding music 😭 I get drab/sad music, but I'm like, come on, man, the tempo just never picks up maybe whatever genre blur is just sounds like this I don't know. So, unfortunately, this album wasn't for me. I listened to the deluxe version, which added 2 extra sounds, making it a 12 track album, and I only liked 3 songs off of it. So I would give this album a 3/10. Hoe does everybody else feel about this album.

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  24. I thought this album was really good, got the deluxe vinyl coming. Being a long time blur fan I thought it was relatively underwhelming on first listen but after the next listen, I knew the goal of the album and decided to give it a solid 7-8 imo. Far away island, the narcissist and St Charles Square my favourites.

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  27. The Heights is a beautiful closer! Perfect in fact. I do agree with the length, I'd love one more track on this to make it 11. The Japanese bonus track Sticks & Stones is rad, and should have been on the album.

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  30. He does realise that Damon Albarn is behind Gorillaz, right? Of course there was a gap in the record release, Gorillaz has been releasing albums. And of course the music sounds close to Gorillaz, the same guy is behind the music… I don't think the album is as good as their original albums, but if you reviewed this as something from a new band I'm sure it would be better rated. I personally found 3 tracks on the album really great, which is typical of their albums. Definitely underrated😕

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