Monday's Long Song

 

I never understood the hype surrounding the britpop rivalry between Blur and Oasis. For me, both bands wrote great songs in the beginning, until Oasis took off and became more about themselves than their music. During this time, Blur continued to evolve and add new facets to their music. Shortly before the end of the last century, Blur released their sixth album, 13, which marked a step away from the Britpop bubble. First, they release the single ‘Tender’, a magnificent, slow and undanceable anthem accompanied by a gospel choir, which is unlike anything Blur has done before. In fact, the whole album is a cornucopia of unusual influences: Kraut-inspired space effects, dubby passages, bluesy patterns and psychedelic swathes have found their way into the Blur cosmos without the whole thing slipping into overly obscure territory. Maybe one of the best opening songs from an album from the end of the century.

Blur - Tender