Parklife - Blur (1994)

ideated from: 1994 is still the greatest year in music history

I didn’t pay a ton of attention to Blur when they were new, other than digging the singles. It wasn’t until after the bizarre fever dream of Gorillaz was running full steam that I started to process how much great music Damon Albarn had made.

This is the album that they got fully up to speed, I think. It’s like an essay on British rock n roll traditions, skipping from the British Invasion to mods, punk, new wave, and everything in between. It all has so much grace and composure you wouldn’t realize this was a band of young guys in their mid-twenties.

It might be my distorted view from the present day, but it seems like this is the first time you can really see the depth and scope of what Albarn wants to do with pop music.

Oh yeah, and Girls & Boys rips. Play that twice before you go on.