13 marks Blur hitting the 10-year mark as a band. During their first decade, the band went from being lumped in with Manchester bands such as Happy Mondays to becoming Brit-pop foils to Oasis. Their self-titled 1997 release found them inhabiting the same lo-fi neighborhood as American indie rockers like Pavement. On 13, the London based quartet joins forces with techno-pop producer William Orbit on a record whose inclusiveness manages to find room for both the gorgeous, choir-adorned “Tender” and “B.L.U.R.E.M.I.,” a song that sounds like the illegitimate offspring of Wire, Devo, and Rick Dees.

Blur’s work with Orbit finds them plunging deep into a lake of space-rock overflowing with wondrous sounds such as the pinging, Floyd-like tinkling, and hypnotic rhythms of “Battle,” and the sputtering transmissions and bristling distortion permeating “Bugman.” In straddling the dissolving lines between genres in the late ’90s, Blur manages to trod the same ground as Underworld on “Trailerpark” and subscribes to the aforementioned jittery, lo-fi aesthetics on “Trimm Trabb.” Despite all this experimentation, Blur still sneaks in perfect pop nuggets such as “Coffee & TV,” where cheery harmonies share space with a squealing guitar.

Tracklisting
1. Tender
2. Bugman
3. Coffee & Tv
4. Swamp Song
5. 1992
6. B.L.U.R.E.M.I.
7. Battle
8. Mellow Song
9. Trailer Park
10. Caramel
11. Trimm Trabb
12. No Distance Left to Run
13. Optigan 1

Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (4/1/99, p.96) – 3 1/2 Stars (out of 5) – “…their sloppiest, most playful set yet, spiking the mix with church organ, electric piano and shambling drum loops. It’s the kind of album you can’t wait to play for your guitar-geek pals…”

Spin (5/99, pp.145-146) – 8 (out of 10) – “…This is electronica the old-fashioned, pre-digital, Krautrock way: Guitars scrape and scream, ancient synths bubble and belch, the rhythm section grooves as if beaming in from a distant planet….13…applies dance music’s aural fixation to dirty guitar drones, warping and layering crudeness until it’s vastly complicated…”

Entertainment Weekly (3/26/99, pp.82-83) – “…undeniably powerful in its own way.” Rating B+”

Q (1/00, p.83) – Included in Q Magazine’s “50 Best Albums of 1999.”

Q (4/99, pp.92-93) – 4 Stars (out of 5) – “…a dense, fascinating, idiosyncratic and accomplished rock album..”

CMJ (3/22/99, p.3) – “…hazy experimental songs…painfully honest, introspective lyrics….13 is not the type of album that can be fully appreciated in one listen, but if you look beyond its imposing wall of sound, the view is quite beautiful.”

Mojo (Publisher) (1/00, p.31) – Ranked #22 in Mojo Magazine’s “Best of 1999.”

Mojo (Publisher) (4/99, pp.88-90) – “…repeated playing…reveals an eerie, kaleidoscopic world of haunting, melodies and dazzling sonic detail… [Blur is] an experimental art-rock act, melding US noise with Euro noir electronica; but thankfully, an instinct for great pop still survives…”

Related Posts
Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish

Following LEISURE, a debut featuring many exquisite moments of melody, Blur began their chameleonic artistic journey with MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH, a record that eschewed massive sonic edifices and swirling harmonies for more basic guitar rock. However, there was little simple about the foursome’s creations, as singer/chief-songwriter Damon Albarn fulfilled the promise he hinted at on the prior album: a Beatle-esque ability to pour an incredible amount of drama and adornment into small spaces and emerge with delectable pop.

Leadoff track “For Tomorrow,” with its jangly guitar and “la la la la la” chorus sets the tone of the album as well as an opening song can. Its lyrics dance with a subtle complexity, examining optimism while mired in the repetition of modern life (and its rubbish) as renegade strings pop in at just the right points. It’s the surprising little touches that really define the band and make Blur’s concoctions soar above the rabble. MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH is one of those records that improves with each listen, with the quiet brilliance of story-songs like “Colin Zeal,” “Chemical World,” and “Pop Scene” (a smart addition to the US release). MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH is a testament to Albarn’s maturing songwriting gift and a tightly wrapped pop record simultaneously behind and ahead of its time.

Tracklisting
1. FOR TOMORROW
2. ADVERT
3. COLIN ZEAL
4. PRESSURE ON JULIAN
5. STAR SHAPED
6. BLUE JEANS
7. CHEMICAL WORLD
8. SUNDAY SUNDAY
9. OILY WATER
10. MISS AMERICA
11. VILLA ROSIE
12. COPING
13. TURN IT UP
14. RESIGNED
15. COMMERCIAL BREAK

Professional Reviews
Q (1/94, p.85) – Included in Q’s list of `The 50 Best Albums Of 1993′ – “…tears into a rough-and-tumble Kinksian landscape with gusto…a watertight package….”

Alternative Press (11/93, p.64) – “…[MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH] is pleasant, non-threatening, and an awful lot of fun…”

Audio Magazine (2/94, p.82) – “…Blur brings some elan to this rite of passage, with riveting guitar work and more variety than on their 1991 debut, LEISURE….”

NME (Magazine) (12/25/93, p.66) – Ranked #7 in New Musical Express’ list of `The Top 50 LPs Of 1993′

NME (Magazine) (5/8/93, p.31) – (7) – Very Good – “…[MODERN LIFE] looks great…it’s a London odyssey crammed full of strange commuters, Peeping Thomases and lost dreams…you can put those idiot Suede comparisons away now…”