BLUR - 13

Blur is an English rock band that formed in London in 1988, consisting of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James, and drummer Dave Rowntree. The group has been referred to as one of the "Big Four" of the Britpop genre, alongside Pulp, Suede, and Oasis. Their debut album, Leisure (1991), incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, Depeche Mode and Radiohead, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop sound and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop". Blur's self-titled fifth album (1997) saw another stylistic shift, influenced by the lo-fi styles of American indie rock groups, and became their third UK chart-topping album. Its single "Song 2" brought the band mainstream success in the US for the first time. Their next album, 13 (1999) saw the band experimenting with electronic and gospel music, and featured more personal lyrics from Albarn. Their seventh album, Think Tank (2003), continued their experimentation with electronic sounds and was also shaped by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and world music, featuring more minimal guitar work. Coxon left the band during early recording sessions for Think Tank, and Blur disbanded for several years after the end of the album's associated tour, with the members engaged in other projects. In 2009, Blur reunited with Coxon back in the band and embarked on a European reunion tour. In the following years, they released several singles and compilations and toured internationally. In 2012, they received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Their eighth album, The Magic Whip (2015), was the sixth consecutive Blur studio album to top the British chart. The group have largely been on hiatus since the Magic Whip tour, but have announced plans to reunite in 2023 for various live dates. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blur_(band) Studio albums Leisure (1991) Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993) Parklife (1994) The Great Escape (1995) Blur (1997) 13 (1999) Think Tank (2003) The Magic Whip (2015) The Ballad of Darren (2023) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.