I.Want.To.Go.To.There

In no particular order...

The Stone Roses, The Postal Service, New Order, Band of Horses, Blur, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, Of Monsters and Men, Social Distortion, Grizzly Bear, Smith Westerns, Stars, Metric, Beach House, Local Natives, Sigur Ros, Modest Mouse, Lou Reed, Beach House, Moby, Violent Femmes, DIIV

Are you fucking kidding me?!

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Holding On For Tomorrow

Now I know what I'm getting brother Way2Poppy for Christmas.
Blur celebrates their 21 long years with a long 21-disc box set called, uh, Blur 21.

• All seven newly expanded two-disc studio albums 
• Four discs of rarities, exclusive to this set. Includes 3½ hours of previously unreleased material 
• Three DVDs including over 2 hours of previously unreleased footage. Includes two pivotal live shows and an exclusive disc of video rarities. 
• Collectable 7" single of the rare and previously unreleased live recording of the Seymour-era track Superman. 
• Deluxe hard-bound book telling the story of Blur's 21 year career with extensive liner notes based on a brand new interviews with the band, illustrated with imagery of the era, including some previously unseen photos.

Blur 21 is an insane project for even the hardest core fans. I'd call myself a casual fan and personally believe they peaked at their second, most Brit-poppiest album, Modern Life Is Rubbish. I think their influence is a bit oversold, but they've certainly had some highlights. Their potentially last performance will appropriately be at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics.



All their albums have also been reissued.

iTunes | Amazon | Official Site

It's Been a Hell of a Do

Much to Way2Poppy's excitement, Blur is NOT done!

I Knew It Would End This Way

Evidently Blur's reunion from earlier this year was good enough to warrant its own documentary. No Distance Left to Run is hitting "cinemas" on January 19. Here's the trailer:

No doubt Blur lover Way2Poppy will be first in line!

Just Repeat This Again and Again and Again

Blur is releasing a 25-track "career-spanning collection" called Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur on July 28. Don't let anyone tell you it's a greatest hits compilation. No sir, it's much more than that.

Disc 1
1. Beetlebum
2. Girls & Boys
3. For Tomorrow
4. Coffee & TV
5. Out of Time
6. Blue Jeans
7. Song 2
8. Bugman
9. He Thought of Cars
10. Death of a Party
11. The Universal
12. Sing
13. This Is A Low

Disc 2
1. Tender
2. She's So High
3. Chemical World
4. Good Song
5. Parklife
6. Advert
7. Popscene
8. Stereotypes
9. Trimm Trabb
10. Badhead
11. Strange News From Another Star
12. Battery In Your Leg

Way2Poppy will be thrilled. He's the biggest Blur fan I know.

The band will be hitting the European festival circuit this summer. Might as well make a few extra bucks selling another compilation. Blur has always been hit or miss for me. I liked their first three albums - the brit-poppiest of the bunch - but they never captured my interest much after that.

via Paste

Nothing Is Wasted Only Reproduced

Blur is reuniting - at least for one show next summer. No word on whether they'll record together anytime soon.

Way2Poppy will be thrilled.

I Sold My Soul for a Second Time

Oasis v. Blur: Is this what it's come to?

Goodbye.

So Sweet and Tender, All Life Needs

Paul Weller (The Jam, Style Council) and Graham Coxon (Blur) have collaborated on a 3-song release including the single This Old Town. From this review, it sounds worth seeking out...

There is a surprisingly heavy dose of Matthew Sweet style power pop that is spun into this mix ... This track wouldn't sound out of place on Sweet's Altered Beast or Blue Sky on Mars.

Seeking out ... hell, I'll make it easy for you:

Buy here.
Sample/download here (via Modern Music).

The sound of magic music in his ears

TooPoppy will be ecstatic with this news - Blur is reuniting. Founding guitarist Graham Coxon is returning. This will be the first recording since 2003's Think Tank. Other founding member Alex James says the band will split if the reunion isn't successful. Um, if they're "reuniting", doesn't that mean they already split once? Just another reason not to like them. :-)