Blur - "Parklife" (1994)

A friend of mine gave me for Christmas this year a '100 albums you need to listen to' poster, where you scratch off each one once you've listened to them. I have listened to 15 of them already, but I thought I'll go through the remaining 85, and write about them here as I listen. This is the first one I've scratched off from that 85. Blur are one of those artists that I adore their Best Of album (there isn't a bad song on it), yet previous to this I have never listened to any of their studio LPs.

Parklife is the group's third record, and is the one which broke them and Britpop into the mainstream (along with Oasis's Definitely Maybe), and contains some of the band's biggest singles: Boys and Girls and the album's title track, Parklife. These tracks perfectly encapsulate what the band and Britpop was about, being fun, bouncy guitar-pop tracks with witty, tongue-in-cheek commentary on life as a working class British youth. The synth pop groove and squelchy bass of Girls and Boys, and the immensely catchy (but also impossible to remember) chorus make it sheer pop-perfection. Phil Daniel's cockney spoken word verses on Parklife are enigmatically charismatic; detailing the characters morning routine, feeding the pigeons and slagging off Audi's slogan.

The rest of the albums singles are the tracks that I am most familiar with, as they all made the Best Of. End of a Century juxtaposes triumphant horns against Damon Albarn's nonchalant vocals, describing how the end of the century is nothing special and life still goes on as normal. To the End gives off a throwback 60s lounge vibe, with sweeping strings above really spacious keys and percussion. It has a bittersweet feeling to it, as the retro instrumentation combines with Albarn's soaring voice, claiming "It looks like we might have made it, made it to the end." The final single released was the penultimate track on the record, This Is a Low. The song is up there with Girls and Boys as one of the band's very best. The song starts off slow and sombre, with gentle acoustic guitar strumming. But as the chorus hits, Albarn's voice raises to a cathartic, emotional swell; before dropping the intensity back for the second verse. The band's alternative rock influences creep in for a noisy, distorted guitar solo and bridge before the final chorus. It remains one of the most personal moments on an album which is generally more focused on the world around it.

The deeper cuts on the record are also a lot of fun. Bank Holiday is a short, brash, punky tune about celebrating bank holidays. Albarn's vocal inflections and unique points of emphasis give the track quite a quirky feel to it. The bouncy guitars and the "oh-oohs" on Tracy Jacks make the song feel weightless and harmlessly fun. Badhead's jangly guitars and kind of self deprecating tone give the track a very Smiths-esque feel, but the horn section which crops up in the chorus make it a distinctly Britpop version of that kind of indie rock. Immediately following Badhead is The Debt Collector, an entirely instrumental, doo-wap interlude. The horns take centre stage and make it feel as if you're now in a fairground. This theme carries over into Far Out, a short wacky tune which sounds like what Albarn would go on to do with Gorillaz (despite the fact it was written and sung by the groups bassist, Alex James).Trouble in the Message Centre has blaring guitars and bubbling synths, and along with all the "ooh"s and "aah"s, it really feels like the song is turning it up to 11 to make a song about going overboard on drink and drugs really feel like it. Clover over Dover turns the intensity back down, and features a really cool guitar hook just after the chorus. Jubilee has a wild, glam rock swagger to it.

My biggest fault with the album is one that can't really be avoided due to the way it has been written and constructed. The fact that the majority of the songs revolve around fictional characters, it lacks a certain kind of intimacy and emotional stakes. It feels like the tracklist could've been assembled in any order, and the fact that a track called To the End is literally at the midpoint shows this well. The fact that the closing track, Lot 105, is basically a silly joke track does kind of irk me. It feels like the band didn't want to leave the listener on the depths of This Is a Low, even though it would make for a great closer. On the whole, this is a small problem, as the tracks are good enough to hold the album, no matter what order they are in. 

Parklife is an incredibly fun and tongue-in-cheek album. It has an upbeat and summery feel to it, like it's the kind of thing I'd throw on during a barbecue. There a so many great songs on here, beyond just the two big singles.

Top Tracks: Girls and Boys, Tracy Jacks, End of a Century, Parklife, Bank Holiday, To the End, Trouble in the Message Centre, Clover Over Dover, Jubilee, This is a Low

8/10