The UK Brit Pop kings return with another comeback album eight years after their previous one. The Ballad of Darren certainly has its return to form moments that are enjoyable and reminiscent of the groups almighty past, but its deeper cuts unfortunately leave a lot to be desired if these were to be ranked in the ultimate Blur all time list.
I mean... does Blur really need an introduction at this point? The UK Brit Pop kings reigned supreme to the masses back in the 90's and have had a solidifying comeback of sorts with 2015's The Magic Whip, a record I absolutely adored and still do even though it sounded more like a Damon Albarn solo project than from the full fledged collective of Blur. The band surprisingly return eight years later with The Ballad of Darren, a record that expressed more interest from classic fans than on The Magic Whip. This is primarily because of the album's lead single, "The Narcissist," which has a classic Blur feel as well as a powerful chorus and melodies from the well established and seasoned group. It also had a satisfying groove and pace to it that is both timeless and electrifying to hear from such a group of veterans within the genre.
Now cut to the actual album of The Ballad of Darren. I suppose I was expecting a solid mix of old and new sounding Blur. First listen, I was instantly hit with some excellent comeback songs like "The Ballad," which is arguably one of the band's best and most dramatically moving ballads I've heard in years from them. "St. Charles Square" is a return to form that has Graham Coxon's classic noisy guitar tones with a playful, edgy aesthetic that I've definitely missed. Other highlights include the beautifully elegant "Russian Strings" and the poppy, refreshing sound of "Barbaric," which definitely holds a candle to being defined as "new" and "modern" for Blur. The rest of the album unfortunately becomes ultimately mild and forgettable for me. The songs themselves simply don't grab me as much and I can't put my finger on exactly why. The majority of the album are indeed ballads (which may come as a surprise considering I forgot about the album's title itself exclaiming the word 'ballad') but not entirely interesting ones. I enjoyed the front end of the record more but I honestly see myself coming back to a handful of these. It's still a solid release from the band but as a potential swan song for the group, I could see them doing far worse than this.
My Rating: 6 / 10
Favorite Songs: "The Narcissist," "The Ballad," "St. Charles Square," "Russian Strings"
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