blur
Parklife (SBK 29194)

Britpop, like grunge, is a term that's been so overused by critics that it's come to encompass all sorts of variations on what is really fairly standard, melodic rock. It's now almost a term that comes with a sneer, or so the British press would have it. (Actually, doesn't the term "British press" normally come with a sneer?)

If a band were to fall squarely into whatever the term "Britpop" is really all about, then it is probably blur, and the album that most defines them in this sense is 1994's Parklife.

Hugely popular in Britain, barely noticed in America, embracing of all things English, wry in humor, and genre- and gender-bending, Parklife has all the Britpop hallmarks. But unlike many albums from that timespace, it also has a lot of good songs on it, pure and simple.

"Girls and Boys" earned the band airplay in America, with a mid-80s dance feel and all-inclusive sexual politics. Not much in the way of substantive feeling in the music, though. Same goes for "Parklife," which is witty and sing-alongy in all the best English ways, but doesn't strike much of a chord in the ol' heart.

Standing taller are some of the lesser-known tracks: the gorgeous ballad "To the End," the slow-burning and unusually evocative epic "This is a Low," the buoyantly sarcastic "End of a Century," and the superb "Badhead," which has some of the most truly emotional lyrics on the album.

If Damon Albarn would only write from a personal slant more often, rather than focusing on character studies (or recently, just becoming more and more incoherent), I might embrace blur as a truly superior band. But even the Kinks grab me more … shit, even The Beat grabs me more.

There are a couple decent rave-ups in "Bank Holiday" and "Jubilee," and the other album tracks are fine, if they do suffer by comparison with the best moments.

Insufferable, though, are some "filler" songs, short, ill-conceived, and "funny"/"arty" bits that break up the album's flow. What made the band decide to put two of these back-to-back, in the middle of the album, between "Badhead" and "To the End"? Did they want to deflate the little emotional momentum they'd built up?

Still, Parklife remains enjoyable. The songs are for the most part thoughtful, well-written, and very well-executed. Often makes me smile. And that's more than can be said for the lion's share of mid-90s rock.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by HIP