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Rating: THE REVIEW
Many have criticized this album, and even those who haven't have still described it at best as a transitional album or a footnote in the Blur's career. Instead, I like to think that on the contrary, 13 is the definitive album of a band that has moved from brit-pop to a much more open vision of rock.
In fact, 13 could, without much risk, be compared to the experimentation of bands like Mogwai or other European post-rock groups. It is based on the same fundamental insight: take the canonical form of a musical piece and strip it down, desecrate it, both in structure and dynamics and sounds; bury the song under a layer of noise and transform it into something other than what it was usually understood to be. And while undoubtedly others had already had this insight (Mogwai first and foremost), the merit of Blur was to apply this insight to a much simpler and less expanded idea of a song than post-rock bands usually had: most of the tracks (except for the singles Tender, a sort of gospel-pop, Coffee and TV, and No Distance Left to Run, still commendable) start as a typical track in line with what Blur used to be, but then they lose their bearings, get suffocated, destroyed by Coxon's guitar noise, by rhythms that become irregular, by a voice that gets lost and disappears, as happens in the ballad 1992, in Trimm Trabb, or in Bugman.
Others are born already bewildered, like Battle or Trailerpark, and are indeed fascinating even in their incompleteness. And it is precisely this sense of incompleteness that likely turned many critics off regarding an album that, seen from another perspective, is not only the most enchanting in Blur's career but also a very important example of how one can strive to be "other" than the usual rock norms without being excessively extreme but rather remaining incredibly communicative.
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Summary by Bot
This review argues that Blur's album '13' is often misunderstood as merely transitional, but it is in fact their definitive work. It highlights the band’s shift from brit-pop to a more experimental, post-rock style influenced by bands like Mogwai. Songs mix traditional structures with noise, irregular rhythms, and fading vocals, creating a unique and communicative sound. Key singles remain accessible while other tracks embrace incompleteness, making the album both enchanting and important in Blur's catalog.
Blur
English rock band formed in Colchester; core members include Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree. Rose to prominence during the Britpop era and later explored experimental and electronic sounds. Active from 1989 to present.49 Reviews
Other reviews
By serestoppone
Britpop and its sound are distant, and we can see nothing clear in this unusual work by the English band.
All honor to Blur, however: they were able to break down, reset, and start over.
By ste84
"13 is a journey on a round and distorted universe, a puzzle completed but with pieces placed randomly."
"It is bouncing on a soft wall, it is a powerful whisper in your ears..."
By GrantNicholas
Blur wanted to prove at all costs that they weren’t just a band for three-minute britpop hits.
The insistence on extremely heavy experimentation produces a disorienting and, above all, tiring effect.
By temi
'13' is yet another masterpiece by Blur... But you have to listen to it many times to fully enjoy it… At times it’s frightening.
Coxon described it as 'a mind-blowing trip in devil’s time'…
