Blur
The Magic Whip

Hong Kong, May 2013. Four former English boys gaze from the windows of their hotel at the skyline of the old British colony, the place "where East meets West." Perhaps the moment has arrived.

They could enjoy the beauties of the Asian city and relax for a few days while waiting to resume the tour. But they don't. Instead, they decide to enter a tiny recording studio and do what they love most, what they're famous for: playing and composing music. What emerges from there five days later will be the embryo of Blur's eighth studio album.

But there's a problem. Those tunes still lack lyrics. Albarn isn't convinced, busy as always with a thousand projects, he believes the magic moment has passed. The months go by and the risk that the work will never see the light of day increases. But the shy Coxon is determined this time. He convinces his rediscovered friend Damon of the worth of those tapes, calls their old producer Stephen Street ("Modern Life Is Rubbish," "Parklife," "The Great Escape," "Blur"), et voilà the album is ready. The wait is over. Twelve years after the last album, "Think Tank," and sixteen since the last with Graham Coxon, "13," "The Magic Whip" arrives.

Throughout the twelve tracks, everything sounds like a Blur album, and there couldn't be a better compliment. After all, having been conceived in the city of opium, the result could only be astounding.
Ready, set, and you're already in 1994 with the whistling of "Lonesome Street," a quintessentially Blur track. It then moves to 1997 with the lazy and hypnotic "Go Out" before encountering the long and psychedelic "Thought I Was A Spaceman," where Albarn and Coxon's voices alternate at the helm. The almost punk "I Broadcast," passing again through the tracks more influenced by solo Albarn like "New World Towers," "My Terracotta Heart," and "There Are Too Many Of Us," until reaching the last two memorable songs, "Ong Ong," with its la la la and the catchy chorus "I wanna be with you", and "Mirrorball," slow and bluesy.

Now sit back and enjoy this nice ice cream. It was worth the wait.