Happy 25th Anniversary to Blur’s sixth studio album 13, originally released March 15, 1999.
There’s a long held belief that there is nothing as prolific as an artist in the throes of heartbreak. We’ve seen it time and time again throughout music’s history. Whether it’s Bob Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks, Marvin Gaye’s Here, My Dear, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Beck’s Sea Change, or Frank Ocean’s Blonde, heartbreak has always wrought the best in artists.
For Blur returning to the studio to record their sixth album, heartbreak would be the guiding force for tension-filled sessions where, not only were relationships within the band strained, but chief songwriter Damon Albarn was reeling from his breakup with Elastica’s Justine Frischmann.
One of the driving forces in Britpop, Blur had built their trade in tongue-in-cheek bravado anthems that were bright and decidedly catchy. For the recording of 13, the band sought to expand their horizons with a move into more experimental and introspective territories.
From the outset, Blur delivers with “Tender” a lush soundscape of longing and lament. From its sparse beginnings, the album’s lead single builds around the listener with a twanging blues-folk guitar line from Graham Coxon and soulful vocals of Albarn, who reaches through the pain to find hope once more as he is “waiting for that feeling to come.”
With a gospel-infused chorus that lifts you up with each repetition, “Tender” quickly places itself among Blur’s greatest moments on record and, dare I say, one of the best album openers of all time, as it stretches out and finds comfort in its seven-plus-minutes running time.
The raw emotions on display in the album opener continue throughout the album, present in the gritty and glitchy “Bugman” and “Caramel” which delve into the darkness with swirling guitars and electronic textures that are haunting, disorienting, and utterly mesmerizing.
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Throughout 13, Blur embrace new sounds and influences, incorporating elements of electronica into the sonic palette, evidenced in tracks like “Battle” and “Trailer Park” both hinting at Albarn’s Gorillaz side project that was percolating at the same time these sessions were taking place.
Elsewhere, Blur embraces elements of folk and ambient music as they demonstrate a willingness to push the boundaries of their sound in tracks like “1992” and “Mellow Song.” They even have a moment of meta self-depreciation as Albarn sings “Groups using the loop / of another pop group” in the very “Song 2” echoing track “B.L.U.R.E.M.I” filled with slamming beats and amped up guitars.
As the second official single, “Coffee & TV” is a standout amongst an album of intriguing and alluring tracks. The most Blur-in-Britpop-mode outing on the record, “Coffee & TV” exudes an upbeat brightness that disguises the fear and longing in the lyrics. It’s a jaunty track that saunters with a refrain of “We can start over again” that at once feels pleading and hopeful.
Overall, 13 provides a sense of comfort within the heartbreak it explores. Its closing track, “No Distance Left To Run” is filled with acceptance and raw honesty, and works in harmonious partnership with “Tender” to showcase the full experience of a relationship coming to an end.
It may not be the go-to album for most fans within Blur’s catalog, but it stands proud and holds its own among their finest moments on record. With its raw emotion and varied genres at play, 13 is a journey into and out of heartbreak that makes for a soothing and comforting listen.
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