Review Summary: My first Blur album and what I thought about it...
Hailed by many as Blur's best album, "Parklife" was my first sampling of them. After many years of being a huge fan of 90's alt/rock, I decided to check this band out. What do I think of this album? read on...
I was familiar with the first song on this album, "Girls & Boys" from seeing the video on Vh1 classic late one night. This song was the reason I got the urge to check this band out, a very catchy tune. The album continues next with "Tracy Jacks," and the comparisons to the Who and the Kinks come to mind with this certain song. "End of the Century" is one of the albums highlights. This song should be up there with the likes of Radiohead's "High and Dry." The next song, "Parklife" is more fun brit-pop, I'm not much for spoken word, but this song comes through with its catchy chorus.
The next four songs bring down the album just a tad bit, "Bank Holiday" is a quick punky song. "Badhead" is a great mellow song, but it seems out of place between "Bank Holiday" and the instrumental "Debt Collector." "Far Out" is a short, more experimental song. I like this song, it reminds me of the psychedelia of Syd Barret, and early Pink Floyd. Its a shame the song is so short.
The album picks up again with "To the End," this is easily one of my favorite songs on the album. Its a very british song, and I love the chorus. This song has a more epic feel, which I like.
The rest of the album is hit or miss. "Clover Over Dover" is one of my fav's from the album. More of a downer of a song with its depressing lyrics, and thats what I like. "This is a Low," the longest song on the album, and its many peoples favorites. I have to agree because its a very well written song, and its a good way to close out the album.
Blur's "Parklife" was better than I expected, and I'm ready to dive deeper into Blur's other albums. It's a great start if your a blur noobsause like me.
Blur's "Parklife" - Final rating: 77%
