Next time you’re
stranded in Hong Kong for five days, record an album.
That’s what Britpop veterans Blur allegedly did. With the
exception of the lyrics, most of this material was thought up in five days.
To some degree it shows. The
Magic Whip isn’t a bad album - it doesn’t feel rushed or unfinished - but
it does feel awfully meagre for a comeback album (it’s been over a decade since
these guys gave us a full length LP). The standout tracks are easy to pinpoint – namely
the glittery opener ‘Lonesome Street’ with its punchy guitar riff and cool
drowsy interlude, the funk-tinged ‘Ghost Ship’ and the broodingly epic ode to
overpopulation ‘There Are Too Many of Us’. The remainder meanwhile is very subdued, not very catchy and all very down-tempo.
Damon Albarn’s vocal performances are partly to blame. There
are no big, anthemic choruses on this record. Most of the vocal hooks are groaned out
lazily, most notably the la-la-las at the beginning of ‘Ong Ong’ in which Damon
sounds like he can't be bothered. Indeed, the man has never been the liveliest singer
in the world, but when you compare these performances to that of hits such as ‘Parklife’,
‘Girls & Boys’ and ‘Country House’ (not to mention his work with Gorillaz)
it’s clear there’s a spark missing.
That said, Damon Albarn does still seem to have the edge
when it comes to writing colourful lyricism. Alongside the already mentioned topic
of ‘Overpopulation’, The Magic Whip
sees songs dedicated to subject matter as diverse as North Korea and the ice
cream man. Linking it all is the theme of loneliness. As the strangely-titled song
‘Thought I Was A Spaceman’ suggests, Damon Albarn sees himself as an astronaut
surrounded by emptiness. Perhaps this
explains the withdrawn nature of his vocal performances. In any case, I still
want some hooks!
★★★☆☆
TRACK TASTER: