Blur Is Getting Older And So Are We

One pretty good rock star move when you’re about to debut some of your first new music in years, like Blur did earlier today with a livestreaming performance, is to not open the video with a trip down memory lane that revisits all of your greatest hits and shows the band looking young and handsome and energetic. Seems like it would get fans excited for the good old days, right? But what really ends up happening is you’re like, “Oh shit, ‘There’s No Other Way’ was a killer song. I better go listen to that. Fuuuck, ‘She’s So High’ was my jam too.” Next thing, you’re like, “Man, Damon Albarn was a super-cutie, and he had so much hair back then. I used to have a lot more hair back then too :( Wait a minute, I’m getting old…I’m getting old!!”

After some serious soul-searching, I finally got around to checking out the live video for “Under the Westway” and “The Puritan,” which they debuted live on a London rooftop. Turns out, Albarn has a lot more hair than I was originally giving him credit for in my imagination. I think I should probably mention that right off the bat. Wasn’t that dude going bald like ten years ago?

Recorded versions of the songs, which are available for purchase now on iTunes, were released after the stream went live and the band conducted an interview on Twitter where fans got to ask super important questions like this one.

The two tracks split the difference between Blur’s contrasting styles; “Westway” is a quietly pensive piano ballad in the “Look Inside America” or “End of a Century” mold, with Albarn teasing out a plaintive piano riff and pining away for, well, it’s either a city or a girl—you can never tell with this guy. Both, maybe? Is London his girlfriend? That seems like it would be a lot of work.

“The Puritan” is a purposefully chintzy-sounding guitar-electro style track that hints at Blur’s old danceability quotient, which they sadly cast aside once they got wrapped up in all that American indie rock brain damage thing around the release of their self-titled album in 1997. Speaking of which, the formerly impecably-dressed band don’t seem to have updated their wardrobe much since then.

All in all, “Westway” is the keeper here, and serves as a good reminder that the lads can still turn up the tear-factor when they get around to it, which is the second most important thing I’ve learned from this performance besides Alex James’ object lesson in why it’s never a good idea to wear shorts and a suit jacket at the same time, even if you’re an internationally famous rock star. Oh yeah, and that other thing about how we’re all getting older and are going to inevitably die.

@lukeoneil47