March 31, 2012

A Blurred future for Blur - Damon Albarn has the last word

It seems like Damon Albarn has fallen out with super-producer William Orbit, by deciding not to continue working with him for any new material. This bitter tweet was posted by William Orbit on March 28th on his official Twitter page:


Is William Orbit really posting about Damon ruling out Blur's future, or is this just another tweet to generate hype? Blur could have been good - does he mean that Blur is not going to "be" anything anymore? 

Also according to a recent new interview, Damon Albarn said that the band's debut new song Under the Westway may not be released for the public officially, stating that "it's something I've had knocking about for years and didn't know what to do with".

Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn told the interviewer that "Initially I wrote it as a slightly wistful national anthem for my house, I had this idea of getting it made into an old 78 record and making a flag and then just playing it - just being really silly. But I had these chords and I ended up writing this tune around it...."

He then said:  "I don't really do anything with Blur any more - there's this concert this year but it's not a full time thing at all. Maybe this tune's a last little coda to the whole story."

Blur in the 90s - last tune in 2012 ?
So is this the end of any more new Blur projects / plans / songs? Is Damon Albarn simply telling what he feels at that moment, or what he genuinely believes to be the future for Blur? There's no official notice from the band or any management, but we really hope that this is simply another of Damon's spur-of-the-moment comments.

But lets not lose all hope- Blur are also rumoured to play in Argentina this year for the Rock It event.  


Read all about Blur being BASHED AT THE BRITS HERE
10 Cool Damon Albarn facts HERE, Blur talking about their future HERE
 New tear jerker song HERE and check out their newest track HERE 

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March 29, 2012

Time Out: An Evening with Alex James

EVENT NEWS: There will be an exclusive Q&A with Alex James, as he discusses life after Blur and his new book ‘All Cheese Great and Small’ with Time Out’s Editor-in-Chief Tim Arthur. 


Event Title: Time Out Live presents an evening with Alex James 
Date: Thursday, April 5 2012 
Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Shaw Theatre, 100-110 Euston Rd, London NW1 2AJ 
Price: £12, £10 concessions 


Time Out's Editor-in-Chief Tim Arthur and Foyles, in London's iconic bookshop, will host an evening in conversation with Blur bassist Alex James about his latest book 'All Cheeses Great and Small', discussing life's new challenges after finding global fame as a rock star in his twenties. 



Don't miss this if you're in London! 


Ticket link:https://tickets.timeout.com/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=74200B3A-537E-4584-8DFA-A59322ED2C80

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March 27, 2012

2manydjs / Radio Soulwax - Girls and Boys animation

An ongoing Radio Soulwax project launched its application and website last year, where they have done twenty four one-hour music track mixes with visuals.  All animations are made from the record sleeves.  The homepage for the application has a description of what this is all about:

WHAT is Radio Soulwax?

Ok, so it's a radio station, but not as you know it. For now, it's a growing collection of 24 one hour-long mixes with visuals that we are sharing with you for free, and hopefully it will become a platform for many more things to come. We call them mixes, but in reality they are more like musical films based on the record sleeves.


We grew up surrounded by our dad's extensive record collection and many of our earliest memories are of record sleeves, so it only makes sense that we made this tribute to that forgotten art form, albeit in a very digital way.

Every hour has a different musical and visual theme (always based on the covers), to eventually make for a varied day-long radio schedule that will remain online in a rotated and continuous loop. 

They have included a great visual mix for Blur's track Girls & Boys - not only is the single cover animated, but the Parklife album cover has also been given some spice with it's entertaining animation. Watch the snippet with Blur below:   


It's quite cool to see Blur's album art moving, and the concept of this project is unique and interesting. Makes for a good listening and viewing experience! 

All the hours are also available to watch in HD on vimeo.

Download the RADIO SOULWAX app for iphone / ipad / android HERE or watch online at http://www.radiosoulwax.com


Read all about Blur being BASHED AT THE BRITS HERE
10 Cool Damon Albarn facts HERE, Blur talking about their future HERE
 New tear jerker song HERE and check out their newest track HERE 

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If you missed old news, visit the NEWS ARCHIVE to read about past news!

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March 26, 2012

Damon Albarn says Under the Westway may be last Blur song

BLUR NEWS: Damon Albarn had an interview with The Quietus two days ago and a chat about Blur's future plans - or shall we say, Blur's non-existent plansDamon Albarn has exclaimed that Blur's current reunion for the London 2012 Olympics gig in Hyde Park does not mean "a rejuvenated, long-term return for the band".

As quoted from the articleAlbarn told Stephen Dalton that the new track, first aired when he played live with Graham Coxon in February, is a song about that perennial West London inspiration, the Westway route. 


Funnily enough I’ve done a new tune for Blur, I don’t know if it will ever see the light of day but it’s really traditional… it’s something I’ve had knocking about for years and didn’t know what to do with it," he said.


Damon through the years 
"Initially I wrote it as a slightly wistful national anthem for my house, I had this idea of getting it made into an old 78 record and making a flag and then just playing it - just being really silly. But I had these chords and I ended up writing this tune around it…"
Albarn went on to say that although the band are back together for this summer's live appearances, "I don’t really do anything with Blur any more - there’s this concert this year but its not a full time thing at all. Maybe this tunes a last little coda to the whole story.”
Blur holding The Great Escape records
The Quietus had previously reviewed Mr Albarn's Dr Dee musical up in Manchester, and had found it rather lacking, something Albarn has taken squarely on the chin. “Oh it certainly lacked narrative! No shit Sherlock! Ha ha! But I mean, you know, what do you do… ? I’m quite comfortable with presenting a work in progress and I know we made some stinkers as decisions, but you can’t really move forwards unless you make those mistakes. Hopefully it will be a more rounded and satisfactory piece, narrative wise, this time around. I sincerely hope so, otherwise I’ll be very disappointed."
Damon has been quite contradictory about Blur in recent years. Before their 2009 reunion, he has said that Blur are definitely over, but then the reunion happened and Damon and the boys have all said different things. Graham and Alex says maybe, Dave says maybe not.


Damon's new supergroup Rocket Juice and the Moon released their album today. Listen HERE.   
Guess we will have to wait and see what's next. 
Read all about Blur being BASHED AT THE BRITS HERE
10 Cool Damon Albarn facts HERE, Blur talking about their future HERE
 New tear jerker song HERE and check out their newest track HERE 

SUBSCRIBE NOW!
If you missed old news, visit the NEWS ARCHIVE to read about past news!

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March 24, 2012

Damon Albarn turns 44 !


Damon Albarn (born 1968- 44 years old), the singer-songwriter-keyboardist

person, singer, actor, vegetarian, musician, activist, musical act, composer, person that is the musical composer for a film, band member, person that was nominated for an award, honour or prize, aries person

Here are 10 facts about Damon Albarn, quoted from a brilliant archived article from DS.

1. Damon was born on March 23, 1968 to Keith and Hazel Albarn. Keith was an Art College headteacher, BBC presenter and the manager of jazz-rock outfit Soft Machine, while Hazel was a theatre set designer.

2. Albarn's strong anti-war political beliefs stem from his relationship with his grandfather, who was imprisoned as a conscientious objector during World War II.

3. Before forming Blur and becoming a global popstar, Albarn performed with synth group Two's A Crowd, attempted a career as a mime and worked at the Beat Factory studio as a tea boy.



4. Damon had the opportunity to meet then Labour leader Tony Blair for a chinwag in 1997. Oasis's Noel Gallagher went along, but Damon declined, citing his disillusionment with Blair's political shift. "I sent him [Blair] a note to the House of Commons saying, 'I'm sorry, I won't be attending as I am no longer a New Labour supporter. I am now a Communist. Enjoy the schmooze, Comrade. Love, Damon'."

5. Reality talent shows such as The X Factor are among Damon's pet-hates. "Celebrity culture sends out all the wrong messages," he says. "It's creating a mindset that suggests you can get something for nothing and that it's easy to acquire status and fame. We need to dismantle very significant parts of our culture... I think for a start you have to get rid of things like The X Factorimmediately." Best not tell Damon about Alex James's stint on Orange unsignedact!

6. At the height of Blur's fame in the '90s, Damon attempted to turn his hand to acting with a cameo on the crime thriller Face. Sadly his performance, alongside Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone, didn't prove as successful as his pop-writing career. Damon was also featured in the 2007 film ‘Anna and the Moods’ and has even played a character called Bull in a radio play about The Beatles called ‘Up Against It’.

7. Albarn has achieved chart and critical success with Blur, Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad And The Queen, but as a schoolboy he did prove that he wasn't always so perfect. The cheeky singer failed his 11+ exams, meaning he had to attend a comprehensive in Colchester. 



8. On the plus side, Albarn's educational failure ensured that he went on to meet future Blur bandmate Graham Coxon. The singer apparently caught Coxon's attention with his confident performance in the school's production of West Side Story.

9. It wasn't just the Gallagher brothers that took a dislike to Albarn during the '90s. According to his close friends, pretty much everyone objected to his cocksure attitude. "Damon was so cocky he found it difficult to go anywhere without getting punched," said Food Records pal Tony Wadsworth.

10. Even from February 2008, Albarn insisted that there was no chance of a Blur reunion. "I had dinner with the guys recently and it was a laugh but there’s no way they want to work with me again - they all hate me," he said. What changed, Damon!



And of course, here are 10 meaningful, insightful and funny quotes from Damon Albarn, our front man, on music, songs, art, drunkenness, Graham Coxon and family life.

1.     “I once owned up to flooding the toilets when it wasn't me. I got the slipper from the teacher for it, too. No one else would own up and we weren't allowed to go home, so I just owned up. I can't remember whether it was for anyone in particular, or whether it was a random act of chivalry - or just play stupidity.” – 1995 Damon Albarn  

2.     “We were young, good looking and in the best band in the world.” – on Blur


3.     “The things that make me happy most are my family and working.” 



4.     “No, every album is something like a snapshot. It only shows one moment in time. It shows what we feel and think right at that point in time, nothing more and nothing less.” 

5.     “As soon as it sounds fine, I'm on to the next thing, man.”



6.     “The most drunk I ever got was at a private view for a college art show. I think I had two bottles of tequila and completely lost about ten hours. I woke up in a cell and, when my vision cleared, I found myself staring at a Nepalese soldier in full uniform. He didn't speak any English and he was just very alarmed that I was in there with him. When I asked the coppers what had happened, they said, 'Well we found you at Euston station, unconscious and surrounded by a group of tramps, so we thought we'd bring you here for your own good.' I'd had all my money taken, so I had to walk home.” 1995

7.     “I am genuinely inspired by my mum. I love and respect my mum and I think she's great. She always makes me laugh and I trust her totally. Both my parents are artists and I grew up in quite a liberal home; I was allowed to do what I wanted, but all based on a strong moral foundation. I think it's really important that parents allow you to do what you like when you're young because you're more likely to get it all out of your system. I do love my mum.”

8.     "There's always been a bit of a hip-hop element to my trousers." - Damon.

9.     "We've always seen ourselves as putting on white coats and going into the lab." – Damon on Blur.

10.  “He always looks like he’s crying. that’s his style…” – on Graham Coxon


A very happy birthday to Damon Albarn!



Read all about Blur being BASHED AT THE BRITS HERE
Blur talking about their future HERE
 New tear jerker song HERE and check out their newest track HERE 

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Also email subscribe to receive the latest news on everything Blur, Gorillaz, Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon! 


March 20, 2012

Blur - Under The Westway Lyrics

Exclusively brought to you by BlurBalls.com, now you can listen to Blur's new track "Under The Westway" with lyrics in an experiential, experimental video we made. This was requested many times to us, and what came out of it was a grainy, washy, and best of all - a moving video instead of the usual lyrics-on-screen-with-a-typewriter.

Check out the full lyrics and the video for the song below.

Blur - Under The Westway Lyrics

It was a bright day in my city today 
Everything was sinking says 
Snow would come on Sunday 
The old school would do 
And the traffic grew 
Upon the Westway 

Where i sat watching comets lonesome trails
Shining up above me 
The jet fuel farewell 
Down to earth 
Where the money always come first 
And the sirens sing 

So give us a day we switch off the machines  
Cause men in yellow jackets 
Putting adverts inside my dreams 
And all the ladies thought: 
The whole world gone 
Fallen under the spell of the changing ways 
We all communicate 
So sending up shockwaves 
Somewhere here out in space 
it depends how you call 
And the hearts on fire 
Under the Westway 

Give me magic here in the city, the boat
doing 180
instead of standing although it's cold 
And the flags coming down 
The opals sound 
Just like a love song 
Far away, I feel about you 
Paradise not lost it's in you
On the permanent races 
apologize
But I am gonna sing 
Hallelujah 

Singing out loud 
And sing it to you all
Am I lost let me see
For the black falls burn
And wash me off the Westway




Under the Westway is rumoured to be released for Record Store Day, April 2012.


Read all about Blur being BASHED AT THE BRITS HERE
Blur talking about their future HERE
 New tear jerker song HERE and check out their newest track HERE 

SUBSCRIBE NOW! blur lyrics, under the westway lyrics
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