It raises the question of why Blur became one of the biggest bands of the nineties? Was it the fact that in the midsts of Britpop that Blur was the thinking man's contender as opposed to the lumbering but reassuring oaf called Oasis?
Was it Damon Albarn who was capable of telling stories with his lyrics instead of trying to simply finding words that rhymed? Was it Graham Coxon, one of the most underated guitarists trying to break out? Was it the sum of all parts for that magic period of a year with Modern Life... and Parklife?
Or maybe they were simply consistently good and the decade long absence has made the heart grow even more nostalgic for the whatif? What could Blur do next and can it top everything they've done before it?
Sure, we've had some sprinklings of new music in the gap between the band's 2009 reunion and The Magic Whip's release, all rekindling what made Blur so enjoyable in the first place but the question remained, how well can an entire album twelve years after a split possibly be?
Doubly so because one of the more influential members was absent for then final album Think Tank? How does this change the dynamic and what kind of album could be crafted in this new world of music?
