Found My Transcendent

Blur “The Narcissist”

I like that Gorillaz has become so successful in both commercial and creative terms for Damon Albarn that when he occassionally circles back to make Blur records he puts his focus on what’s special about the other three guys in that band, clearly appreciative of their distinctive dynamic and chemistry. One project allows for artistic freedom and endless novelty, and the other is about a bond between four players going back over 30 years. Albarn has it figured out.

“The Narcissist,” the first single from the group’s forthcoming The Ballad of Darren,” feels vaguely like music from different parts of the Blur catalog, but it’s not like any particular song. It’s got the plaintive tone and direct lyrics of the 13 era, a lean arrangement that recalls the less overtly Britpop-ish songs from Modern Life Is Rubbish, and the contrasting vocal with Graham Coxon reminds me of both “Country House” and “M.O.R.” The song feels a lot more sentimental than the old stuff, with Albarn singing about breaking addictive and destructive patterns with a note of real hope in his voice. A lot of his work is an expression of cynicism and pessimism and on this song it sounds as though he’s trying to push beyond that. I don’t think his hopes are too high here, but “connect us to love and keep us peaceful for a while” is a much brighter take on humanity than, say, “The Universal.”

Buy it from Amazon.