Landmark British rock album! With Parklife Blur continued to stake their claim as the heir to the archly British pop of the Kinks, the Small Faces, and the Jam. The songs run through the entire history of post-British Invasion Britpop touching on psychedelia, synth pop, disco, punk, and music hall along the way. Damon Albarn aimed to capture British life in the mid 90s and for all intents and purposes he did. The rubbery disco of “Girls & Boys” and singalong chant “Parklife” become anthems in the U.K., while the band helped to usher in a new era of Britpop and lad culture. They celebrated their country and its traditions while producing some of the most lasting music of mid 90s British rock. Stephen Street’s production is intensely detailed, weaving melodies and guitar leads under Albarn’s singing. It’s an epoch defining album that cast a sea of imitators in its wake.

• 180 gram pressing
• music label: Food 1994 / 2012

reviewed by Hank Ohs 02/2015