(insert title here) - Volume 1 Issue 1 - Why I Like Blur's "Music Is My Radar" by Flynn

Blur, the once-Britpop rival to Oasis, has matured by a factor of ten in the few years since they realized that conquering the world's airwaves was oh so passŽ. Yet even on their final attempt at destroying the erstwhile Gallagher brothers, 1997s self-titled release Blur, there were hints of the band's deepening distaste for fame and growing hunger for songs of greater depth and musical craft. "Song 2," perhaps the only well-known Blur track in the US, is itself a smirking parody of American tastes and American music: fast, loud, and incoherent. By 1999s release 13, Blur had refocused their wanderlust energies toward a deep introspective look at the band and their lives. "Tender," "Coffee & TV," and "No Distance Left to Run" were jewels, rich with emotional heartache and despair. Like many Blur fans, I was left to wonder where Blur could go from there other than slitting their wrists. Rumors of a breakup or total abandonment of rock music lingered and the future looked dim. And then...

With the release of Blur: The Best Of, the band provided one clue as to their recent dabbling, the mysterious, radical single "Music Is My Radar." Essentially a bluesy, fuzzed-out romp, "Music..." demonstrates the culmination of Blur as a band, and is a true sign that unlike many musicians these days, Blur has grown up.

The start of the song is subdued; Damon Albarn rambles abstract lyrics while a steady staccato beat looms and the bass and guitar amble alongside. The chorus then hits in a wave of fuzz and incessant protests by Albarn. Halfway through, the song shifts for a brief period to a clash of guitar and distorted vocals. Hereon, the song schizophrenically weaves through elements of restraint and abandon; switching between tightly controlled, Eastern-influenced beauty and raw buzzsaw noise-a feature to surely not appeal to many listeners' tastes or eardrums.

To many then, it seems that the track is merely obnoxious, a trivial effort by a once notable band that has since lost their touch or failed to move beyond their Britpop roots. But this is decidedly untrue. "Music Is My Radar" shows clearly that emotionally and intellectually, the band has truly developed. The song manages to convey complex emotions through tones and shifts, rather than mere lyrics and melody. The mood of the song is a kind of angry playfulness; Blur's trademark British smirk remains, but is mutable and more earnest. The video for the single (viewable on M2 for those lucky enough to have it) further cements the growth of Blur as artists. Against the backdrop of a retro variety show set, dancers in modish uniforms perform a variety of dances before a bored host and the band, giving the video a disturbing feel and revealing recent coordinated-dance artists like Ms. Spears, Limp Bizkit, et al. as having totalitarian undertones. Blur has proved themselves adults for sure with "Music Is My Radar;" one just hopes that they don't mature so fast as to propel themselves into early retirement.

Why I Like Blur's "Music Is My Radar" and Nobody Else Seems To

by C. Thomas Flynn