New Blur

Last Monday, July 2nd, Blur debuted two new tracks on Twitter and then made them immediately available for purchase on iTunes.  These were the first new Blur tracks since the lone Fool's Day in 2010 and the album Think Tank which came out way back in 2003, almost a decade ago.

Well, I was excited.  I love Blur.  I loved them ever since I heard Girls and Boys in '94 and Sunday Sunday in '93.  They're one of the few bands that I never stopped listening to.  I like all their albums.  I like how they're different, and quirky, and how I'm able to find something new in them almost two decades after first listening to them.

Well the new songs didn't disappoint me.  They were debuted live, with Blur playing on a rooftop in West London near the Westway motorway.  There was something epic about how the songs made their debut, especially Under the Westway which has such an understated sound.  Check out the videos below.  The Puritan sounds a lot different, harkening back to Blur's more unpolished material.





I found it amazing that I was able to buy the songs immediately from iTunes.  This was a vast difference from the days of going to record shops and buying import singles for $10 months after their UK release.  A lot cheaper as well.  Both songs set me back a measly $2.50.

I've been checking the charts this week for the first time in years eager to see how the single fared.  Under the Westway was the highest new entry at number 34.  Now to me, that seems crap.  I'm still used to the days of songs landing at the top of the charts and then falling steadily downwards.  It looks like now, it works the other way around.  With more airplay Blur should climb the charts and eventually arrive in a position that they're more familiar with.  I'm sure that will happen once the single's released physically and definitely after Blur's massive performance on August 12th to close out the Olympics in London.

Lets hope these are just the first couple of tracks of a lot more material from Blur over the next year.