Blur

Indie rock / pop band with art school roots from London, England, composed of , (1989-2002, 2008- ), , and . The band was formed in Colchester in December 1989 as but was renamed Blur in March 1990, after they'd signed for the Food label. Blur's early releases (the Leisure album and the singles off it) were considered indie or alternative rock, heavily influenced by the danceable rhythms of "baggy" bands from the Madchester scene and noisepop bands like , with strains of weirder ideas running throughout, at times reminding of Syd Barrett. Tthis was more readily apparent on several single B-sides where the group let loose a darker side. By 1992, the group was keen on reinventing themselves with a newer, smarter sound and sense of purpose, returning to a retro spectrum of British rock and pop music (e.g. The Kinks or XTC) or even nostalgic music from World War II. Their 2nd album Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993) had moderate success but began attracting attention for its Britishness but in hindsight it rolled out the carpet for the Britpop cultural movement that would all but engulf the UK for two years, with groups like early frontrunners too. In 1994 Blur released what was essentially seen by the general public as the Britpop flagship album: Parklife. 1995's The Great Escape was a vividly nervy and somewhat cartoonish version of the same formula. When the 5th studio album Blur came out in 1997, the group had reinvented their sound. They severed ties from Britpop and reincorporated the art rock experimentalism of their early years, only this time the music was informed by a broader range of influences (e.g. Pavement). The album's second song Song 2 was released as a single and became a hit on alternative dancefloors. Subsequent albums 13…