![]() Orbit helped pioneer the later Acid House esthetic of doing electronic music not from the point of view of disco but from the more arresting realms of rock. He recorded his own restless, fluidly orchestrated instrumental synth albums as well as recordings with Torch Song, his vehicle for the singer Laurie Mayer, who sometimes covered rock-era classics like Steve Winwood’s “Can’t Find My Way Home.” In this regard, Mr. Orbit began to acquire a good rep during the late 80’s as an electronics-based producer and studio owner in London. For 13, Blur engaged the services of William Orbit, a producer whose name doesn’t trip off the tongue too often in connection with guitar rock. Which isn’t to say they don’t often favor the odd choice. As “art-rockers,” that slightly derisive category the American press likes to put them in, Blur make excellent stalwarts, actually more Led Zeppelin in their multitrack fervor than Yes. Coxon plays enormous guitar all over 13, as though feedback was invented somewhere around, oh, yesterday. Techno, Massive Attack remixes, hip-hop, the rise of the Internet, theater music–none faze Blur, whose Mr. Scott Fitzgerald in “Tender,” doesn’t sweat it. How about the annoying old-world superiority of people who play the pop game only in theory and have the antique nerve to write actual books? Mr. Albarn, in the British press, bounds into interviews aglow with kind words about “Believe,” the recent Cher single now avoidable only by leaving Earth. And the ostensibly empty-headed pop moment, that quick flash of pleasure that has made four generations of rockers sick with worry, envy or worse? Mr. Albarn, who further explores the great world of timbres and fluffed trombone notes, as well as the creaky life of 19th-century American folk music, on Ravenous (Virgin), the outstanding film score he wrote and recorded with lush British minimalist Michael Nyman, the days of rock being the sworn enemy of Western classical music seem well past. They are among the most resourceful bands in the world, Blur, because they take rock language for what it is right now: a bunch of wonderful sonic stuff and perhaps unlikely attitudes out of which you can still make cool things. In other words: Woo- hooo, as Blur put it a couple of years ago on “Song 2,” the MTV-backed single that made them bigger deals in America than did “Girls & Boys,” their electro-glammy showpiece from 1994’s Parklife. ![]() In both its bright ideas and visceral executions, “Tender” is eerie in ways records seldom are anymore. Albarn skips a bar, swallows hard, and lays sublime phrases of “Oh my baby/ Oh my baby” into a structure that is half ambling 70’s jangle-groove, half 60’s variety-hour rock with plummy vocal harmonies (courtesy of the London Community Gospel Choir). These occur during those moments when Mr. It qualifies on crystalline intonation and pitch alone, a deft retrieval of the just-slightly-sharp Appalachian howls that you wouldn’t think appeal to a “Britpop” juggernaut like Blur. It sounds like some rare apprehension of unspeakable pain and hope from four guys on close terms with Hank Williams, Scott Walker, and, of course, themselves. Albarn and his three bandmates–guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree–have recorded it with a deliberate touch and self-respecting care. The tune, Blur’s current and best single, is entitled “Tender,” and Mr. “Tender is my heart, you know, it’s screwing up my life,” croons Damon Albarn, Blur’s lead singer, cross-genre adventurer and unassumingly starry blond face. If you believe that any review contained on our site infringes upon your copyright, please email us.13 (Virgin), the new album from England’s Blur, opens with a little country music. All submitted reviews become the licensed property of Sheet Music Plus and are subject to all laws pertaining thereto.If you have any suggestions or comments on the guidelines, please email us. We cannot post your review if it violates these guidelines.Avoid disclosing contact information (email addresses, phone numbers, etc.), or including URLs, time-sensitive material or alternative ordering information.Please do not use inappropriate language, including profanity, vulgarity, or obscenity. Be respectful of artists, readers, and your fellow reviewers.Feel free to recommend similar pieces if you liked this piece, or alternatives if you didn't.Are you a beginner who started playing last month? Do you usually like this style of music? Consider writing about your experience and musical tastes.Do you like the artist? Is the transcription accurate? Is it a good teaching tool? Explain exactly why you liked or disliked the product.
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