The Pop Corporation

Blur announced some massive Wembley gigs and that was that, right? Wrong. They have surprised everyone by announcing a new album!

It’s called The Ballad of Darren and is out July 21 via Parlophone. Their first since ‘The Magic Whip’.

And there’s a new song too, called ‘The Narcissist.’

Damon Albarn: “This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now.”

Graham Coxon: “The older and madder we get, it becomes more essential that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention. Sometimes just a riff doesn’t do the job.”

Alex James: “For any long term relationship to last with any meaning you have to be able to surprise each other somehow and somehow we all continue to do that.”

Dave Rowntree: “It always feels very natural to make music together. With every record we do, the process reveals something new and we develop as a band. We don’t take that for granted.”

We did the quotes big, because they all had something to say, the lads.

The Ballad of Darren:

01 The Ballad 
02 St Charles Square
03 Barbaric
04 Russian Strings
05 The Everglades (For Leonard)
06 The Narcissist 
07 Goodbye Albert
08 Far Away Island
09 Avalon
10 The Heights