Blur have debuted atop the UK Albums Chart with their ninth record ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.
In doing so, it becomes Damon Albarn and co.’s seventh chart-topper, after ‘Parklife’ (1994), ‘The Great Escape’ (1995), ‘Blur’ (1997), ’13’ (1999), ‘Think Tank’ (2003) and ‘The Magic Whip’ (2015).
Their first two albums – 1991’s Leisure and 1993’s Modern Life is Rubbish – reached No. 7 and No. 15, respectively.
Of the feat, Parlophone MD Jennifer Ivory says: “What an exhilarating moment to witness Blur’s ascent to No.1 this week.
“Surpassing the sales of their previous studio album ‘The Magic Whip’, this is a significant achievement considering the decline in the market over the years,” she adds (via Music Week). “Damon Albarn, a true trailblazer, becomes the first individual to claim two No. 1 albums in a single calendar year with two distinct bands. Undoubtedly, another significant milestone for him.”
Damon topped the charts back in March with the eighth Gorillaz album, ‘Cracker Island’.
Speaking about the LP ahead of its release, frontman Damon described ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ as “an aftershock record” and a “reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now”.
“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,” added Graham Coxon.
Bassist Alex James noted that “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,” while drummer Dave Rowntree admitted their reunion only feels “natural”.
“With every record we do, the process reveals something new and we develop as a band. We don’t take that for granted,” he explained.
The artwork for the album features an image of Gourock lido in Renfrewshire by British photographer Martin Parr.
In a review of the album, RETROPOP called ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ “a lush body of work that reads as a thank you to fans for a lifetime of continued support and a reminder that, decades into their chart-topping run, Blur are very much alive”.
