Blur announces the release of new album 'The Ballad of Darren' - hear the enticing first track 'The Narcissist' now

Blur is set to release the new album 'The Ballad of Darren' in July

Blur / Photo: Reuben Bastienne-Lewis

Never say "never"! Blur has surprised the music world and just announced (Thursday, May 18) the release of a new album titled The Ballad of Darren coming July 21, 2023 via Parlophone. Check out the fantastic advance single "The Narcissist" available as an official visualiser video HERE! I can't wait to hear the entire album when it's released in two months.

The Ballad of Darren will be released two weeks after Blur's highly-anticipated concerts at Wembley Stadium. The album marks Blur's first new full-length studio disc since 2015's amazing The Magic Whip (that LP was among my favorite albums of 2015; read my review HERE)

Produced by James Ford, the new album is Blur's ninth studio album.

Damon Albarn greeting the faithful in
Dublin on August 1, 2013. 

I have seen Blur several times. Read my review of the band's memorable performance at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 1, 2013 HERE.

The Ballad of Darren will be available in a number of editions and can be pre-ordered HERE. Please note: some editions include two additional tracks.

Here is the track list for The Ballad of Darren:

The Ballad
St. Charles Square
Barbaric
Russian Strings
The Everglades (For Leonard)
The Narcissist
Goodbye Albert
Far Away Island
Avalon
The Heights

Robert Kinsler

Long-awaited masterworks cap stellar 2019

Three of rock's finest artists are back with essential new collections that should be on every rock music lover's list.

Artist: Coldplay
Title: Everyday Life (Atlantic/Parlophone)
You might like if you enjoy: Coldplay, U2, Doves
Tell me more: As seems to be the case every time Coldplay releases a new album, there has been plenty of dissension and debate among fans about whether the British band's long-awaited album Everyday Life merits its ambitions. This is one music lover who firmly believes the 16-track album delivers on the four-year wait (Coldplay's previous studio LP A Head Full of Dreams was released back in December 2015). Although Coldplay's eighth studio disc Everyday Life qualifies as a concept album and is comprised of two fully-developed parts (the first half is dubbed "Sunrise" while the last half is "Sunset") it does play out over a single audio CD disc. The musically-diverse field of songs find the band (singer-keyboardist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion) looking at the joy and beauty of life, as well as the ugliness and challenges of everyday life across the 53+ minutes of music. The expansive soundscape extends from the instrumental opener "Sunrise," inspired "Church," intimate "Daddy" and gospel-adorned "BrokEn" to driving horn section-bolstered "Arabesque" help propel the first half of the record. The rage-filled "Guns," meditative "Èkó," gentle "Old Friends" and resplendent "Champion of the World" are among the impressive tracks on the last half of the LP. The band's daring arrangements, nuanced performances and use of guest players and singers only escalate the magic of Everyday Life.  lnformation: Coldplay.com.

Artist: The Who
Title: WHO (Interscope)
You might like if you enjoy: The Who, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend
Tell me more: Anyone fearing that 2006's less-than-perfect album Endless Wire might be The Who's final full-length artistic statement needs to hear the band's eponymous 12th studio album released earlier this month. "WHO" is the band's best album since 1982's It's Hard, and is remarkable on every level – in fact it is one of the best albums of 2019. Roger Daltrey's lead vocals sound fantastic and the tracks explode musically in support of the inspired arrangements and sharp lyrics; guitarist-singer Pete Townshend, drummer Zak Starkey, and other musicians on the disc (notably keyboardist Benmont Tench who guests on three tracks) are locked in everywhere. This being a Who album, there are plenty of fiery rockers and reflective turns. "All This Music Must Fade," "Detour," "Rockin' In Rage," and the mid-tempo "Hero Ground Zero" explode with every listen; the soul-searching "Beads On One String" the lush "Street Song" and sweeping "Break The News" are absolutely beautiful. The jazz-tinged "She Rocked My World" is among the more experimental material on the disc. A deluxe edition of the album available at Target stores includes three must-hear bonus tracks ("This Gun Will Misfire," "Got Nothing to Prove," "Danny and My Ponies") that augment a brilliant release.  Information: TheWho.com.

Artist: Simple Minds
Title: Live in the City of Angels – deluxe edition (BMG)
You might like if you enjoy: U2, Coldplay, Big Country
Tell me more: Even casual fans of Scottish rockers Simple Minds will love the deluxe edition of Live in the City of Angels, a 4-disc audio collection recorded during the band's 2018 North America Tour. The first two discs features the band's full-length concert captured at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on Oct. 24, 2018. Fans of Simple Minds' enduring '80s hits ("Don't You Forget About Me," "Alive and Kicking," "Sanctify Yourself") get all those songs delivered with power and force, as well as deep cuts and brilliant new material (particularly "The Signal and the Noise," "Dirty Old Town" and "Walk Between Worlds"). Founding members singer Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill are joined by a talented cast of musicians and backing singer Sarah Brown in bringing the wealth and range of songs to live via the recording, which is one of the best-sounding concert recordings this writer has ever heard. Discs 3 and 4 feature a myriad of bonus tracks recorded at various sound checks and rehearsals; my favorite is a fantastic take on the Call's 1989 hit single "Let the Day Begin." Information: amazon.com.


Robert Kinsler

Coldplay to perform special show in Los Angeles on March 23, 2014

Coldplay fans here in the Southland, heads up! Happy Friday indeed...

Coldplay will perform in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 23rd. CITI PRESENTS A VERY SPECIAL PERFORMANCE FROM COLDPLAY FOR CITI THANKYOU® CARDMEMBERS AT SONY PICTURES STUDIOS

Next Sunday, March 23, 2014, Citi ThankYou cardmembers will exclusively enjoy Citi Presents A Very Special Performance From Coldplay.  This intimate concert at Sony Pictures Studios in Los Angeles is one of Coldplay's first U.S. performances prior to the May 19 release of the band's sixth studio album, Ghost Stories via Parlophone/Atlantic Records.  Coldplay at Sony Pictures Studios is part of a special lineup of entertainment events offered exclusively for the Citi ThankYou, ThankYou® Preferred and Citi ThankYou® Premier and Citi Prestige® cards.Citi ThankYou Preferred and Premier cardmembers also can earn more points for entertainment purchases, such as tickets for this special event. "Coldplay is one of the biggest bands in the world, and it's an honor for Citi to present our ThankYou cardmembers with one of their first U.S. performances in support of their forthcoming album," said Jennifer Breithaupt, SVP Entertainment Marketing Citi.  "Seeing the band at a venue not traditionally used for live performances will make what is sure to be a great show even more memorable for our customers." Tickets to this exclusive Coldplay performance will be available for purchase only with a Citi ThankYou card beginning on Saturday, March 15at 10:00 AM PDT. More information on how to purchase tickets can be found HERE and you can learn more about the Citi ThankYou card entertainment benefits at www.citi.com/thankyoucards. In addition to offering exclusive events and experiences for Citi ThankYou cardmembers, Citi regularly offers Citi credit and debit cardmembers access to purchase tickets to a variety of events via Citi Private Pass®, the bank's entertainment access program. In 2013, Citi offered cardmembers more than 5,000 music events, ranging from preferred and presale tickets to top concert tours to curated special events with Grammy-award winners and VIP experiences including pre-show performances and Q&A. Last year, Citi sponsored the Rolling Stones' 50 & Counting Tour mobile app. In addition, Citi presented "Katy Perry's: We Can Survive" benefit concert and exclusive cardmember pre-show experience at the famed Hollywood Bowl. Other experiences have featured artists such as John Mayer, Lady Antebellum, Florida Georgia Line, and more. For more information, visit www.citiprivatepass.com. About Citi Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube:www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://new.citi.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/company/citi