Modern Life Is Rubbish by Blur

The early 90s were a bit of an odd time for music. The 80s were now in the rear view mirror, rave was for the hardcore pillheads and grunge was still just a bunch of cob nobblers in Seattle. Where did that leave the indie kids?

The answer was firmly looking back to the 60s. At least they were being upfront in the album title and the nostalgic picture of a steam train puffing away. On this album, Blur are harking back to the sounds of the Kinks and early Bowie, who ironically enough were themselves harking back to even earlier traditions of music hall and singers like Anthony Newley.

I mean, I like the 60s, but this album feels almost apologetic for being unsure of itself and the sound they want to make. It’s fine as a whole, but their distinctive Britpop sound was yet to emerge.

https://album.link/gb/i/726407617