Blur: 1 Hidden Gem On Every Album

Modern Life Is Rubbish was the breakthrough album for Blur. A rejection of all things grunge in the wake of a miserable American tour, the album instead embraces the sharply melodic songwriting of British Sixties pop.

While not yet the full on, kaleidoscopic, day-glo variety show of Parklife, Modern Life Is Rubbish is an album of superior guitar pop, complete with richly textured production. The band’s playing and Damon’s increasingly satirical lyrics are enhanced by guitar effects, brass and string flourishes. You could pick about half a dozen highlights that fit the hidden gem label but we’re focusing on Starshaped here.

Starshaped works on two levels, a meditation on Blur’s treatment by the music industry and a satirical swipe at the nine to five, living for the weekend life that so many us find ourselves trapped in. It’s about the boss who will flatter your ego so long as you subsume your own desires and ambition within the needs of the company.

The cynicism is masked behind an upbeat backing track and chirpy, sing-song backing vocals but it’s like someone giving you a broad smile that never reaches the eyes. A deliberately cheesy instrumental break recalls some long forgotten daytime telly theme, underlining the repetitive mundanity of it all.