Formed in 1988, British rock band Blur went on to become one of the most successful bands of the 1990s, releasing six albums in that decade alone. They were far more popular in the UK than in the U.S., and though a few of their singles made the top 10 on the Billboard Alternative chart, I’m embarrassed to admit that I never heard of them until only a few years ago. Over the course of their career, they’ve released nine studio albums (seven of which reached #1 in the UK), five live albums, five compilation albums, one remix album, four EPs, 35 singles, 10 promotional singles and 37 music videos.

Though they disbanded in 2003, reunited in 2009, then went on a hiatus in 2015 that lasted seven years, Blur has always consisted of their original lineup of singer-songwriter Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Their sound started out as a blend of Madchester (a musical and cultural scene that developed in Manchester in the late 1980s) and shoegaze, evidenced by their debut album Leisure, but for their next three albums, they transitioned to Britpop, a style influenced by English guitar pop acts like the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC. Their self-titled fifth album Blur, released in 1997, saw another stylistic shift toward the lo-fi styles of American indie rock groups, whereas their sixth album 13 (1999) saw them experimenting with electronic and gospel music. Their seventh album Think Tank (2003) continued their experimentation with electronic sounds and was shaped by Albarn’s growing interest in hip hop and world music. After they disbanded, he focused on his very successful virtual band Gorillaz, which he’d created in 1998 and with whom he would release eight studio albums, three compilation albums, 11 EPs, one remix album, and 46 singles. (Gorillaz’ recent single “New Gold”, a wonderful collaboration with Tame Impala and Bootie Brown, spent three weeks at #1 on my Weekly Top 30 earlier this year,)

After Blur reunited in 2009, they released a series of live albums in quick succession, but it wasn’t until 2015 that they would release a new studio album The Magic Whip, which went to #1 in the UK, and became their highest-charting album in the U.S., peaking at #24 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. The band went on yet another hiatus after touring for The Magic Whip, only to reunite for a second time in 2022. They went on to record their ninth album The Ballad of Darren, which they released on July 21. The album’s beautiful lead single “The Narcissist”, which Albarn describes as “an aftershock record, a reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now“, is my new #1 song this week.

Two fine songs make their debut this week: “Cannonballers” by Tennessee-based indie rock four-piece Colony House, at #29, and “Forgiving Ties” by Rhode Island-based alternative rock-folk band Deer Tick, at #30. It’s the first appearance on my Weekly Top 30 for both bands.

1. THE NARCISSIST – Blur (2)
2. WHY – Future Theory (1)
3. PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (3)
4. PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (6)
5. VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (7)
6. SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (8)
7. STUCK – 30 Seconds to Mars (9)
8. PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (10)
9. ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (3)
10. RESCUED – Foo Fighters (4)
11. OVERRATED – dwi (14)
12. RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (12)
13. BONES – HEALER (15)
14. WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (16)
15. ORBIT – Gooseberry (17)
16. LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (18)
17. CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (19)
18. LEAVING – Au Gres (11)
19. GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (22)
20. DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (23)
21. NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (13) 20th week on chart
22. KISSES – Slowdive (26)
23. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (27)
24. ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (28)
25. FRANCESCA – Hozier (29)
26. WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE – Joy Oladokun & Noah Kahan (20)
27. DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (30)
28. HELLO – GROUPLOVE (21)
29. CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (N)
30. FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (N)