BLUR "The Ballad Of Darren" Ltd Edition 4628/10000 Numbered Zoetrope Vinyl 2023

Description: Blur ‎"The Ballad Of Darren" Parlophone ‎5054197669637 Vinyl, LP, exclusively pressed to animated zoetrope picture disc, limited to 10,000 copies and hand-numbered to order. This LP is numbered 4628 of 10000. The LP was not sealed when it was originally sent out by Blood Records, but it is brand new and has never been played. The Ballad of Darren is Blur's ninth studio album. It was released on 21 July 2023 by Parlophone and Warner Records. The album's songs were written by frontman Damon Albarn in 2022 while on tour with Gorillaz, and composed by Albarn and the rest of the band. It was produced by James Ford at Studio 13 in London and Devon. It is Blur's first album since "The Magic Whip" (2015), and their shortest album, with a runtime under 40 minutes. The album's artwork features a 2004 photograph of a man swimming alone in the Gourock Outdoor Pool in Gourock, Scotland, taken by Martin Parr. Its title refers to Darren "Smoggy" Evans, the band's long-time bodyguard. "The Ballad of Darren" was released to positive reviews. It became the band's seventh consecutive number one album debut in the UK. It also topped the charts in Belgium, Ireland, Scotland and Switzerland, and became the band's first US Top 10 album on the Top Album Sales chart, reaching #8. The album was promoted by the singles "The Narcissist", "St. Charles Square" and "Barbaric", as well as a global tour. "The Ballad of Darren" received critical acclaim and a score of 84 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 24 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Uncut felt that "better than simply a personal or a confessional album, The Ballad of Darren is clever in what it does and doesn't say about its creator's life", while Amanda Farah of The Quietus found the album to have "a gentler approach", describing it as "an almost-pop record with strong choruses but more ambling verses" and "a statement of where Blur are now". Emma Harrison of Metro in her review said of the album that it was 'Emotive, visceral and full of intent, Darren takes us on a soul searching journey which is a testimonial of how overcoming loss might just help you find yourself, your sound and your friends via the power of music.' and that it was blur's 'most arrestingly intimate work since the likes of 13'. Joe Goggins of The Skinny remarked that Blur "shake off" their "latter-day heaviness" on "a handsome set that sounds like four mates having fun again". Reviewing the album for Clash, Gareth James stated that the "desire to reflect on those most important to the band is immediately evident", describing opening track "The Ballad" as "gorgeous" and "Barbaric" as "one of their very best" and concluding that the album ends with "no neat resolutions" on "The Heights". Jazz Monroe of Pitchfork described the album as "meticulously polished", writing that its "songs conjure something more real than anguish: the dulling of losses, the warm aura of midlife decline, and the fading belief, with advancing years, that crisis serves to raise the curtain on your next act". Mojo ranked "The Ballad of Darren" first on its list of the best albums of 2023.

Price: 50 GBP

Location: St. Leonards-on-Sea

End Time: 2024-11-16T13:18:28.000Z

Shipping Cost: 26.01 GBP