Blur

Blur is a British rock music group that originated in London in 1988. The band consists of vocalist Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Their first album, Leisure (1991), incorporated elements of madchester and shoegazing. They subsequently adopted a new style influenced by British pop bands such as The Kinks, The Beatles and XTC, which resulted in the albums Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). These works contributed to the popularisation of britpop and brought them great recognition in the United Kingdom, especially following a media rivalry with Oasis in 1995, known as the «Battle of Britpop».

The fifth album, titled Blur (1997), marked another change of style, this time influenced by the lo-fi sound of American indie rock bands, and became their third album to reach number one on the UK charts. The single «Song 2» gave them their first significant success in the United States. Their next work, 13 (1999), explored electronic music and gospel, with more personal lyrics from Albarn, who addressed his struggle with heroin addiction and his break-up with Justine Frischmann, singer of Elastica. The seventh album, Think Tank (2003), continued with electronic experimentation and reflected Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and world music, with a more minimalist approach to guitar. During the early recording sessions for Think Tank, Coxon left the band, and Blur split for several years after the album tour ended, while its members pursued other projects.