Comments:

This led the group to write radically different and more experimental music, which resulted the album "Blur" from 1997. Perhaps against anticipation, however, the commercial success continued unchanged with a first position on the UK album charts and big single hits with "Beetlebum", "Song", "On Your Own" and to a lesser extent "MOR".

With "13" from 1999, the group continues further out of the experimental path and there is no longer much room for dalliance and cattchy melodies - unfortunately. However, there are a few exceptions that, for me, means that "13" is an album I would certainly not miss. Like the predecessor, the album was a great commercial success and I believe that the great single "Tender" is an important explanation for this. It is a fairly long and stil relatively simple number but with a fantastic structure, starting with a simple lo-fi guitar and a build up toward a full orchestral sound and gospel choir. Unsurprisingly, several great choirs around the world have taken this fine song to their repertoire. "Tender" deservedly was a big hit, but never reached the actual first position.

The second single was the charming "Coffee and TV", which is both light and catchy; a song that could well have been picked up on e.g. "Parklife". The songs continued Blur’s success on the singles lists. Last single was "No Distance Left to Run" - no obvious single topic; a slightly quirky and quiet bluesy song. Only in The U.K. did the song manage a top 20 ranking.

On the rest of the album, there are glimpses of fine parts; but as a whole, I feel it a disappointment. Perhaps the group was finally succeeding in their possible provokation. However, as a trio in 2003, the group did release the even more inert "Think Tank" before taking a long break and not being reunied on record till 2015 with the album "The Magic Whip"