I think I must have read it at the time, but nice to read again - even though I know the basic story so well.

the instrumentals are so beautiful but there's something so sad about them. the whole song sounds so tired and hopeless, like the song itself is just too tired to fight anymore. and damon’s vocals make it even worse. he sounds so tired and defeated, like he’s just done trying. knowing this song became a farewell to his relationship with justine frischmann makes it hit even harder. idk how damon managed to make giving up sound this beautiful. freaking genius.

Can't stop laughing... wtf even is Dave

But not on Leisure?

I’m sure it’s not a state secret, but I’ve never known why.

I heard rumors that Graham hates Jamie Hewlett

I recently received this for my birthday and it certainly is an interesting snapshot of that 1990-93 period of blurs career that is so well documented in the Starshaped documentary. Going through the pages it looks a lot of fun being in your early 20s on the road. My only complaint would be that it would have been interesting to have some notes from Dave himself throughout the book commenting on the pictures instead of just an intro. Or even better the whole band.

1. Bugman

2. Down

3. Country sad ballad man

4. Miss america

5. He thought of cars

6. Go out

7. Clover over dover

8. Caravan

9. The everglades

Posting this to r/gorillaz as well to see what the verdict is lmao

Could someone please send me the ISO files for these DVDs?

- No Distance Left to Run Documentary

- Crazy Beat Single

- Out of Time single

- Good Song Single

- Parklive

- New world towers

this is classic Damon. definitely looking forward to his soundtrack for artificial based on this.

https://youtu.be/veIEuQk1euA?si=YaYNhP6Vd63BdFy2

Does someone know where is it from please

Mate pull your damn pants up

Jk pls don't

Can you tell I'm goin insane

I will never forget the day I bumped into Parklife. I was a conflicted 12 years old guy who was a huge fan of Gorillaz in his childhood. One day, searching on Google about what else Damon Albarn did through his career I reached out to the absolute pinnacle of British music in the 90's... Parklife, nothing more or less. I remember that the cover connected me straight with my primary school years, the cover had this aesthetic that you can find in any english book in Buenos Aires and gave me a warm feeling that hooked me to the songs instantly.

Girls and Boys is one of the freshest songs you will hear ever, the synths at the beginning allow you to see that Blur knows to treat any instrument they play with gentleness, those sounds are energetic and so carefully crafted that they give to the tune that touch which makes it different to any other pop song. Tracy Jacks - End of Century - Parklife is a trio that only can be described as "The Perfect Coda to British Mid-Class awkwardness" and they have so many features you can point to that this review would be eternal: the metal sound of the drums in Tracy Jacks and its thick bass is a top, top production job and also the ability of Damon to create bizarre characters reaches a high here definitely, the acoustic guitars and the trumpets on End of a Century puts together a very beautiful instrumentation that defies the anxiety of the lyrics very effectively, the featuring of Phil Daniels in Parklife just doesn't need any description... Superb.

From here I know there's not a lot of hits but there are some very warm and intimate songs that I'll never get why they're not more famous and universally acclaimed. Bank Holiday is a short fast tempo almost punk songs that gives you a rush of adrenaline just to give the entrance to Badhead which is one of my personal favourites of the band, is a sweet song that features an excellent set of trumpets with a perfect line of bass that transmits a perfect feeling of warm, the kind of warmness you get when you're on the bed with a touch of flu as Damon sings here. To the End is a cinematic tragic ballad that only Damon or Bowie could write at their very prime, the french chorus, the strings... Beautifulness itself with a noir touch that blends it perfectly.

Here is when it comes another trio of songs that I feel they're criminally underappreciated. If London Loves doesn't get you up, nothing will. It's a shot of adrenaline directly to your veins that blends everything that makes this record so great, good synths, the band playing at the top of their qualities and lyrics that coudn't be written from any other country than Britain, it's upbeat and vivid. Trouble in the Message Center is a weird hard rock piece that may be out of tune in the album but it's undeniably brilliant, the chorus of Damon are catchy and the drums feels heavy and just are the right tempo, it gives you the same vibrant energy of London Loves. The transcition between Troube... and Clover Over Dover it's almost funny and it leads to one of the most beutiful hidden gems of Blur, what can I say? The clavicord, the seagulls sounds, the whispers, it's a song that I've listening in a loop for years and it's the closest thing I heard ever to be lying in the English coast in my life, the fact that the band would put a tune like this in the greatest record Britpop conceived and that it went under the radar speaks leves of this masterpiece as I am almost certain that Albarn wrote it in an joking fashion but it came out as an harmonic English ballad. I can't speak too much about Magic America as I perceive it as the low point of the album but Jubilee is an invigorating tune with a strong chorus and great trumpets once again which serves as an upbet prelude for what is for me the greatest musical piece probably that Britpop ever produced in This is a Low which has just EVERYTHING, an epic guitar solo by Graham (and probably his best one) to prove himself as the virtuous musician he is, lyrics that blend the social decline of England at the time with geographical references mixed with satirical humour and all at the sound of dry drums and acoustic guitar that creates an epic atmosphere that you won't find in many songs really.

The record ends with Lot 105 in a satirical, silly way that weirdly, doesn't feel out of tune. I know I didn't speak about the instrumental cuts here but I didn't want to make the review infinite. Parklife represents for me the absolute high point of britpop in a fresh, colourful pool of songs that puts together a group of talented musicians and a cynical songwriter that had a point to prove and he proved it exposing and portraying the British mid-class as no one else will ever do.

Thanks for reading!