Seven Songs for the Week #68 - 24th July 24

Went to see the new blur documentary, To The End, in the cinema, as the teenager is big into them at the minute and it seemed like a nice way to pass the time. I do love blur, however the documentary is good but at two hours long, it's a stretch. The documentary's focus is blur's 2023, looking at their reunion and activities for the year. If that sounds familiar then it should because in 2010 they put out No Distance Left To Run, a documentary about their 2009 reunion and activites for the year. The new documentary is very heavy on "the band is like a marriage/a family / brothers" metaphor and extensive reminders of age and getting old (Damon is 55, 75% of them have knee trouble). Damon (and the film) seem to go to great lengths to point out that blur is now closed for business again, which is a pity. Dave seems to have left his legal career behind and failed to get elected as a Labour MP this year. Graham is facilitated my many musical projects and seems happy for blur to be one of them. Alex seems to think it's still the 90s, going off on benders and to be honest, you'd be worried for him. Damon decides what happens. Such is the way. I'm reminded of what Thom Yorke said about his status in Radiohead: "The band is the UN and I'm America".

What has this got to do with this song: for some reason, this track ends the blur documentary. It was on the Sainsbury's Northern Soul comp before. Good song!

What a lovely sound this is.

Randomly Apple Music played this to me in the car this week. I'd hit "Jason Carty Radio" and this was the first track up.

I read an article about this group in The Guardian this week [https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jul/22/limbo-district-band-athens-michael-stipe-rem-b52s-dominique-amet-davey-stevenson-kelly-crow] - the lost group of the Athens Georgia scene that gave us The B52's and REM. "They were one of the greatest bands on Earth" said Michael Stipe, an early acolyte. They never had any records released in their lifetime but some live tapes have been assembled and are now seeing the light of day. Anyways, they are terrible. It's a hard listen. I'm all for the avant-garde and pushing the envelope, but for this you really had to be there... this is not a passed over treasure, just a curio of a 1980 scene.

This debut single from JADE (out of Little Mix) came out this week and it's rather good. Sandie Shaw's Puppet on a String weaves in an out of a wonderful pop melody in a song that jutters and stops and starts. Good stuff. More money for Phil Coulter too.

S'Madonna.

Watched 2009 movie The Green Mile this week for the first time. It's rather excellent, and as anyone who has seen it will know, this song plays a part in it.