Blur Magic Whip

4 stars out of 5 -- "[Blur] has made its first new album in 16 years, one as quixotic and seductive in its modern searching and subversive pop highs as those Nineties winners."
"[A]n intriguing statement of contemporary anxiety that often feels far more connected to OK COMPUTER and HAIL TO THEIF than it does PARKLIFE and 13."
"The triumph, though, is that despite being a piece with Blur's best work, this ain't a retread."
"Blur's most consistently great album in almost 20 years....It's a joy to hear Graham Coxon -- undisputedly the best guitarist of his generation -- make a glorious racket once more."
Billboard - 4 stars out of 5 -- "THE MAGIC WHIP is a fascinating snapshot of a group coming to personal and professional crossroads in a strange city where modern living leads to bewilderment and alienation -- subjects Albarn has explored in his many side projects."
"[W]hat slowly strikes you about Blur's long-awaited eighth album, is how reassuringly Blur it feels; advancing the formula but warmly accessible....Clearly the old chemistry came easy."
Pitchfork (Website) - "Blur's always been puckish in spirit, its greatest gift the identification and gleeful subversion of listener expectations..."