Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur

Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon have made up, and the smartest, funniest Brit-pop band is back (woo-hoo!). But Blur haven't recorded any new music yet (boohoo). So here's a two-disc best-of to coincide with their shows this summer, balanced nicely between their cheeky-monkey side (Albarn) and their later weird-guitar side (Coxon). The best bits ("Song 2") have elements of both. Blur went from wanna-be's ("Popscene") to provocateurs ("Parklife") to artistes ("Beetlebum") to world travelers ("Good Song"), and, rare moments of torpid dross aside, remained fascinating with each mood change.