- Artist
- Blur
- Album
- The Ballad of Darren
Based on 9 reviews from outlets we track. Scores run 70 to 90.
| The gist | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Clash | 9/10 | 90 | “While 2003’s ‘Think Tank’ emerged despite Graham Coxon and, twelve years later, ‘The Magic Whip’ was completed because of him, it’s tempting to assert” |
| Riff Magazine | 9/10 | 90 | “Blur explores loss and mourning on "The Ballad of Daren," with Damon Albarn at his most vulnerable. But there’s another fault line running through it: joy.” |
| XS Noize | 4.5/5 | 90 | “When Blur released their last LP, The Magic Whip, there was much joy since it was their first album since 1999's 13, where each track featured all of the” |
| Spectrum Culture | 82/100 | 82 | “A reflective and often somber album that takes the ballad part of its title as a crucial part of the task.” |
| musicOMH | 4/5 | 80 | “The returning four-piece's ninth album is a captivating sonic journey that offers proof of their ability to blend genres, experiment with sound and deliver thought-provoking moments” |
| Paste | 7.5/10 | 75 | “Blur's ninth studio album is a diaristic take on the difficulties of being an aging rockstar.” |
| Pitchfork | 7.2/10 | 72 | “Read Jazz Monroe’s review of the album.” |
| Beats Per Minute | 71% | 71 | “Music News, Reviews, Interviews, Videos and MP3s” |
| Slant | 3.5/5 | 70 | “Blur's ‘The Ballad of Darren’ affirms that the band isn’t ready to get comfortable quite yet.” |
Would you spin it again?
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How the Breakdown works
Every outlet’s score is converted to 0–100 (2/5 is 40, 5.9/10 is 59, a B+ is 88) and averaged. Grades follow the B-Side scale: A is 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, F below 60. Critics who liked it is the share of outlets that scored it 75 or higher; the Breakdown shows green at 75 and up, red below. Divisiveness asks a different question: not whether critics liked it, but how close their scores are to each other. Five critics who all give it 50 are Unanimous, even though none of them liked it. The labels run Unanimous, Broad agreement, Some debate, Divided, and Contentious. Replay rate comes from listeners, not critics: yes counts fully, a few tracks counts half, no counts zero. The gist quotes each outlet’s own summary of its review. Scores marked est. come from reviews that publish no number.
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