Blur – M.O.R. Review

A complete pivot to the Americanised sound which they had helped keep out of Britain, Blur’s ambitious attempt to redefine themselves can be heard on M.O.R. more than anywhere. Here is where the band bring on an onslaught of remixes, from William Orbit and Moby no less, and find themselves fascinated with the rough grunge and punk-like noise they had managed to keep from overlapping with their earlier, twee creations. Even the single is given a different treatment to the album version. Blur’s self-titled effort featured a love of automatic, be it driving or the rudimentary, hands-off experiences of fame. Their fashion and fame were changing, and M.O.R. came to define that moment. A defiant performance from the band on a song which highlights the punk roots of Graham Coxon. These are the stylish, explosive instrumentals which back Damon Albarn so well. It is a necessary change. 

M.O.R. may lead the charge for this four-track release, but it is overshadowed by Blur deep cut, Swallows in the Heatwave. A near-perfect adaptation to hang-ups in the sun, the overwhelming, blistering heat proves to be a brilliant piece from a band looking to make this shift to a volatile new sound. Distorted vocals, as though Albarn is stood at one side of the room with a megaphone in hand, becomes the core of the song. He develops it well with the heartfelt flourishes, the harsher pangs of Coxon’s guitar work once more benefitting from this change of form. The Great Escape may offer some of Blur’s popular points, but M.O.R. and Swallows in the Heatwave provides a point of no return for the band. An emotional high point for the group, which at this point are finding themselves sick of the chirpy tones which defined the mid-1990s. It is no surprise that each band which found their fame was then seen kicking against the sound that got them there.

But Blur goes to the extreme with this. They are not content to be against the old noise, they want to redefine themselves as fast as possible. It means aligning themselves with the grunge tones of the time, and with it comes a chance for Orbit and Moby to cement their take on what Blur could be, what they should be, according to the veteran musicians. Orbit clearly had some influence on the band with this remix, given they hired him to produce 13 afterwards. The song itself, a take on Movin’ On, is solid. The droning and whining electrified noise which separates Blur from their image as light-hearted pop stars. Orbit has worked with stars, and he has dismantled them on occasion. This is firmly the latter experience, and it serves its purpose well.  

Blur were on their way out of popular music at the time, anyway. M.O.R. made it to fifteen in the charts, though nothing to be sniffed at given the double remix collection on the other side of the release. Perhaps with more focus on the deep cut originals, as was the joy of many pre-self-titled album releases, then there would be more success to go around. But this is a clear, fresh direction for the band who had tired of their position in pop rock circles. Moby’s mix of Beetlebum is, in title alone, nothing short of insanity. This is a band willing to try anything they could to sever themselves from a lucrative past in the hopes of forming a new sound. They do that well and M.O.R. is a sign of how this change was made permanent.