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The Soundcheck Guide To Blur

Blur's 'Parklife' was released in the summer of 1994.

This summer Soundcheck is looking back to the summer of 1994 to explore the hits, defining albums and pop culture of 20 years ago.

Back in 1994, the British pop music movement known as Britpop exploded in popularity, defined by bands like Blur and Oasis. With its album Parklife (released in April of that year), Blur helped cement the genre and pushed its dreamy, melodic twang into international acclaim. Stereogum recently ran a series celebrating the 20th anniversary of Britpop, and Managing Editor Michael Nelson sits down with Soundcheck host John Schaefer to dissect the movement's seminal band.

Formative Blur: "There's No Other Way" from Leisure

Michael Nelson: "Their label encouraged them -- sort of forced their hand 00 into borrowing the sound of The Stone Roses and The Charlatans who were doing this indie-rock/dance hybrid that was very popular in the late 80s/early 90s. It did produce some great songs, but it wasn't the voice of the artists."

Defining Blur's Sound: Modern Life Is Rubbish

MN: "While touring the United Statse for Leisure, they weren't seeing large crowds at their shows, they were feeling very disenchanted. At the time Nirvana was dominant and in the U.K., Suede was really on the rise. And Damon Albarn was traveling across the U.S. in a tour bus and listening to a Kinks tape and seething with anger at how his band was not the dominant force in British music and so he wrote this record, Modern Life Is Rubbish. The first true Britpop album... and in my opinion pretty close to a masterpiece."

Personal Favorite: "Blue Jeans"

MN: "I love this song, it's my favorite Blur song, and I think part of that is because Blur are a great songs band -- every song is a complete statement on its own. 'Blue Jeans' was never a single, it's an overlooked song in their catalogue, it's absolutely their most beautiful song they've ever written and it really signals a lot of places they would go with their more melancholy gentler music and I think it's absolutely gorgeous."

Three Picks Blur's Definitive Album: Parklife

"Girls and Boys"

MN: "It's Parklife's calling card ... it's probably Blur's second-best-known song, it leads off the album and it starts on a great note."

"Clover Over Dover"

MN: "It was origianlly written as a ska song ... It's just a beautifully delicate and gentle song and I think it's probably the song on Parklife that's not a single that people should associate themselves with because it's really wonderful."

"This Is A Low"

MN: "It's a very morose song, and in that sense it's a low but it's the final moment you're left with on Parklife and it's this soaring, deeply aching balad and I think it's certainly one of the high points of their career and of Parklife as well. There's few low points on Parklife, but this is really one of the stand-out tracks.

Song to Avoid: "Song 2"

MN: "Blur's lifespan, I really don't think there's a single bad album in there. The closest thing they have to a bad album is their first album, Leisure. The reason I chose 'Song 2' as a song to avoid is not because you shouldn't listen to or love it. It's a fantastic song. I think it's just ubiquitous in a way that's unfair to the body of work of Blur and then Damon Albarn beyond Blur."