Garnet's Gems

Okay look, there’s something about me that I need to make clear before getting into this. I’m not-how do you say-a daily tea drinker, I don’t bake my own crumpets and scones, I don’t speak with a fancy accent. You know?

So this genre of music, it’s a bit outside of my expertise. The cultural nuance goes way over my head, but let’s talk about Britpop.

Now, I must admit to not being fully confident what actually qualifies. The 90s were filled to the brim with newspapers making up genres out of bands that sounded nothing alike (don’t worry, we’ll get to grunge one day). So, instead of recommending songs or ranking albums, today I’m just going to give my thoughts on the big four of Britpop: Oasis, Blur, Suede, & Pulp.

Oasis

Certainly the most notable in terms of commercial success and lasting listenership, Oasis have a bit of a reputation. Especially as their reunion tour is in full swing. The Gallagher brothers (neither of whom are my favourite musician with that name) seem to constantly be at each others throats and apparently come from the niche British “lads” subculture. Which, from my understanding, is essentially their equivalent of frat boys: known to be loud, aggressive, and a bit silly.

Now, I quite like Oasis. I’m not immune to the charms of Champagne Supernova, or Don’t Look Back in Anger. Banger songs galore, but I do think their first album, Definitely Maybe, is incredibly overrated and was, outside of a couple tracks, very boring. Hot take, I know. The whole thing just felt very samey, and I found the production to be a bit muddy: 6.75.

Of course, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory is fantastic. If you’ve managed to go this far into life without listening to it, you should change that: 8.75.

Blur

Internet folks love to sing the praises of Damon Albarn, but I won’t go overboard. At their best, Blur songs feel like stuff the Kinks could’ve put out at their peak. However, much of their work feels under baked and a bit overly frantic, most of what I’ve heard is just kinda alright. Not bad certainly, but also not notable good.

6.75 for Parklife, the only full album of theirs I’ve managed to get through. Make sure to check out their hits though, and then go listen to the Kinks instead.

Suede

Suede feels like a band that’s trying to be good. They’re writing songs to sound cool and unique, but not actually writing very good songs. None of their stuff has ever grabbed me.

Their self titled debut gets a 6 from me.

Pulp

Oasis is often labelled as a Beatles knockoff, but the rest of the big four owe a much bigger debt to the Kinks and their twee tales of British life. Blur apes them the most, but Pulp took that starting position and managed to turn it into magic.

By far my favourite Britpop band, I love Pulp. Their work hits deep. Jarvis Cocker is an excellent songwriter. and that hasn’t faded from a 20 year hiatus. Their new album, More, released this year, is fantastic. A deep exploration of middle age from the mundane to the exciting: 9 (and it’s not even my favourite Pulp album!).

Give Pulp a shot, Different Class (9.5) is the best starting point, but it’s hard to go wrong with anything after His N’ Hers (7.5).

To the Brits…

I’m not gonna say sorry, go drink some hot leaf water to cool off if this has gotten you incensed.