*** Blur

13

(Virgin)

The "woo-hoo" boys are back, it's just that in the couple of years since their last costume change (from Brit-pop mods of Parklife to indie-slackers of Blur) there's apparently been some romantic discord in the Blur camp -- namely frontguy Damon Albarn's break-up with Elastica's Justine Frischmann. So this time there's a bit more "boo-hoo" in the mix, particularly in the gospel-tinged sing-along "Tender," which kicks things off with choirboy vocals and a dash of churchy organ.

13 also finds the band working with the techno-oriented producer who engineered Madonna's last pop coup, William Orbit, though for the most part his tasteful ambient touches are overridden by guitarist Graham Coxon's unruly and abraded guitar tones and Albarn's fondness for Pavement and the Fall. "Song 2" worked so well on the last one that we've now got two more Blur "Songs," the sloppy slide-driven rocker "Swamp Song" and the gentler yet still sonically skewed ballad "Mellow Song." In other words, 13 is more or less a logical and successful progression from Blur, with more art-damaged noises and less in the way of ready-made sports cheers. ESPN may end up disappointed, and that in itself will probably please a lot of Blur fans.

-- Matt Ashare