Blur + Angel Haze | Tracks

“Under the Westway”/“The Puritan”
Blur

Considering the number of projects Damon Albarn is juggling at any given moment, his continuing romance with Blur suggests an unfinished agenda. London’s Olympics have reunited the beloved group, which took to Twitter to announce two new tunes written expressly for the closing ceremony concert. One, the stately “Under the Westway” is a bit like “Whiter Shade of Pale” reimagined as a processional—gentle yet dignified, and easy to rally behind. Just one listen conjures an image of Hyde Park glowing in a sea of lighters, though cell phones may have to do. Or the Olympic flame, if it’s still burning by then. Yet it’s on the other cut, “The Puritan,” where the real fun starts. Albarn talk-sings over a microchip-powered backbeat before the delirious burst of the chorus, all swirling guitars, synth bass stabs and sing-song la-la-las. Albarn emits a casual “yeah” each time it arrives, as if he’s feeling that rush for the first time. He’d be saying it whether the tape was rolling or not.