ALBUM

Blur, "The Magic Whip" (Parlophone)

The 1990s Britpop stalwarts had no intention of making a new album when they went on a reunion tour of Asia in 2013. But when the cancellation of the Tokyo Rocks festival left them with five free days in Hong Kong, the Damon Albarn-fronted band headed to the studio — including Graham Coxon, who played on only one song on the band's last full-length disc, 2003's "Think Tank." Considering that "The Magic Whip"(it refers to soft-serve ice cream) was recorded piecemeal, it's a wonder how cohesive and vibrant the album sounds, from the jaunty cacophony of whistling opener "Lonesome Street" to such dreamy and disconsolate tracks as "I Thought I Was a Spaceman." The expansive musical interests Albarn has displayed on such projects as Gorillaz serves him well here, while spirited interplay with his old bandmates gives "The Magic Whip" a swift kick to combat his tendency toward the overly earnest.

dan deluca, Philadelphia Inquirer

STREAMING AUDIO

The chorus of Barenaked Ladies' new single, "Say What You Want," sounds like pure Semisonic. tinyurl.com/ns5xdnz