Album 13 released

Released in March 1999, Blur’s sixth studio album 13 saw them drift still further away from their Britpop-era attitude and sound. Orbit’s production style allowed for more jamming, and incorporated a “variety of emotions, atmospheres, words and sounds” into the mix. 13 was creatively dominated by Coxon, who “was simply allowed to do whatever he chose, unedited”, by Orbit. Albarn’s lyrics—more heart-felt, personal and intimate than on previous occasions—were reflective of his break-up with Elastica frontwoman Justine Frischmann , his partner of eight years. The album received generally favourable reviews from the press. While Q called it “a dense, fascinating, idiosyncratic and accomplished art rock album”, the NME felt it was inconsistent and “(at least) a quarter-of-an-hour too long”. 13 debuted at the top of the UK charts, staying at that position for two weeks. The album’s lead single, the gospel-based ” Tender “, opened at the second spot on the charts. After ” Coffee & TV “, the first Blur single to feature Coxon on lead vocals, only reached number 11 in the UK, manager Chris Morrison demanded a chart re-run because of what he deemed was a sales miscalculation.