Damon Albarn calls Arctic Monkeys “the last great guitar band”
Blur frontman Damon Albarn has praised Arctic Monkeys and labelled the Sheffield natives as “the last great guitar band.”
Albarn, who is set to release The Ballad Of Darren with Blur on July 21st, and ahead of their return, the singer has discussed the state of guitar music. While he’s optimistic about the future of the genre, the Gorillaz founder believes it went through a sticky period before reinventing itself in recent times.
Speaking on the Broken Record podcast, Albarn commented: “I feel like there’s a bit more excitement about guitar music again, that can’t be a bad thing because it got so sterile. For me, the last great guitar band would have been Arctic Monkeys and I don’t really know if there’s anything as good as that since.”
“But now there are bands with a huge amount of potential. It’s really dismantled itself guitar music and put itself back together again in a different form. You’ve got some fantastic new mutations of the genius of it,” Albarn continued.
When asked about his favourite new acts, Albarn revealed: “I really like the band Wu-Lu, they seem to be really cool. There’s one I picked up on somewhere in the American countryside but I can’t remember his name, that’s narrowing it down isn’t it.”
“Then you’ve got bands like Yard Act who seem to be getting better and better. Obviously they are not new, but I still see them as emerging are bands like Sleaford Mods, brilliant. There’s lots of great language being used again, not this generic rock shit – I hate that, I like poets and guitars,” the Blur frontman said of his personal taste.
Albarn’s latest comments arrive after he discussed the comparisons between himself and David Bowie, stating “part of” the late singer lives on through him. “In a way, I’m David Bowie since he’s gone… [Laughs.] Careful, I don’t mean that in an arrogant, presumptuous way,” the Blur singer said.
He added: “But that’s how it is, I tell you very honestly: I sometimes think that a part of David Bowie lives on through me. In any case that I extend his work, that I add my own melodies, my sensitivity.”
Listen to the Broken Record podcast below.
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