Which Blur album their first for 12 years reached the top of the charts in May 2015
Blur (band) album was marked by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and African music. After a 2003 tour without Coxon, Blur did no studio work or touring as a band, as members engaged in other projects. Blur reunited, with Coxon back in the fold, for a series of concerts in 2009. In the following years they released several singles and retrospective compilations, and toured internationally. In 2012, the group received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Their first major release in twelve years, "The Magic Whip" (2015), became the sixth consecutive Blur studio album to top the British charts.
Blur (Blur album) would flop as a result, "Blur", as well as lead single, "Beetlebum", reached the top of the UK charts and the album was certified platinum. The album also reached the top 20 in six other countries. The success of "Song 2" led to "Blur" becoming the band's most successful album in the US where the Britpop scene had been largely unsuccessful. The album received positive reviews from most music critics, many praising the stylistic change as well as Albarn's improved songwriting. Despite Blur's previous album, "The Great Escape" being released to positive reviews, and entering the UK charts at number