Leisure

Blur: Damon Albarn (vocals); Graham Coxon (guitar); Alex James (bass); Dave Rowntree (drums). Producers: Stephen Street, Steve Lowell, Steve Power, Mike Thorne. In 1991, long before they were splashed over the British press for their fabled feuding with Oasis, long before they pulled off the remarkable feat of attaining revered alt-rock status while having one of their tunes ("Song 2") blared at American football games, Blur released their debut, LEISURE. An unassuming record, LEISURE fit snugly within the Manchester sound of the time. While the album didn't break barriers or expand boundaries, it was a thoroughly engaging, often hypnotic record featuring unforgettable modern-rock singles. LEISURE (the US version, anyway) opens with the one-two punch of "She's So High" and "There's No Other Way," its two indisputable classics. The former exudes an overwhelming sense of longing with a beautifully overlapping chorus and spiraling guitars; the latter boasts an extraordinary, understated guitar riff and perfectly disjointed lyrics (even scoring the band a minor American radio hit). LEISURE is full of adolescent yearning lingering into adulthood, a literate interpretation of failed quests that cleverly glorifies human shortcomings. While the record is certainly not as experimental as BLUR or as consistent as PARKLIFE, LEISURE is an impressive debut for a quartet who would become one of the most important UK bands of the '90s.