Blur's Damon Albarn Whets Fans' Appetites On 'Ravenous' Soundtrack

03/12/1999 4:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Stephen Peters

(3/12/99, 1 p.m. PST) - Fans who just can't wait for the March 23 U.S. release of 13, the sixth album by Blur (LAUNCH, 2/12), can hear a different type of music from group leader Damon Albarn. Ravenous, the soundtrack to the movie about the Donner Pass disaster of 1846-47, due in theaters on March 19, was released on Tuesday.

Co-written with composer Michael Nyman and including new arrangements of material by Stephen Foster, the record's period-era sounds are a far cry from Blur's modern Britpop stylings, incorporating original Native American music and old-fashioned instruments to create the proper atmosphere for the film's mid-1800s setting.

In other Blur news, the group's planned March 15 show in London will be broadcast live on BBC's Radio 1, then rebroadcast in real-time audio and video from the band's official website (www.blur.co.uk) on March 22, the day before the domestic debut for 13. Samples of tracks from the new album can also be found at the site.

Look for an upcoming Blur feature on LAUNCH.com soon.

-- Stephen Peters

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