When Zane Lowe popped up in a Chinese restaurant with Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree a few months ago, announcing the release of a long-awaited new album from Blur, Team HP had to make sure our computers hadn’t accidently hopped onto The Onion – or, perhaps more likely, that we hadn’t blurred the lines between dreams and reality again.
Of course, it was for real; one of the biggest bands of the last two decades were back, and The Magic Whip was every bit the record we’d always hoped it would be. In this issue of Hot Press, Alex James reveals why it was important that the release remained a complete surprise, and fills us in on the lengths the band went to in order to keep it that way.
“It was referred to as ‘Project Miriam’ in my office,” the bassist smiles, in conversation with our own Stuart Clark. “No one was allowed to refer to it by name or invoke the ‘Blur’ word. It was called ‘Graham’s album’ in the record company, I think. I had to tell my wife because she wanted to know where I was going, but the kids weren’t aware of what was afoot.”
He also reflects on the magic of getting back in studio with his old mates, how the industry has changed since their last go-round, and, er, whether vaginal secretion yoghurt will be on the menu in the James household anytime soon.
For the full interview, pick up a copy of Hot Press - with our special Beck/Ciaran Lavery flip-cover – from shelves today!