In the latest of their regular studio updates Blur have confirmed they’re in the last week of recording what they are describing as the "record of our lives". Alex James writes on the band’s website that the studio has become something of a party as the album reaches completion: "Mince Pies. People are setting fire to 1/2 inch mastering tape and making loops of the damage. It’s playtime. Also there are rockets, Dave got them from Hamley’s. They go really high and come down on a parachute. It’s tempting to stay here forever trying to make a rocket that can achieve escape velocity, or inventing stuff in the barn."
Talking about the album he added: "It’s a year since we started recording, there have been gaps, so it hasn’t taken a whole year in the studio, but the passage of time has allowed everything to grow naturally. We’ve recorded so many tracks we haven’t had to be precious about any of them. Sonically, musically, rhythmically, lyrically and in terms of hip shakin’ grooves and hot licks, we have a made a record of our lives."