good god, not the theatre

"BLUR are heading back into the studio next week to record a new EP. The news will come as a blow to the sceptics who predicted 'Think Tank' would be the band's last record.

Damon Albarn has revealed that he is currently juggling three different projects: the Blur EP, an album he's set to record in Nigeria with the surviving members of Fela Kuti's band and a new Gorillaz record. He also said he would like Graham Coxon to rejoin the band. 'Blur's like a family with one brother no-one talks to,' he told 6 Music, adding: 'It is a realistic prospect - the only reason he's not in the band is because he didn't feel he was getting enough say. We're totally capable of making music together. I can forget about all the other things.'

A number of songs from 'Democrazy' - the album of half-finished tracks he recorded on the road in America - will find their way into these projects. 'The song actually called 'Democrazy' has evolved into a fantastic song with Tony [Allen] (producer). A couple of them have gone to nearly-polished Gorillaz pop gems now, and I'm doing an EP with Blur and a couple will go there,' he said. The Blur EP is likely to be the first of these to be completed. The band are due to go into the studio with 'Think Tank' producer Ben Hillier next week to record them.

As for Gorillaz, Albarn revealed that he is planning to use The Bees as the house band for the new set of songs, and he also has another high-profile collaboration lined up. He revealed: "I've been working with Dangermouse. It's gonna be great. Gorillaz is just pure unadulterated pop fun for me," he added. The Nigerian collaboration will see him fly out to Africa later this month to work in Fela Kuti's studio with Tony Allen and other members of the pioneering Afro-beat band. "They're all my songs and I'm singing, so there will be focus on me, but we'll have a name that isn't my name. I don't believe in the idea of a solo record. I'm looking for a country guitarist at the moment. There's gonna be a lot of slide guitar - sort of Afro-country," he said.

But Albarn's ambitions do not stop there. "After I've done these records I'm going to take a long time out, possibly to work in theatre for a few years," he divulged.

Thanks, NME.

Having said that, is it just me or is the NME's journalism hurtling downhill at a rate of knots. I found that article really hard to read. I had to heavily edit the paragraphs to get a readable version, and even that only just does the trick.