I always considered Blur to be a Kinks tribute act.
Blur were very much shapeshifters.
"Leisure" was generic "baggy" indie.
"Modern Life is Rubbish" was influenced by The Kinks, the Small Faces and Pink Floyd amongst others.
"Parklife" was a more polished version of MLIR but had a bit of a New Wave influence too on some tracks.
"The Great Escape" was a tad over produced and a bit more pop, but channelled Madness at times.
"Blur" was a big return to form influenced by American indie bands like Pavement.
"13" was Damon's break up album but was a bit experimental in parts.
Not sure what they were trying to achieve on "Think Tank" or "Magic Whip" to be honest, but "The Ballad of Darren" was a massive return to form.
Whatever you think of them, Damon is a great lyricist, Graham quite a unique guitarist, and quite unusually these days, have retained their original line up except a brief time when Graham quit around the Think Tank tour.