Gorillaz is a virtual band from London, England, United Kingdom masterminded by Blur frontman Damon Albarn. Their eponymous 2001 debut produced by Dan the Automator as well as their 2005 sophomore effort Demon Days produced by Danger Mouse & lastly the self-produced Plastic Beach have all become classics in their own rights, even though The Fall & Humanz would leave audiences divided. The Now Now was more moderately received & Song Machine was hailed as their best in a decade, coming off their Cracker Island to declare their independence from Parlophone Records & Warner Records with their 9th album.
Black Thought appears on “The Moon Cave” after a primarily compositional intro desiring for a better bond if forever actually comes whereas “The Happy Dictator” blends synthpop, neo-psychedelia, new wave, art pop, psychedelic pop, zolo to sing about false promises of happiness. “The Hardest Thing” fuses art pop, psychedelic pop, electropop, neo-psychedelia, progressive pop & bedroom pop to explore themes of loss & heartbreak leading into “Orange County” featuring Kara Jackson singing about losing somebody through separation crossing over art pop, indie pop, neo-psychedelia, pop reggae, psychedelic pop & bedroom pop.
“The God of Lying” by Joe Talbot made for a decent neo-psychedelia, art pop, psychedelic pop, pop reggae, dub & trip hop single singing about grief & political division just before “The Empty Dream Machine” featuring Black Thought reunites the pair so they can discuss being chastened men. “The Manifesto” by Proof & Trueno however comes through with a 2-parter pulling from experimental hip hop, neo-psychedelia, folkhop, Indian pop, pop rap, psychedelic pop, hardcore hip hop, art pop & Latin rap to talk about morality.
We have Gorillaz confronting “The Plastic Guru” only to call him out because or his impure intentions while “Delirium” sings about calling for change after a more powerful force coming from the outside bringing fear & destruction emerges. “Damascus” by Yasiin Bey was actually a finalized outtake conceived during the Plastic Beach sessions combining dabke, experimental hip hop, electropop, electro hop & neo-psychedelia celebrating refugees as new arrivals while “The Shadowy Light” sings about obliviousness to the truth.
“Casablanca” winds down the last several minutes of The Mountain staring into an abyss & having the feeling that a tunnel to suburbia will be opening sooner rather than later while “The Sweet Prince” emotionally remembers Damon’s father Keith who passed away a couple years earlier. “The Sad God” featuring Black Thought finishes with both of them sharing the microphone 1 last time talking about each of them giving their lives in paradise only for there to be nothing left.
Being a fan of Gorillaz ever since I was in elementary school, पर्वत surpasses Song Machine for their best offering in the 2020s & couldn’t have been a better way to begin this new era of independence for them. The production leans towards a prominent neo-psychedelic art pop & electropop direction with lesser influences of synthpop, Hindustani classical music, hip hop, psychedelic pop, new wave, zolo, pop reggae, dub, trip hop, folkhop, Indian pop, pop rap, Latin rap, dabke & electro hop honoring those in the band’s lives who can’t be with us down to the slew of posthumous guest appearances.
Score: 4.5/5
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