Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
MMM
In 2001, Gorillaz entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band of All Time. Damon Albarn, the mastermind behind Gorillaz, had an interesting concept and an profoundly catchy single in “Clint Eastwood.” Nine years and tens of millions of albums sold later, it’s clear that Albarn’s creative output has transcended the original novelty of the project. And perhaps what gave Gorillaz its legs is the broad scope of genres it experimented with from the start. Albarn was no longer principal songwriter of Britpop band Blur from London. He was four different characters with four different musical backgrounds. It’s quite the blank canvas to be working with.
Plastic Beach is the third album by the animated quartet. Stylistically, it rarely strays from its predecessors Gorillaz and Demon Days, blending hip hop, alternative rock & dub, backed by the sleek production of a pop record. However, Beach is more of a collaborative affair, bringing on everyone from Lou Reed to Bobby Womack, who had not lent his vocals to a track in over ten years.
The songs that make up the first half of Beach are noticeably more bouncy and light-hearted than the second. Fans of the powerhouse Gorillaz singles like “Feel Good Inc.” should find plenty to be pleased about here. “White Flag” is a straight-up old school rap jam, complete with an infectious 8-bit melody. “Superfast Jellyfish,” a pop song about fast food, is a loving reminder that Damon Albarn created Gorillaz as a means to have fun with music. The chorus is a fantastic hook which sounds like a Pete Townshend melody sung over a Vampire Weekend sample.
Beach is an album overflowing with ideas, which unfortunately does not work to its advantage as well as it had with Gorillaz’ previous efforts. On Demon Days, there is a sense of flow which never lets up throughout. Sure, there is a fair share of halfway-thought-through melodies and beats, but they are presented as short interludes, whereas on Plastic Beach it seems those snippets have been extended into full-feature songs that remain massively underdeveloped.
“Empire Ants” and “On Melancholy Hill” fill out the darker & more introspective latter half of Plastic Beach. While “White Flag” paints the picture of Plastic Beach being a utopia, with “Just life / Just love / No hate / Just fun,” it is clear that there is another side to the world Gorillaz presents us with. On “Broken,” Albarn sings that “Our love / is broken / It’s broken.” While these songs lack in the hooks department, they do give the album’s concept a sense of completion. Still, give a listen to Gorillaz’ self-titled debut, and tell me that “Just fun” wouldn't be a satisfying enough mission statement for an entire album.
Plastic Beach is currently available on Virgin Records. Buy it here.
Gorillaz Official Site
Gorillaz @ MySpace
Virgin Records
In 2001, Gorillaz entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band of All Time. Damon Albarn, the mastermind behind Gorillaz, had an interesting concept and an profoundly catchy single in “Clint Eastwood.” Nine years and tens of millions of albums sold later, it’s clear that Albarn’s creative output has transcended the original novelty of the project. And perhaps what gave Gorillaz its legs is the broad scope of genres it experimented with from the start. Albarn was no longer principal songwriter of Britpop band Blur from London. He was four different characters with four different musical backgrounds. It’s quite the blank canvas to be working with.
Plastic Beach is the third album by the animated quartet. Stylistically, it rarely strays from its predecessors Gorillaz and Demon Days, blending hip hop, alternative rock & dub, backed by the sleek production of a pop record. However, Beach is more of a collaborative affair, bringing on everyone from Lou Reed to Bobby Womack, who had not lent his vocals to a track in over ten years.
The songs that make up the first half of Beach are noticeably more bouncy and light-hearted than the second. Fans of the powerhouse Gorillaz singles like “Feel Good Inc.” should find plenty to be pleased about here. “White Flag” is a straight-up old school rap jam, complete with an infectious 8-bit melody. “Superfast Jellyfish,” a pop song about fast food, is a loving reminder that Damon Albarn created Gorillaz as a means to have fun with music. The chorus is a fantastic hook which sounds like a Pete Townshend melody sung over a Vampire Weekend sample.
Beach is an album overflowing with ideas, which unfortunately does not work to its advantage as well as it had with Gorillaz’ previous efforts. On Demon Days, there is a sense of flow which never lets up throughout. Sure, there is a fair share of halfway-thought-through melodies and beats, but they are presented as short interludes, whereas on Plastic Beach it seems those snippets have been extended into full-feature songs that remain massively underdeveloped.
“Empire Ants” and “On Melancholy Hill” fill out the darker & more introspective latter half of Plastic Beach. While “White Flag” paints the picture of Plastic Beach being a utopia, with “Just life / Just love / No hate / Just fun,” it is clear that there is another side to the world Gorillaz presents us with. On “Broken,” Albarn sings that “Our love / is broken / It’s broken.” While these songs lack in the hooks department, they do give the album’s concept a sense of completion. Still, give a listen to Gorillaz’ self-titled debut, and tell me that “Just fun” wouldn't be a satisfying enough mission statement for an entire album.
Plastic Beach is currently available on Virgin Records. Buy it here.
Gorillaz Official Site
Gorillaz @ MySpace
Virgin Records
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