Gorillaz are the Adult Swim equivalent of Sesame Street. Only instead of songs of merriment or cookies, Damon Albarn tends to emote about war, fear, global warming… ya know, things we as human beings tend to create. Yet for an idea as goofy as Gorillaz, it’s been a consistent knack for melody and daringly bold media savvy which has made this experiment one of the most engaging and fun acts of the last decade. Not bad for a group who doesn’t even exist – technically.
After a long dormancy of 5 years the virtual band, animated by Jamie Hewlett have returned to with their third effort Plastic Beach. An album long in the making and ready made with much hype, Albarn and company had a lot to live up to after their previous albums sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
Plastic Beach is a strange album. Sure it sounds weird to read such a statement for a band of cartoon characters, but it’s true. This album is so many (sometimes conflicting) things at once. It's sound is warm yet it's message and vibe can be bleak. It's groovy and coherent yet disjoint and occasionally scatter shot. It's called a Gorillaz album, but seems to be so in title only at times.
This all can be attributed to Albarn, who places producing credits squarely on his shoulders. While producers Dan the Automater (Gorillaz) and Danger Mouse (Demon Day) helped to narrow his focus and streamline the funk into gems such as “Clint Eastwood” and “Feel Good Inc.” Plastic Beach is absent of any kind of instant hit.
Yet it doesn’t really have to be a bad thing. The album isn’t built for the quick pay off. Instead, just like a choice adult beverage on the sands of your favorite summer get away, Plastic Beach is made for a slow payoff with each listen.
Standouts include “Stylo” a runaway jam featuring Mos Def and a star studded cameo by soul man Bobby Womack. The closest thing to a radio hit, Albarn simply plays back up and acts as a musical glue akin to 2005’s “Dirty Harry”.
“Empire Ants” is Goirllaz’s most somber and floatingly sincere song since “El Manana”, while “Some Kind of Nature”, which sports a much welcomed Lou Reed appearance, finds Albarn sounding just as upbeat as he did in “Re-Hash”.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is the lack of inspiring rap versus on the record. While both of the band’s previous album’s featured top of the line rhyme from Del The Funky Homosapein, De La Soul and Bootie Brown, Plastic Beach’s hip hop breakdowns seem ironically out of place. “White Flag” is too stop and go for its own good while an opening sequence with Snoop Dogg is completely misused – although a welcome treat. Only “Superfast Jellyfish” featuring a repeat performance from De La Soul is a keeper.
This album is also much more electronic than previous works of the band. Fuzzy guitars and reggae tinged bass of their debut are long gone while the colorful, blissful and deranged nature of Demon Days has given way to a more appealing and warm atmosphere. Albarn may force his smile at times, but it's the effort that matters right?
While Plastic Beach may be kept out of the unforgettable annals of history due to Albarn’s all-too-grand vision, what he has done is again prove that he's one of the greatest minds working in music today. It doesn't matter how you package music. Lady Gaga uses a cape made from a stuffed polar bear. He's simply dressed up his pop offerings in the guise of cartoon characters who worship Satan and live on an island of floating trash - to each his own. I'll take Gorillaz. You should too.
Grade: A-
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