New Music That Matters 2010: Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

"Plastic Beach" was my first highly anticipated release of 2010 and after a couple full plays of it I can confidently say it's going to be on my year end best of list. I'm inclined to think that Damon Albarn can do no wrong; every project he has ever had any involvement with has been a success, from The Good, The Bad & The Queen to Blur. This time around with Gorillaz Albarn has crafted a sprawling album that sees the band evolving from four animated characters to 'an organisation of people doing new projects.' Along with the original band members the enlisted help this time around includes Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, De La Soul, Gruff Rhys, and Lou Reed. In addition to that a couple tracks have some orchestral help from the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music.

The album begins with a short "Orchestral Intro" before going into "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach" which features Snoop Dogg and is a laid-back, smooth yet tentative second track. Third track "White Flag" is a classic Gorillaz cut that echoes "Dirty Harry" from "Demon Days" in it's fusion of rap and orchestral sounds. Fourth track "Rhinestone Eyes" features no guest appearance and is a synth-pop precursor to the album's gargantuan next few tracks, beginning with lead single "Stylo" and ending with the instrumental "Glitter Freeze". "Stylo" features Bobby Womack and Mos Def but it's Womack's soulful singing that rounds off an infectious, stabbing bass-line driven pop number. "Superfast Jellyfish" has lyrical content that mocks TV adverts and features De La Soul and Gruff Rhys, the latter providing one of the album's most memorable choruses. "Empire Ants" starts off with Albarn singing in his yearning manner before bursting into atmospheric, melancholic pop drenched in synths and female vocals provided by Swedish band Little Dragon.

Then there's "Glitter Freeze"; my favorite track and arguably the album's finest moment. As I mentioned, it's an instrumental track and it never at any point feels like it needs vocals; it has plenty of hooks and I can almost guarantee you that you'll be reaching for the repeat button. Unfortunately the album drops off a bit at this point, especially with twelfth track "Sweepstakes", which features Mos Def and is completely forgettable.

Sixteen tracks does seem a bit long to me; who knows, maybe I'll whittle it down to fourteen for my own satisfaction, I can do that right?



Official "Stylo" video featuring Bruce Willis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9vAOzYz-Qs&feature=fvst