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| EU cover [2-D] |
release date: Apr. 28, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]
producer: Gorillaz, The Twilite Tone of D/\P & Remi Kabaka
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 2. "Ascension" (feat. Vince Staples) - 3. "Strobelite" (feat. Peven Everett) - 7. "Submission" (feat. Danny Brown & Kelela) - 8. "Charger" (feat. Grace Jones) - 10. "Andromeda" (feat. D.R.A.M.) - 14. "Let Me Out" (feat. Mavis Staples & Pusha T)
5th studio album by Gorillaz is a 20 track album ending a seven year hiatus from the Damon Albarn-led project is the follow-up to The Fall (Dec. 2010). The many tracks are the result of having six short breaks in form of various intermezzos, however, its total running time is approx. 49 min. Stylistically, it's a bit subdued compared to the first three releases. You'll find bits of glitch pop but more apparent is the presence of electropop and art pop in combination with hip hop. There's the almost natural ever-present signature element of dub on top or underneath all tracks. What I find less attractive is the constant use of various rappers instead of Albarn's characteristic vocal, which places it alongside Plastic Beach (Mar. 2010). He's there, but more as complementary vocal, which is a bit of a shame. When Albarn's most present, there's an immediate connection to his fine Everyday Robots from 2014.
At a first glance it may not be as direct and good as Demon Days (2005), but I easily found it bettering Plastic Beach and The Fall, and after ten spins or more, I simply consider it the band's best [!]. Yes, I know some reviewers haven't been that positive about it. I on the other hand find it much more pleasant, accessible and enjoyable. It may not add "that something new" to the Gorillaz project, and in that way could be considered a bit on a plain, but the positive dance pop tunes and the laid-back unworried tone mix so well. I've rated this lower almost for a whole year, but at the end of the day, it has come down as one of the most enjoyable albums of 2017.
The front cover comes in various versions, all of which naturally made by Gorillaz' "art department" member Jamie Hewlett.
[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, NME, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]
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| UK cover [Noodle] |
vinyl cover [Murdoc] |
deluxe double vinyl cover [Russel] |
streaming cover [Gorillaz] |
