release date: Jun. 29, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Gorillaz, James Ford, Remi Kabaka
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Humility" (feat. George Benson) - 2. "Tranz" - 3. "Hollywood" (feat. Snoop Dogg & Jamie Principle) - 4. "Kansas" - 5. "Sorcererz" - 7. "Lake Zurich" - 8. "Magic City" - 11. "Souk Eye"
6th studio album by Gorillaz released 14 months after Humanz (2017). The album is credited Gorillaz consisting of live band musicians James Ford, Remi Kabaka together with Damon Albarn featuring a (smaller) bunch (than ordinary) of additional musicians; however, in reality, the only permanent band members are Albarn and visual artist (and lyricist) Jamie Hewlett - the latter only responsible for the artwork on this release. Gorillaz is and has always been Albarn's musical outlet where he experiments with a variety of guest artists, and for this album, he has "invited" Gorillaz' live musicians James Ford, who is credited for handling drums, bass, guitar and synthesiser, and Remi Kabaka, only credited for playing percussion on track #7, to join "the band" to record an album, which means: Albarn has directed, composed and let others participate in the process - just like old-timer guitarist George Benson, rapper Snoop Dogg and house musician Jamie Principle all do on selected tracks, but also a few other featuring artists playing bass, percussion, or additional vocalists on specific songs are all credited as co-composers. This also includes Albarn's former Blur-associate guitarist Graham Coxon featuring on track 8.
The Now Now is rather different from its predecessor by being more laid back. The 2017 album was loaded with guest appearances - and loaded to a degree where the sensation of a whole album was put in a drawer on the expense of the single compositions. This is much more in the spirit of an album like The Fall from 2010, where it's not so much about showcasing hit singles but rather the embodiment of a tone or a specific mood. In that way, it also reminds me of Albarn's so far only solo album Everyday Robots from 2014. Instead of having 'euro-pop' dance floor hits, there's simply much more focus on neo-psychedelia and synth funk to make it "hit" material. But altogether, it's undoubtedly Gorillaz as we have come to know "them", and also more of a grower.
The album was met by lukewarm to positive reviews, and the main reason seems to be a founding natural ingredient in all productions by this project: a need to experiment and incorporate various styles, inviting other artists in the process-making - and yes, sometimes it went that way, sometimes another way, and this time... this way. It all depends on how things turn out while Albarn is at the steering wheel. But he is also that "one component" that binds everything together - and pretty much as always: that ain't bad.
I really enjoyed Humanz, which wasn't liked by a lot of music critics, but I find that this is a much more coherent album, but also a much more delightful listen, and to me, The Now Now is not only the band's best album in years, it's simply Albarn's best effort, ever.
[ allmusic.com, Uncut 3,5 / 5, 👍Rolling Stone, Q Magazine, SputnikMusic, NME 4 / 5 stars ]
2018 Favourite releases: 1. Robyn Honey - 2. Nils Frahm All Melody - 3. Gorillaz The Now Now
