Plastic Beach by Gorillaz
Gorillaz, the cartoon character side project of Damon Albarn, erupted onto the music scene in 2001 with their huge hit "Clint Eastwood" which left many wondering "Wait, is that really the same guy who was in Blur?" Well it is, and they're back with their third album, Plastic Beach, which features guest appearances from artists as versatile as Snoop Dogg to Lou Reed. That's right...Snoop and Lou Reed on the same album. The album lacks the heavy hitting single that Demon Days and the self-titled had, but don't let that deter you, this album packs just as much of a punch as the previous albums if not more. Plastic Beach, the somewhat ecology themed album, solidifies Gorillaz as much more than the side-project of former Blur frontman, this proves that they're here to stay.
The album starts out with an orchestral intro which goes straight into "Welcome to the Plastic Beach", a track featuring Snoop Dogg rapping in a style that feels very unfamiliar to fans of Snoop. It's by no means conventional for the rapper, but it certainly sets the mood for the album. The next track, "White Flag" has an orchestral setting once again with rappers Bashy and Kano rapping over it. This is probably the weakest track on the whole album, it just lacks the substance needed to make the listener want to go back to it and hear it again. However tracks like Rhinestone Eyes, the first single Stylo (which features a small snippet of Mos Def rapping that leaves the listeners craving for more (which don't worry you'll get it on Sweepstakes)), Empire Ants, and On Melancholy Hill more than make up for the very few lackluster tracks that are on the album.
One of the best parts of this album is how brilliantly all of the guest artists fit in to the mix of things. Hearing Lou Reed singing on "Some Kind of Nature" with lyrics that tow the line of outrageous to very fitting to the message that is given with the album. The defining moments of this album though still lie within the songs such as "Up On Melancholy Hill" which takes one of the poppier sounding songs on any Gorillaz record and mixes it with some of the most depressing lyrics Damon has written with, "You can't get what you want, but you can get me" that just make you sit back and want to listen over and over again. Just because the bright moments are those with Damon doesn't mean that the guests don't provide for some interesting songs on the album. "Superfast Jellyfish", which features De La Soul and Gruff Rhys and "Sweepstakes" with Mos Def are just a few of the songs that almost overthrow the moments of Damon himself.
The album is one of the better ones released this year, featuring some amazing guest vocals and contains a message that definitely hit the worlds problems right to a tee. The closing lines of the album, "It's all good news now because we left the taps running for 100 years", end on a note that summarizes the feeling of the entire album. If you're looking to get into Gorillaz this is definitely the most accessible album that they've put out thusfar, and hopefully the rumors that pop up after the release of every Gorillaz album aren't true with this being their last because it's clear the Damon can still make much more great music with this project.
Rating: 8.5/10
Standout Tracks: "Rhinestone Eyes", "Stylo", "On Melancholy Hill"
