Gorillaz dive beneath surface with Plastic Beach album
Laurie Torres
Staff Writer
Forget politics, religion, love and teen angst. Let’s talk about our planet and its decay. That’s exactly what the Gorillaz do in their third studio album appropriately titled “Plastic Beach”.
Unlike most pop albums found these days, “Plastic Beach” does not simply borrow or recycle from other genres but sounds as if it takes what genres like disco, alternative and hip-hop have left behind and salvages them to create something familiar but new.
For this album, Damon Alburn and his animated bandmates recruited the likes of Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, Mark E. Smith and Lou Reed. The Lebanese Nation Orchestra provides the lush and warm oceanic string introduction to the album. The blend of styles and collage of sound work well to portray the themes of artificiality the album centers around.
Although the album does not possess the instantaneous infectious buzz of past hits like “Feel Good Inc.” and “Clint Eastwood”, the melodies undoubtedly grow on the listener. “Stylo” was released as the first single off the album, featuring a driving disco beat with synthesized strings resounding over it.
While the Gorillaz typically have a darker feel to their sound, “Plastic Beach” surprisingly has light, upbeat pop songs like “Superfast Jellyfish” and “Some Kind of Nature”.
If you’re looking to turn off the radio in search of something different, “Plastic Beach” could fulfill that wish. Just don’t be surprised if it feels as if you’ve heard it all before at first, it goes far below the surface.
Staff Writer
Forget politics, religion, love and teen angst. Let’s talk about our planet and its decay. That’s exactly what the Gorillaz do in their third studio album appropriately titled “Plastic Beach”.
Unlike most pop albums found these days, “Plastic Beach” does not simply borrow or recycle from other genres but sounds as if it takes what genres like disco, alternative and hip-hop have left behind and salvages them to create something familiar but new.
For this album, Damon Alburn and his animated bandmates recruited the likes of Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, Mark E. Smith and Lou Reed. The Lebanese Nation Orchestra provides the lush and warm oceanic string introduction to the album. The blend of styles and collage of sound work well to portray the themes of artificiality the album centers around.
Although the album does not possess the instantaneous infectious buzz of past hits like “Feel Good Inc.” and “Clint Eastwood”, the melodies undoubtedly grow on the listener. “Stylo” was released as the first single off the album, featuring a driving disco beat with synthesized strings resounding over it.
While the Gorillaz typically have a darker feel to their sound, “Plastic Beach” surprisingly has light, upbeat pop songs like “Superfast Jellyfish” and “Some Kind of Nature”.
If you’re looking to turn off the radio in search of something different, “Plastic Beach” could fulfill that wish. Just don’t be surprised if it feels as if you’ve heard it all before at first, it goes far below the surface.
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