Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

I have a mate, he's called Murdoc Niccals.
He's in this band.
Lately, he wrote this album, it's called Plastic Beach.

He's imaginary and his band is called Gorillaz.

Most of the world know Gorillaz through Demon Days. The only problem is that everything else they've ever done bares little if any relation to this guitar based, mildly (strengthening to severely)* poppy album. They described the first album as ZOMBIE HIP-HOP which although not an actual genre (unlike Epic Rock or Classic Euro-pop) really suited it, dirty, dark and rap-based. Yeah, it had 2 singles on it but they made sense in the album and had the same integrity.

All of this has left Gorillaz in a bit of a pickle, Demon Days was about as popular as Buddhism (which, for an album, is impressive) and EMI would really like it if the next one would too please, but Gorillaz have let all their mainstreamablity out and are now more Zombie than ever. The result of this pickle is one hell of an advertising drive, Murdoc had his own radio show, took over several newspapers and made an adventure game. Then they released the first single, Stylo, and

it went down a storm, the general public have got love for a song that sounds like this:

(Sorry for the lack of video, we all known what EMI are like)

(Watch the video though, it's awesome)

(Bruce Willis is in it)

But anyway, this album I'm supposed to be talking about. It's sort of concept album, in as much as We Need Answers** is a quiz. I suppose you could say it was an album set in a post-climate-hell world in which the band have moved to an island made non-biodegradable rubbish. With me so far? Murdoc didn't make this album on his own though, he kidnapped various famous people to help as well as the rest of Gorillaz. You've probably lost me now so I'll switch to the real world.

Almost every track on the album is a collaboration with someone, it could be Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, De La Soul, half of The Clash or even LOU BLOODY REED! LOU REED, can you believe it? All this toing and froing makes the album slightly disjointed but it's worth it.

After this brief interlude I may even talk about how the album sounds.

So, reviewing... It's a well good album yeah know.

Starting off with an orchestral intro it skids and skips though Snoop Dogg's formal introduction, and gets straight down to the trippy stuff. We are then treated by De La Soul to a piping-hot bowl of Superfast Jellyfish which just so happens to be the catchiest thing not made illegal. There's just the right mix of gritty simple stuff and some far out "Choons" to keep you happy. And then you reach Some Kind of Nature and your life is vastly improved. It's the Lou Reed track and I simply cannot describe how amazing it is. And then there's Melancholy Hill and then there's Sweepstakes and Plastic Beach and To Binge and Private Jet and... you know what. Just listen to it, literally, no matter why you haven't done so already, ignore that reason. Listen to it.

NOW.

*Is it not cool to make Shipping Forecast references any more?

**If you don't know what We Need Answers is, you can substitute Shooting Stars and the analogy still works, however We Need Answers is better so I'd prefer it is you didn't.