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I think it’s fair to say Gorillaz albums are a bit out there. I mean, it is by a band made up of freakish cartoon characters. “Plastic Beach,” Gorillaz latest, definitely continues this trend.
Gorillaz, brainchild of Blur’s frontman Damon Albarn and comic artist Jamie Hewlett, is a virtual band that features a multitude of guests with Albarn the only constant musical contributor.
Since their self-titled debut dropped in 2001, they’ve done quite well as far as mainstream music goes.
“Plastic Beach” does not look like it’s going to hinder the band’s popularity by any extent.
In terms of “weirdness,” the album continues on this path, but in a different way.
Unlike 2001’s “Gorillaz” or 2005’s “Demon Days,” “Plastic Beach” is much less reliant on the heavier Britpop sound that made Albarn worth paying attention to in the first place.
This is a poppy rap album through and through.
Though the album starts with the aptly titled “Orchestral Intro,” then Snoop Dogg jumps in on the next track, essentially another introduction, “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach.”
That’s right. Snoop Dogg.
It doesn’t stop with Snoop Dogg, though. Because Albarn is the only constant member of the band, guests are a prevalent force of Gorillaz. This, however, is taken to a new level on “Plastic Beach.”
The album features Gorillaz staples De La Soul, as well as Mos Def, Gruff Rhys, Bobby Womack, Lou Reed and a gang of others that don’t seem to fit together.
That’s the magic of Gorillaz, though. As eccentric as Lou Reed is, I couldn’t see him fitting in on an alternative hip-hop track. Of course I was proved wrong after hearing “Some Kind of Nature,” one of the album’s highlight tracks.
There are guests on the album, though, that are a perfect match for Gorillaz. The mighty Mos Def is one of them. His contributions throughout the album are flawless.
“Stylo,” the lead single featuring Mos Def is a great example of the mix of Mos’ low and deliberate style mixed brilliantly with a track that is so odd and new-wave that it is reminiscent of “The Safety Dance.”
Apart from the guests throughout the album, Albarn puts together some unique tracks and some expansive instrumentation throughout the record.
I love a good and pure pop record, and this is a good pop record, but it is lacking some of my favorite qualities of previous releases.
That really is my only concern with the record. I don’t know if that is a result of the odd array of guests that appear throughout the album’s duration, or if this is a natural evolution of Albarn’s project.
Regardless, this album is a great pickup.
Though essentially a pop hip-hop record, there are touches of funk, alternative rock, electronica and soul. Tracks like “On Melancholy Hill” and “White Flag” give everyone something to grab on to.
I don’t know how to get to Plastic Beach, but after multiple listens, I’m looking for the way.
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