Gorillaz-
New Singles Track-By-Track Review
After a 6-year long hiatus since their ultimately disappointing demo album ‘The
Fall’ and supposed fallout, the indie lovechild of Blur frontman Damon Albarn
& artist companion Jamie Hewlett are back with 4 new singles ahead of their
much anticipated 5th studio album ‘Humanz’ (due to be released on
the 28th of April). The
announcement of these singles came rather out of the blue, it certainly took me
by surprise. Yes, there’s been rumours of Gorillaz being in the studio for a
couple of years now, but with the lack of proper sources or any concrete
information it’s been difficult to truly emotionally comprehend this return.
And what a return it is! 4 songs filled with political outcry, plenty of gusto and
a stellar cast of special guest features including Jehnny Beth of all-female UK
punk band Savages, ‘Broccoli’ rapper D.R.A.M, young US hip-hop artist
Vince Staples & Jamaican reggae dancehall singer-songwriter Popcaan. It
truly is a spectacular feast for not just Gorillaz fans to stick their teeth
into, but any true music fan. Let’s go.
This particular song wastes no time in introducing itself to the listener.
Instantly, Vince Staples electrifying bars are introduced alongside a booming
klaxon sound that immediately draws you in. After 12 seconds of ‘Ascension’
there is a brief 14 second interval of just klaxon noise, enabling the listener
to catch whatever breath remains in their body before Staples comes flying back
with the chorus. Lyrically, the song is kinda depressing as it appears to
mainly be about coming to terms with the end of the world, however it is
presented in a predominantly positive, catchy manner with its infectious
chorus, echoing gospel background singers and fast-paced pulsating beats. Short-lived
respite can be found when Albarn is introduced into the song with his lush,
lullaby like tones giving this track another layer of depth before Staples is
tagged back in to finish the song off in style. ‘Ascension’ truly is an
electrifying thrill ride and, to me, is one of Gorillaz greatest hip-hop based
tracks ever.
‘We Got The Power’ is a very uncharacteristic anti-establishment protest
song. Its opening line of “We’ve got the power to be loving each other no
matter what happens” embodies what this particular track is all about. It’s a
fiercely joyous anthem that is atypical of the normal, sombre protest songs we
so often see. And this refreshing approach to such a huge topic enables this
track to stand out from the rest, particularly with the superb Jehnny Beth
offering her vocals. Her complex passionate yet soft vocals/lyrics help give ‘We
Got The Power’ a certain edge to it, and her line of “On a le pouvoir de
s'aimer, okay!” (which simply translates to ‘We have the power to love one
another, okay!’) gloriously and effectively pairs with Albarns singing
which leaves you wondering, why have these two not collaborated before? It’s a
very happy sounding song and it leaves the listener feeling content, cheerful and
optimistic about the future, something which is extremely difficult considering
the current political climate.
Now, I must admit, when I saw that Gorillaz (one of my all-time favourite
bands) were releasing a song with the guy who made hilarious stoner anthem ‘Broccoli’
I was somewhat shocked and appalled. However, after listening to the song,
I was proved dead wrong. ‘Andromeda’ is a soulful, vibrant track that sounds
like it wouldn’t be that out of place in a warehouse rave in Manchester with
its deep booming backing beat and vivacious rhythm. Again, Albarn’s beautiful vocals
paired with this beat allows ‘Andromeda’ to seamlessly send the listener to
some LSD induced spiritual realm, and that is in no way a bad thing. To be fair
to D.R.A.M, his feature is relatively low key and small. It sounds rather
negative but his role doesn’t necessarily add much to the track overall,
however it’s still a solid special guest slot. It’s still a great song though,
please don’t be put off by me.
The final track of the 4 released is ‘Saturn Barz’. It’s
very different to the other 3 tracks and, dare I say, extremely different to
anything Gorillaz have released before. It’s a trap styled dancehall beat with reggae
vocalist Popcaan offering something very diverse to their usual sound
(I put this in italics as Gorillaz drift from sound to sound so regularly) ‘Saturn
Barz’ is a clear indication that ‘Humanz’ will in no way be pinned down to just
one sound and will incorporate a vast array of themes and influences in order
to create an eclectic cacophony. For me, ‘Saturn Barz’ is probably my least
favourite of the 4 new tracks released. It’s mainly down to the lack of
understandable lyrics which can grate after a couple of listens, but that’s
just my opinion and it’s still an awesome song.
Look out for my full review of the album when it drops
in April!
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