Then the third one was kind of like the fullest expression of us visually, perhaps. And then the second one was just meeting such a talent in Danger Mouse and collaborating so well together, which was a real revelation.
I suppose in a way the first one was the most unknown as a journey because I’ve never done anything like that. I mean, maybe we just peaked early, but for me, it wasn’t peaking early because I’d already done 10 years. As a result of that, in the proceeding 20 years I’ve bought a lot of electronic instruments hoping that that eventually would happen again. That can only happen once: electronic instrument and the first thing you play you use, and it becomes a massive hit. And, you know, it came from switching on the Suzuki Omnichord and the first preset was the beat. “Clint Eastwood.” I mean you don’t get more perfect than that, really.
THE MEANINGS BEHIND ALL GORILLAZ ALBUMS SERIES
We live in an era of hysteria, and this is a manifestation of that hysteria.”Īs this first series of Song Machine comes to a close this week, Albarn breaks down some of the highs and lows of Gorillaz and beyond. But that’s the reality on planet Earth any day of the year. We will get through it, just not everyone will get through it. As for dealing with the real world, Albarn is just as cryptic as one of Gorillaz co-founder Jamie Hewlett’s cartoons. “Gorillaz kind of exist in parallel universes, so we’re able to react in a really fast emotional way now.”Īlbarn compares Song Machine to the freewheelin’ spirit of fan-favorite D-Sides, and it fits nicely alongside the doomsdays of past Gorillaz albums: Y2K ( Gorillaz), George Bush ( Demon Days), the Great Recession ( Plastic Beach), the iPad ( The Fall), and Donald Trump ( Humanz and The Now Now). “These episodes will be gripping, no doubt,” he continues. The remote connection of the Gorillaz feels especially appropriate now. The best Song Machine “episode” so far remains “ Désolé,” with the excellent singer-actress Fatoumata Diawara leading a minor-key burn that, like Albarn’s best songs, has a calculated off-ness that hits in waves. Like most Gorillaz albums, Song Machine is interesting as a whole yet more enjoyable as a collection of moments Blur remains Albarn’s go-to vehicle for making more straightforward albums. “I’m a kind of pop Nostradamus,” he laughs.
Albarn, who understands how numbing and bland history can feel, is most proud of this foresight.
That he would stretch out the next Gorillaz album across several months as a singles series called Song Machine, in which every song pairs Albarn with what feels like a speed dial of his very famous friends - (Peter Hook dusting off his New Order bass on “Aries” Skepta and Tony Allen, who sadly passed away this past April, dueling on “How Far?” Elton John toning down the glitter on “The Pink Phantom” with 6LACK) - is a testament to his ability to read the room and reflect pop’s mood, even if it’s not what we want to hear. After all, Albarn is a melancholy - and adaptable - pop-music wizard who works best in bleak times. “In a sense, Gorillaz is what I would have been if I hadn’t been in Blur.”ĭamon Albarn probably didn’t anticipate the devastating global reach of COVID-19 when he once again revived Gorillaz in late January.
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