REVIEW by Callum McLeod
For 25 years now, Gorillaz have been among the music industry’s foremost innovators. The biggest virtual band, and with one of the most varied catalogues of music amongst any band in the world.
So it will come as no surprise that The Mountain, Gorillaz’ newest album in their repertoire, once again feels like nothing that has preceded it.
Damon Albarn, the brains behind the operation, has never shied away from experimentation when it comes to Gorillaz. So for this album’s music and theming to take influence from Indian culture is no great surprise. But the surprise comes from how well it’s weaved into the band’s main influence, Hip-Hop.
Damascus perhaps showcases this the best, with an entire verse consisting of a back and forth between English and Arabic, and seamlessly combining Indian-influenced music and instruments. Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) provides one of the best vocal performances on the album.
Second track The Moon Cave is another prime example of how well executed the album’s theming is. Working together large, sweeping orchestral suites together with upbeat synth pop and a fantastic verse from rapper Black Thought.
The most interesting part is how Albarn has compiled old recordings of deceased artists into the songs. De la Soul star Trugoy the Dove, through archived recordings, makes the beginning of the rap flow with a call and response. There is also a lovely tribute to the late Bobby Womack to close the song.
But it’s more than just a tribute. This album is centred around death and the afterlife, featuring artists no longer with us throughout. And you wouldn’t know unless you were already familiar with the artists. It is seamless, and executed brilliantly.
This is Gorillaz’ strongest album since Plastic Beach. It is so thematically consistent throughout the 15 track record, and there are so many songs on here that demonstrate that Damon Albarn has still got it.
The theming of death and especially grief is evident on tracks four and five (The Hardest Thing and Orange County). The former will have you feeling melancholic until those triumphant horns come in and leave you with chills.
Third track and lead single The Happy Dictator is what Gorillaz do best. With Albarn on lead vocals, backed with vocals from Sparks and some incredibly catchy synth music, it is sure to get stuck in your head for weeks.
With the album’s focus being death and reincarnation, is this the beginning of the end for Gorillaz? Only time will tell, but if this is to be their final album, then The Mountain will be leaving us on a significant peak.
