When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around. On their third studio album, Plastic Beach, Gorillaz dream up a new kind of ecology, a new kind of green. Given the synthetic leftovers from the end of days, it is time to rebuild, reorganize, and reaffirm the power of plastic, and ultimately escape to a sustainable island refuge. These are not cartoon monkeys anymore; they are primates with a plan.
Damon Albarn's once-virtual band thrives in the popular arena, and his latest creation is an eclectic mishmash of electronica, hip-hop, pop, and retro-soul, that faithfully delivers the album's visual message in a way that lyrics never could. Easily one of the most enjoyable listens of the year (and Gorillaz' best album to date), Plastic Beach features guest performances from Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Lou Reed, De La Soul, Gruff Rhys, and Bobby Womack, among others, and the trove of pop offerings is worthy of an island paradise, albeit one born of ingenuity and studio magic. The record features some of the best production of the year, and further suggests that Albarn is a renaissance man of sorts.
"Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach" features Snoop Dogg's most inspired work in years. "Stylo" is a combination of futuristic synths and retro stylings, thanks to singular turns at the mic from Albarn, Mos Def, and Bobby Womack, who apparently free-styled his powerful verses off the top of his head ("In another world, in the universe!"). "Superfast Jellyfish" is more than an inside joke, as it makes perfect use of De La Soul's wit and Gruff Rhys' melodic charms. Lest listeners come away with the notion that reinvention is all fun and games, several tracks contain a yearning kind of melancholy that breathes humanity into the record.
"On Melancholy Hill" and "Empire Ants" are the best tracks on the album, and the perfect examples of Albarn's considerable production skills without sacrificing aching, heartfelt emotions. "Meloncholy Hill" floats over a memorable, lilting synth-line that reaches the sublime when a crestfallen Albarn sings the chorus: "Cause you are my medicine / when you're close to me." "Empire Ants" is a master class in seamless juxtaposition; what begins with Albarn's windblown vocals amid dreamy keys and strums, suddenly turns into electronic transcendence with a thrilling vocal performance from Little Dragon.
Welcome to the Plastic Beach!
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