Whatevs Wednesday: Gorillaz Plastic Beach

From start to finish Plastic Beach is a full frontal assault on all of your senses, and probably ones you didn't even know you had. It's one part hip hop, one part trip hop, one part tripping balls, and all parts unique. Gorillaz storm ahead like this is Normandy Part Deux into what can only be described as a concept album not trying to be a concept album but working together as a greater sum than its individual parts. Please, I beg of you, listen to it.

If you're not aware, here are the logistics: While living together in London, Jamie Hewlett (creator of Tank Girl) and Damon Albarn (frontman of Blur) one day had a conversation that I'm guessing went something like this "Hey do you want to get something to eat? And oh by the way I think we should start an imaginary virtual band that's made up of cartoon zombie-ish people with monkey features." That is pretty much the only way I can rationalize in my brain how the concept for Gorillaz was born. The virtual band members Russel Hobbs, Murdoc Niccals, and Noodle are led by Albarn's alter ego 2D. Everyone except 2D represents the revolving door of musicians who have contributed on the previous two Gorillaz ventures. On both their debut album Gorillaz and the follow up Demon Days, the sound ranges from club like discotheque ragers to melodic swoons that put you into some type of absinthe induced haze. Plastic Beach is no different.

Rumor on the street is that Albarn was motivated to put together an enviromental themed album after visiting a landfill in Africa. Now I have never been to a landfill in Africa but I'm sure that if anything would want to motivate someone to write about the environment, that would probably be it. This may or may not have been the idea behind Plastic Beach when work on it first began in 2007 under it's original title Carousel. However through time, the evolution of creativity, possibly illegal substances, and God knows what else the album moved away from this focused of a narrative. That is not to say that the green-concious message doesn't still pop its head in and out, significantly on "Superfast Jellyfish" which rails against consumerism over a beat that sounds like it could be the theme for a new sugar coated breakfast cereal.

More than their previous efforts, Plastic Beach primarily serves as platform for Gorillaz to collaborate with other artists. With the exception of Snoop Dogg, who stopped being sweet when this happened, every single one of the guest spots fit perfectly with the flow and tone of the album. The standout being Mos Def and Bobby Womack on the album's first single "Stylo" (watch the video because its awesome) which is probably one of the most infectious songs in recent memory, making me seriously reconsider my choice of personal theme songs.

Other highlights include "Some Kind of Nature" featuring the dulcet tones of Lou Reed, a stripped down "Melancholy Hill" where Albarn is featured over what sounds like the sample track on a Casio keyboard, and "Glitter Freeze" which makes me want to do uncontrollable things which I can't explain but would more than likely have a great time while doing them. The rest of the whos who list consists of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Kano, Bashy, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Little Dragon, Mark E. Smith, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, sinfonia ViVA and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music. Yes you read that right, none of those were typos.

However, "Rhinestone Eyes" is the king of the sand castle on Plastic Beach. One of four songs not featuring a guest spot, "Rhinestone Eyes" is an example of everything that makes Gorillaz brilliant. A progressive and growing beat combined with Albarn's hypnotic delivery, turn what starts out as a simple track into something that will have you pumping your fist through the roof of your car. I'm serious, it's incredible.

Throw your preconceived notions out the window and do yourself a favor by adding Plastic Beach to your arsenal. Samples of a few tracks have been included in the player below for your listening enjoyment. Although this album deserves to be played in your car, hopefully not a Dodge Neon, with the volume needle buried.



Judge Smails