The Book Tower

I am pleased to confirm that Damon Albarn has done it again. The latest from Gorillaz, Plastic Beach, is yet another outstanding album, perhaps even more creative than 2005’s Demon Days. It features the usual Gorillaz traits, namely Albarn’s canny knack for an infuriatingly catchy tune. This is perhaps best personified in On Melancholy Hill, a song deceptively simple at first but one that’s possibly the best he’s ever written. The album, although featuring several collaborations, is very much Albarn’s and caps the rap element of the band somewhat – although the introductory track featuring Snoop Dogg is very good indeed.

Although Plastic Beach features a very varied array of guest artists, almost all of the collaborations are successful. The only sore point for me is Glitter Freeze, a track featuring Mark E. Smith. Beginning with his where’s North from ‘ere? the song is little more than a Mark E. Smith parody, or a parody of the self parody that he’s become. It didn’t really work for me. Much better is Some Kind of Nature, where Albarn shares vocals with Lou Reed to deliver one of the album’s many standout tracks. Also excellent is the addictive Stylo which features Mos Def and Bobby Womack.

Female vocalists also make their mark on Plastic Beach. Little Dragon features on two memorable tracks, Empire Ants and To Binge. Mick Jones and Paul Simenon also turn up on the title song, and the style reminds of Albarn’s earlier work The Good The Bad and The Queen. All in all Plastic Beach proves how far Albarn’s come since Parklife, a shore on the other side of the world in fact and one of the joys in modern music is keeping an eye on both his development and that of his pal Mr Coxon.