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'Plastic Beach' doesn't deliver classic Gorillaz sound
The Advocate
Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be underwhelmed!
The name “Gorillaz” is synonymous in the music world with the idea of the catchy hit single. Considering the two previous releases by Gorillaz — their self-titled debut album and their follow-up album “Demon Days” — fans most likely expect the band’s third full-length release to pack just as much punch as its predecessors. “Plastic Beach” falls short of this, despite its star-studded guest roster.
Most notably, this album lacks the type of amazing, chart-topping single that Gorillaz albums have come to be known for. It may be because all but four of the 16 tracks have at least one guest performer, but the album simply doesn’t feel entirely like a Gorillaz album. The first single off the album is a good example of this. The track “Stylo” features Bobby Womack and Mos Def, but the rhythm feels agonizingly slow for a single, and an odd muted-siren sort of sound constantly plagues the track in the background as lead singer Damon Albarn drones on in monotony in the background. Compared to Clint Eastwood, from the debut album, or Feel Good inc., off “Demon Days,” “Stylo” comes across as a fairly weak song.
This album is not by any measure a bad album; it simply isn’t what someone would expect from an album by this eclectic group. New to this album is the addition of many orchestral pieces. The song “White Flag” features, among other guests, The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music, who provide a unique classical sound to the track. Other songs include guest artists such as Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Lou Reed, and Paul Simonon, to name only a few.
While this presence of abundant and talented guest musicians is welcome and rather pleasing to hear, it seems to rob the album of the sound fans have grown to love. Tracks without guest artists, such as “Rhinestone Eyes” and “On Melancholy Hill” sound like a logical progression of the familiar Gorillaz sound and fit very well within the album.
Despite the change in musical direction, this album is a decent effort, providing a mixture of fantastic guests and well-produced music. Unfortunately, the mix of amazing ingredients doesn’t always make for an amazing finished product. “Plastic Beach” finds itself mired in mediocrity despite its impressive roster and musical veteran production team. With luck, we will see another Gorillaz album sooner than the five years it normally takes Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett to produce one, for now we will have to make do with two stellar releases and one mediocre release.
(2 and ½ out of 5)
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