Gorillaz - Plastic Beach: It wasn't what I was expecting

Plastic Beach, the location on the globe where all the collective rubbish and trash has been collecting for hundreds of years. Formed by debris and scraps and held together by oil and muck. Sounds interesting, very much like the album it's named after.

It's been 5 years since Gorillaz released their album "Demon Days", which climbed up the charts with it's single "Feel Good Inc." You can imagine that when I heard that they were close to releasing a new album, I was very excited about it. I picked up the Experience Edition of Plastic Beach the day it came out at FYE, since they sell most of their CDs for $10 or less. I had read previously that there would be a lot of talent on this album, Bobby Womack, Lou Reed, Snoop Dog, Mos Def, etc. It seemed to me that they were pulling all the stops to make this album as good as it could be. I'll admit that it made the album seem much more exciting to me. It was all very eclectic, but then again this album is named Plastic Beach.

However, this idea of bringing so much talent in also comes at a price. Nick Butler of sputnikmusic.com brought up a good point when he wrote that the album was a "identity crisis caught on tape."

"It all comes down to the massed rank of vocalists here, ultimately. There's no doubting that the most fun thing you can do with this album is put it on, having never heard it before and never looked at the tracklisting, and wait in amazement for the moment you say 'holy crap, is that Bobby Womack?', or 'wow, Kano!, or 'seriously, Snoop Dogg is on this?'. It's the defining feature of the album, but it's also the biggest failing, because it destroys this band's own personal identity." - Nick Butler, sputnikmusic.com

Although a very valid point is made here, it doesn't change the fact that this is still a Gorillaz album. I've listened to it several times and I am more than qualified at this point to tell you that it's got some good sounds. With every piece of criticism that comes with this album, there is at least one good review to match it. In fact, most of the reviews I have come across have given this album AT LEAST a 7 or higher.

Ratings aside, I found the album very enjoyable. It's got a very pop-like beat, but the lyrics are what really give it depth. Songs like "Rhinestone Eyes", "Stylo" and "Superfast Jellyfish" are good examples of this. Then we have tracks like "Broken" that I personally have not interest for, the beat is too slow and the singing really doesn't do much for me. I have to say that the instrumental work was nothing short of classy, making tracks like "Cloud of Unknowing" even more interesting to listen to.

It's not the same as Demon Days and depending on your point of view, this could be a good or a bad thing. The only thing I wish Plastic Beach took from Demon Days was how it used it's guest talent for more instrumental purposes rather than vocals, I'd rather enjoy listening to Damon Albarn's singing voice. Personally, I don't think it was worth the 5 year wait, but it has grown on me. This will definitely be a good summer album, with it's overall beach theme they are running with. If you are a Gorillaz fan, I would recommend this for your listening pleasure and if you haven't listened to them before, it might be best to start with Demon Days or even their self-titled album from 2001.




gorillaz.com
sputnikmusic.com review