Plastic Beach – Gorillaz (2010)

Plastic Beach – Gorillaz (2010)

What happens when a cartoon rock group turns into the real thing? Twelve years ago, when Blur’s Damon Albarn started Gorillaz, it just seemed like a typical English rock star’s idea of a groovy side project — teaming with London comic-book artist Jamie Hewlett to create a fictional multi-media band. A lot of fans figured Albarn was burned out, both as a celebrity and a Brit-pop concept-flogger. But as a musician, he was just getting started. Three albums in, his cartoon act has ruled as a pop powerhouse longer than Blur did — especially in the U.S., where the first two Gorillaz albums have outsold the entire Blur catalog.

Plastic Beach has a loose environmental theme, inspired by Albarn’s visit to a Mali landfill. The tropical island where the Gorillaz hang out is a “plastic beach” of industrial-waste products, so they recycle all the debris into shiny new toys. And that’s the musical plan as well, mixing up bric-a-brac from around the world. Albarn hasn’t totally given up his day job — Blur are back in the headlines afterrecent reunion shows. But Plastic Beach proves that he’s most truly himself when he turns into a cartoon.

The collaborations on ‘Plastic Beach’ are mostly a great success, however, Albarn’s guests contributing far more than the odd freestyle. On ‘Some Kind of Nature’ Lou Reed slurs his characteristic drawl all over a laid-back groove and a honky-tonk piano refrain stolen from the Velvet Underground’s ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’. The title track features Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash and ends up sounding like something pulled from their own groove-laden double-album ‘Sandinista!’

Definitely recommended!!