Plastic Beach

Sometimes you buy an album for no reason. You are on iTunes or in a record store and you are like, hey that looks nifty, and you buy it. Most times the first time you plug in said album you instantly regret buying it and, if you are me, throw it out your car window or delete it from your iTunes library forever to hide the shame of purchasing said album. It was with that mentality that I bought Plastic Beach by the amazing band, Gorillaz. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised by the symphony that came flooding through my head phones. If the pure originality of this album doesn't catch your eye, maybe the guest list will. With Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Gruff Rhys, and De La Soul, among others, this album brings originality and musical muscle and does not disappoint.

If you don't know who they are, Gorillaz is a band made up of four fictional characters whose stories are told through their albums. The back story and the actual members are little easter eggs that you can go find out for yourself. The band tours with a plethora of talent and sells out every show. This is the bands third album.

Now this album is different from most albums I have reviewed. This album is significantly more chilled out and mellow, think recuperation instead of onslaught. The album fits well as back ground to a social gathering but can also be enjoyed alone in a car. That being said I will also admit that I don't think this album is for everyone. The experimental, alternative sound is not for everyone.

The first song I want to mention is "Stylo." This track is very constant. The same back beat and drum pattern sit lightly in the back the whole time as small flourishes of melody enter and exit the mixture. The vocals done by 2D, Mos Def, and Bobby Womack are the main highlight of the song. Womack's bluesy vocals and Mos Def's verses help bring the melodic concoction to boil and cause it to create an amazing product.

Next up is the trippy "Rhinestone Eyes." This song is a more techno groove than the past song. With a synthesizer hook into the chorus that will get stuck in your head and verses that continue to build through out the song, you can't help but to groove with the song. This song is all Gorillaz with no guest vocals and proves that the group does not need their famous help to make a great track.

Third up will be track "White Flag." This song opens up with The National Orchestra For Arabic Music playing what sounds like an exert from a classical piece. This fades into the rappers Bashy and Kano trading verses back and forth over a poppy back beat. The verses clever and could be dull but do a good job about staying fresh. The song peaks when the orchestra comes back in behind the beat to drive the song to the end.

The last song I want to touch on is "Melancholy Hill." This song is extremely laid back and contains an amazing amount of feel good. The song is much more a ballad than anything else but the layers of melody make it great. The continues piano phrase that continues through out the choruses and is accompanied by choral vocals and other synth parts. During the verses 2D sings hauntingly over just the basic drum beat and a stripped back synth part.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this album and continue to enjoy it more and more with each listen. I would not recommend it to the average metal listener but I would say that if you enjoy good music and creativity you should give it a listen. You may find yourself sailing away to check out what goodies lie scattered over the plastic beach.

Always Listening,

Nick