At the turn of the year Damon Albarn was talking about making a Gorillaz project to out-pop Simon Cowell. So has he succeeded? Per-lease!
From the beautiful and gentle classical opening, to the subtle balance between gritty urban realism and dreamy pop melancholy of later offerings, this is definitely a concept album, themed on the ecology, the shallowness of our transitory culture, and even the perils of modern fast food (‘Superfast Jellyfish’). As such it satisfies on many levels.
As an audience, we want to hear Snoop Dogg rapping about the environment, we want to hear London MCs rhyming about peace and love over a lovely and delicate Arabic orchestra (‘White Flag’); we even want to hear Clash stars Paul Simonon and Mick Jones reunite to collaborate on trippy, psychedelic odes to the tackiness of modern culture (‘Plastic Beach’). Brilliant.
Lou Reed comes across as effortlessly cool, just as he should. Bobby Womak adds much needed soul to the genuine flavour. Mos Def brings a slightly harder edge on ‘Sweepstake’, just in case we begin to get too cosy.
At times slightly edgy: “your heart is now washed up in bleach, the waves are rising…” ('Rhinestone Eyes’), at times relaxing and evocative, at times pure pop, and at times actually quite hard, this album ebbs and flows like the waves crashing against the proverbial plastic beach. Anyone hoping to get an intelligent overview of what modern music culture has to offer could do little better than listen to this. Playful and apocalyptic are not often words you hear together, and this is a testament to the unique charms of Plastic Beach.
Rising amidst a colourful canopy of global stars from across musical genres, Damon Albarn reveals himself as a thoughtful and profound artist amidst an ocean of plastic mediocrity.
[etRating value=“ 4.5”]
From the beautiful and gentle classical opening, to the subtle balance between gritty urban realism and dreamy pop melancholy of later offerings, this is definitely a concept album, themed on the ecology, the shallowness of our transitory culture, and even the perils of modern fast food (‘Superfast Jellyfish’). As such it satisfies on many levels.
As an audience, we want to hear Snoop Dogg rapping about the environment, we want to hear London MCs rhyming about peace and love over a lovely and delicate Arabic orchestra (‘White Flag’); we even want to hear Clash stars Paul Simonon and Mick Jones reunite to collaborate on trippy, psychedelic odes to the tackiness of modern culture (‘Plastic Beach’). Brilliant.
Lou Reed comes across as effortlessly cool, just as he should. Bobby Womak adds much needed soul to the genuine flavour. Mos Def brings a slightly harder edge on ‘Sweepstake’, just in case we begin to get too cosy.
At times slightly edgy: “your heart is now washed up in bleach, the waves are rising…” ('Rhinestone Eyes’), at times relaxing and evocative, at times pure pop, and at times actually quite hard, this album ebbs and flows like the waves crashing against the proverbial plastic beach. Anyone hoping to get an intelligent overview of what modern music culture has to offer could do little better than listen to this. Playful and apocalyptic are not often words you hear together, and this is a testament to the unique charms of Plastic Beach.
Rising amidst a colourful canopy of global stars from across musical genres, Damon Albarn reveals himself as a thoughtful and profound artist amidst an ocean of plastic mediocrity.
[etRating value=“ 4.5”]
