Gorillaz new album Humanz

[Wolf Kanno]

No one is talking about this? For shame EoFF...

So the album will be released at the end of the month but they've released several tracks from the album already and so far, I'm really digging it. I can't wait for the new album to come out on the 28th.

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Andromeda and We Got the Power are easily my favorite of the new tracks but Sarturn Barz has really grown on me. Ascension is still lacking for me.

[Freya]

See I was having this convo with alothy the other day that I think synthwave will be the next pop thing. Then andromeda comes out and I was all, fucking told you.

Easily my favorite so far

[Sephex]

Yo, this is tight. It took me awhile to get into the Gorillaz (I still think Clint Eastwood is a meh song). I'm pumped for this because I've been really into synth stuff for years now. This is cool, man.

~coolmanjustin

[charliepanayi]

I like some of the new songs, though it all feels a bit scattershot at the moment. Will be interesting to see if it all pulls together on the album.

[Wolf Kanno]

Picked this up yesterday, it's a pretty solid album overall. Feels a bit more Pop and upbeat than previous albums, but it still has that odd Gorillaz sensibilities that makes it feel unique. I will commend them for building a strong album that flows really well from beginning to end. Of the tracks not released before the album was released, my favorites are Momentz and Submission with Busted and Blue slowly growing on me. The interlude pieces are also amusing. I still need to listen to the Extra CD from the deluxe version.

[Sephex]

Picked this up yesterday, it's a pretty solid album overall. Feels a bit more Pop and upbeat than previous albums, but it still has that odd Gorillaz sensibilities that makes it feel unique. I will commend them for building a strong album that flows really well from beginning to end. Of the tracks not released before the album was released, my favorites are Momentz and Submission with Busted and Blue slowly growing on me. The interlude pieces are also amusing. I still need to listen to the Extra CD from the deluxe version.

I agree with your overall sentiment. I love the vibe the album gives. It's been awhile since I had a fun, but relaxed feel while listening to an album.

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

I was massively looking forward to this record. I've been a fan since I saw the Clint Eastwood video "back in the day" and I've listened to every release since. I even bought the "Rise of the Ogre" book telling the fictional backstory of all the band members.

I have mixed feelings about Humanz. I like the record for the most part, track by track, but my concern is having so many guest singers kind of takes away from the mystique of seeing the music through the eyes of a fictional band. 2D wasn't on this record enough, and I think Damon even addressed that by releasing a new song shortly after the album released.

More than a Gorillaz record, it feels like a compilation album produced by and guest starring Damon Albarn. I think The Needle Drop said it best:


I know that Damon is responsible for Gorillaz music, but the thing is Gorillaz is not about him. Gorillaz is about creating music for a band that doesn't really exist. It's about creating music that's kind of otherwordly, it's from a different place, and it's so vibrant and creative and detailed that it feels real. Suspending that disbelief is part of what makes the project so intriguing. If you think that Gorillaz is just about Damon Albarn creating some kooky cartoony music, you're fundamentally missing the point of what makes Gorillaz such a unique project.

I get that Damon's thoughts and feelings are going to show up on a Gorillaz album, but when they do they have to manifest themselves through the characters. On Humanz, I don't think Damon gives the audience any reason to suspend that disbelief. It's to the point where the virtual band has kind of lost its identity because the vibe is that it's no longer just 2D and the gang, it's just Damon producing for a bunch of artists that he likes and throwing them together on an album that runs sort of like a compilation.


Now to play devil's advocate to that review, I think there's a case to be made that having so many guests on the record means "it's more about the message than the messenger", which is in line with the concept of the band.

[Wolf Kanno]

I would agree it's more about the message than the messenger, which I feel becomes more apparent after reading Rise of the Ogre if you take Noodle's comments as an author's avatar. Its also the element that I feel really sets the albums apart from other musicians. Every album feels like a unique concept album as opposed to something simply meant to entertain and sell copies. It's one of the reasons why I still insist on picking up the whole albums from them cause they work best as a collective whole than just singles.