[Contemporary R&B] Gorillaz - "Humanz" | steemitWAR - Weekly Album Review
[Contemporary R&B] Gorillaz - "Humanz" | steemitWAR - Weekly Album Review
Not including the nightmare flop iPad experiment, The Fall, Gorillaz creator Damon Albarn had been relatively silent for seven years since his highly successful album Plastic Beach. Needless to say, there was a huge amount of anticipation for Gorillaz' fifth studio album. Let's take a look at whether or not Albarn and company were able to live up to the hype with the April 28th release, Humanz.
At first listen, this album is a confusing mess of songs, skits, and strange noises. After being deeply let down with The Fall, it is easy to immediately dismiss this album as another miss, but after giving the album some time I found it to be a success -- for the most part. With five interlude skits and an intro skit sprinkled throughout 14 actual songs, this album (as well as all others for at least the first listen) should only be approached with shuffle disabled. For the purposes of this review, however, I will be handpicking a few of the most notable songs on the album to discuss.
Andromeda (feat. D.R.A.M.)
"Andromeda" is the tenth track on Humanz, but I have chosen to discuss it first because it is the single song on the album that resembles anything from either Plastic Beach or Demon Days. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is always nice to find some familiarity mixed in with the new. Classic Gorrilaz synth, clean bass lines, large choral background vocals, and Albarn taking the lead on the vocals add up to make up the unmistakable Gorillaz sound of old.
Saturn Barz (feat. Popcaan)
Trap beats anyone? It doesn't take long while listening to Humanz to realize the true magnitude of Damon Albarns stylistic range. "Saturn Barz" brilliantly matches artist Popcaan's somber tone with a seemingly everlasting bass drive that was clearly intended for large subwoofers. Albarn's voice is hauntingly beautiful and complements Popcaan and the bass line perfectly.
We Got The Power (feat. Jehnny Beth)
"We Got The Power" is your typical uplifting summer anthem. Coming in at only 2:18, this short and simple song wastes no time getting right to the point from the very first second of the song. The message is one of resilience through all adversity with the lyrics: "We got the power to be lovin' each other no matter what happens. We got the power to do that." The driving beat that nearly last the entire song once it is introduced is a groove so easy to fall into that even the worst dancer at a wedding would be able to lay down some moves. Short and sweet with no wasted beats, "We Got The Power" is a well-placed gem that helps break up the album nicely.
The Apprentice (feat. Rag'n'Bone Man, Zebra Katz & RAY BLK)
I was unable to find a version of this song that would play on steemit so click HERE to open the video in YouTube.
My personal favorite track on the album is "The Apprentice". Dripping with soul, this song is the most listenable song on the album. It is broken down into unique solo verses that let the indiviual featured artists on the song take the spotlight for a while before returning together for a impossibly catchy chorus peppered with Alburn's vocals geniusly mixed to give the illusion of depth and distance. Unlike many of the other songs on Humanz, "The Apprentice" seems to end far too soon leaving the listener begging for more.
The Verdict
As a huge Gorillaz fan that was let down by Alburn's last "album", The Fall, I had my doubts about this album at first. The extremely wide range of genres that are tapped into on this album and the series of strange interludes made the first pass through very difficult. However, as with any well written album that pushes the limits and is an actual creation instead of a copy, it is going to take several listens before it can be fully appreciated. After I gave this album a chance it has grown on me and continues to grow and change every time I listen. For range alone, this album is tough to beat. However, when attempting an experiment like this, you are bound to make a couple mistakes. On Humanz, the quality of the many is holding up the failures of a few, but there are still tracks that are hard to digest, and for that reason I give it a flat B.
Thank you all once again for reading. If you enjoyed this review, let me know by voting, following, and resteeming! Your comments are greatly appreciated as well. Whether they are naughty or nice, please comment. I'd love to hear your opinions.
~Cheers and happy steeming!
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