While this is not new material, I still feel the new Gorillaz Singles Collection is worthy of this week's pick. It has all the jamz, in chronological order, which I like. We can trace their steps from "Clint Eastwood" to "Dare" to "On Meloncholy Hill". Gorillaz is far and away the most successful of Damon Albarn's side projects, selling millions of records worldwide, headlining Glastonbury and Coachella, and holographically sharing a Grammys stage with Madonna. The group's artistic success has also kept pace with its commercial success, giving Albarn a way to combine most of his musical distractions into an oddly cohesive whole. In retrospect, the key to the project may have been enabling Albarn to abandon the frontman role and become the man behind the curtain, both figuratively and (up until recent live shows) literally. If you don't think that hiding place isn't therapeutic for Albarn, consider that Think Tank, the 2003 Blur album that essentially became an Albarn solo joint, also attempted to blend all of these interests, to less satisfying results.
The oldest songs don't even sound dated. That's why I've selected "Tomorrow Comes Today" as the featured track; it's just as great today as it was back then, cruising around with the windows rolled down.
Buy your copy of Gorillaz Singles Collection here.
No comments:
Post a Comment