Gorillaz's four animated band members aren't the only ones on "Cracker Island," the name of the British band's newly-released eighth studio album. With an abundance of famous artists featured on the album, its release is highly-anticipated. With 10 new tracks, the band is remaining true to their electric, alternative sound, but continuing to put out an album full of worthy, hypnotizing hits.
Bad Bunny, Stevie Nicks, Beck, Tame Impala and Thundercat are just a few of the names on this seemingly short album. You could easily confuse Impala's song for one of his own while Nicks' song feels fresh and different from her normal stature. Bad Bunny brings reggae to the Gorillaz discography in his collab track, "Tormenta." Talent on the album ranges from old artists to new, with even the featuring of a lesser-known artist, Adeleye Omotayo, who was a backing vocalist for Amy Winehouse.
Their new album consists of the four iconic animated characters – vocalist 2-D, bassist Murdoc, guitarist Noodle and drummer Russel – moving to Hollywood to start a cult. Thus that becomes the album's theme, as while the tribulations of stan culture and the many anxieties of being in the digital age. One song, "The Tired Influencer," utilizes the voice of Siri to further its theme, while other songs include mentions of Twitter, the integrity of robots and the distortion of reality.
Admirably, their sound is consistently hypnotizing, which adheres to their album's theme of being in a cult. Ever since Blur frontman Damon Albarn created the band 21 years ago, the band has had a futuristic, electronic sound that is perpetually mesmerizing. Through this album, listeners can lose themselves in the depths of funky bass lines and heavy-toned synths with lyrics accompanying that feeling.
The opening song and title track, "Cracker Island," exudes a strong, upbeat welcome to the album. It's a hypnotizing welcome into their "forever cult," as Thundercat sings in the background. 2-D sings, "they taught themselves to be occult," which is a play on words that can be heard as "they taught themselves to be a cult." All in all, this Gorillaz song is electrically pounding and memorable.
The second track on the album, "Oil," booms with bass and drums. The song even recognizes that as Nicks and 2-D sing, "you'll be falling into the bass and drum." Nicks harmonizes beautifully with herself, then 2-D's vocals amplify the song even higher. As an early track on the album, it manages to do wonders as one of the most memorable songs from the album.
Another exemplary song on the album is "New Gold," featuring Kevin Parker of Tame Impala and rapper Bootie Brown. It's perfect for the dance floor, as the lasering synth waves up and down while Parker follows its direction, Bootie Brown puts down bars and Murdoc's funky bass line pounds behind it all.
Even without any collaboration, the album's ninth track, "Skinny Ape," is the most replayable thanks to its captivating and invigorating finish that bursts with an energetic beat in double time. The lyrics seem contestable during the first listen, but further review reveals the song is from 2-D's perspective, as he reflects on events from previous albums.
By the album's end, the band has sailed from one island to the next, with the collaboration with Beck on "Possession Island." The song acquires a more somber tone than most Gorillaz tracks, using the acoustic guitar, the Mellotron trumpet and piano to round out the album entirely as they sing, "we're all in this together until the end."
All in all, the album does not seem to live up to their 17-year-old magnum opus, "Demon Days," or any other phenomenal Gorillaz album. But it does its best to be memorable and enjoyable from start to finish, even without much change from the band. It might be small with only ten tracks, but it is still remarkable, adding to the remarkable fact that the band continues to make quality, magnetizing music for over 20 years.
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