Gorillaz- Plastic Beach Track By Track

WRITTEN FOR MY DAY JOB

Overall Gorillaz' new album Plastic Beach- which is released on March 8- is less dark than its predecessor Demon Days and is also less hip-hop focused.
Instead the record features a range of synth disco sounds mixed with songs that could easily appear on any of Damon Albarn’s work with his other bands. The guests are again great and the production at times awe-inspiring.

One magazine has already called it the best album of 2010. Here’s what MTV thought after our first listen…

1. Orchestral Intro (featuring Sinfonia ViVA)
The sound of the sea and strings open the album

2. Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach (feat. Snoop Dogg and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
Snoop raps over a slow house beat to open the album with lines like: “Kids gather round I need your focus/ I know it seems the world is so hopeless.” With Damon in the background Snoop adds: “Welcome to the world of the Plastic Beach!”

3. White Flag (feat. Kano, Bashy and The National Orchestra For Arabic Music)
Over orchestral Morrocan strings and casio bleeps the two UK MCs put in tight verses on a track which doesn’t feature Damon’s vocals. Bashy says “I aint Jesus but I walk on water” while Kano keeps up the albums theme spitting “If heaven had a VIP- this is it white sand, blue sea.”

4. Rhinestone Eyes
With a beat that recalls Demon Days’ Kids with Guns this track is all Albarn with a chorus that runs “your love is like Rhinestones falling from the sky.” The verses see the Blur man coming close to rapping himself

5. Stylo (feat. Bobby Womack and Mos Def)
The first single from the album features a wonderfully oft-kilter Bobby Womack vocal, New York disco beat and Mos Def’s distorted raps.

6. Superfast Jellyfish (feat. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul)
One of the albums highlights- this is less feel good than er, Feel Good Inc. but is still punchy and poppy. With a slow hip hop beat reminiscent of Gorillaz’ early Clint Eastwood track it’s appropriately cartoon like. Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys features on the hook.

7. Empire Ants (feat. Little Dragon)
After a long gentle intro with piano and strings we here Little Dragon singing about her “little dream working the machines.”

8. Glitter Freeze (feat. Mark E Smith)
The Fall frontman features in the breakdown of this song which showcases a driving drum machine beat and dark whizzes and whirrs.

9. Some Kind Of Nature (feat. Lou Reed)
This sees the former Velvet Underground man on top form with New York drawl intoning: “Some kind of metal, some kind of glue, some kind of plastic I could wrap around you.” The keyboard melody and Albarn's own vocals will stay in your head for days. Another highlight - it could be this album’s Dare.

10. On Melancholy Hill
Another stereotypical Damon track about love and a lost England. Despite the synths it sounds like The Good, The Bad and The Queen.

11. Broken

A forlorn song with the Gorillaz' frontman singing about an unnamed ‘her’ and ‘broken love.’

12. Sweepstakes (feat. Mos Def & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
This cracker kicks off with lo-fi pinball machine beats which give way to live drums and The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Mos has a much longer rap than on Stylo and shows why he’s regarded as one of the best rappers around.

13. Plastic Beach (feat. Mick Jones & Paul Simonon)
Features a spaghetti Western guitar intro. Damon sings: “It’s a Casio on a Plastic Beach,” which sums up the track.

14. To Binge (feat. Little Dragon)
A gorgeous love song which again recalls the sound of the sea.

15. Cloud Of Unknowing (feat. Bobby Womack and Sinfonia ViVA)
Like Demon Days this album draws to a close with slow and filmic tracks. Here Soul legend Womack sings: “I was her from the very start just trying to find a way to your heart.”

16. Pirate Jet
Closes the album with Synths and Hammond keyboards. Sounds like the short Lot 45 track from Blur’s Parklife album.

Kanye- Coldest Winter

KANYE WEST "Coldest Winter" Directed by: NABIL "ITUNES link below" from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

I quite like this but then I am a boobs man. And this video is all about the boobs.

Badu & Weezy

This has been about for a few weeks I think. The beat reminds me of some old school Organized Noize produced Outkast tracks. And it features a typically twisting, nonsensical verse from Weezy. Looking forward to the album which is released at the end of March and features production from ?uestlove, Madlib and J Dilla.

RZA & Weekend

Unlike the rest of the blogosphere/ world i'm not mad about Vampire Weekend. But this picture of them with er, umpire RZA is very cool. It recently appeared on their website with no explanation.

I'd definitely be intrigued to hear any remix/ collaboration between the two acts. SEE UPDATE BELOW



Oh and here's the really rather excellent reason they were together...

Gorillaz Remix

This is pretty banging. Much like Tinie Tempah's Pass Out track which has really grown on me.

Gorillaz' Plastic Beach album is really good. I had a sneak listen a few weeks ago and there are some massive tracks on it and contributions from De La Soul, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Snoop and Gruff Rhys.

New Rihanna Video

Well first this incredible (and somewhat puzzling) picture



This promo below is great as long as we all realise that it is a massive rip off of at least two M.I.A videos- Galang and Jimmy.

Saw Jamie T again

Promise this will be my last jamie related post for a while. I'm even starting to bore myself. Saw him at Brixton Academy on Friday. This is my review written for the day job

The last time MTV caught Jamie T live we’d only heard one track from his second album Kings & Queens and didn’t realise it was set to be one of the most accomplished records of 2009.
Since then it’s had time to bed in with the thousands at Brixton Academy- these shows were originally scheduled for October before throat issues caused them to be moved.

Tonight Jamie and (his live band) The Pacemakers open with gentle B-side St Christopher as a prelude to the real business. Then it’s Man’s Machine- which typifies everything great about last year’s album. Opening with an obscure vocal sample and simple piano it ends with layers of raps, shouts and a near perfect chorus.

British Intelligence, 368 and Earth, Wind and Fire show that the South London boy takes influence not only from punk’s smartest writers but also baritone crooners and maverick rappers.



T’s next single Emily’s Heart shows that he can pull off a folk ballad too and also gets a decent sing-along from the hometown audience. Many of whom seem to be old school JT fans who appreciate early tracks like Northern Line and Diego as well as hits If You Got The Money and Sheila.

The indie icon- in skinny jeans and baggy white t-shirt- admits to being nervous but still saves his best recent tracks till the encore. Spider’s Web mutates joyfully from a ukulele ditty about “top bananas” and “in jokes about Americana” to a skittering drum n bass monster.

Then Sticks N Stones closes proceedings with sing-along hooks and lyrics that mean everything and nothing at the same time. Which just about sums up all the best pop music.

This World Mexico

This World on Mexico's drug wars is the best documentary i've seen since HBO's Cat Dancers. It was on BBC 2 on Sunday and was really thought provoking, informative and above all heartbreaking.

The shot of a dead seven year old is shattering. And the facts about American guns being used in Mexico will make your blood boil.

It's proper journalism that made me wish I was a real reporter.

YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY WATCH IT ON iPLAYER HERE

Hot Chip & The Roots

Another great Jimmy Fallon performance from Hot Chip and The Roots. Its mostly about the British electro group though.

If you haven't heard it the new album One Life Stand is great. Try We Have Love and Alley Cats for starters.

Burley's A C**t

For anyone surprised by Kay Burley's treatment of Aussie hunk Peter Andre watch the below video. She's said far worse things before as this brief clip from the always brilliant Newswipe shows:

Plastician

Three new Plastician dubstep tunes including a really cool Chew Lips track right here for you to download.

Broken Bells

Haven't mentioned this project yet but Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) is by far my favourite producer of the last 5 or so years. Have always liked The Shins too- though not as much as a lot of geeky indie fanboys.

Single The High Road has been stuck in my head since I first heard it. It just has a classic laidback sound with a gorgeous hook. WATCH THE RATHER COOL VIDEO HERE

The album is released on Monday 8 March. With-a-tracklisting-like-this:

The High Road
Vaporize
Your Head Is On Fire
The Ghost Inside
Sailing To Nowhere
Trap Doors
Citizen
October
Mongrel Heart
The Mall & Misery

I anticipate something akin to Beck's nice last album Modern Guilt- also produced by DM. but I could be wrong. LISTEN TO SOME OF MY FAVE DANGER MOUSE TRACKS HERE