Gorillaz-- Plastic Beach (2010)

Review written by Steven M. Duarte

My favorite animated band, the Gorillaz is back with a follow up to their multi-platinum Grammy award-winning album Demon Days. It was after the release of Demon Days that lead singer Damon Albarn stated there would not be any new Gorillaz releases. Well fast forward to 2010 and Albarns words were not true as the Gorillaz return with more pop/hip hop goodness.
Demon Days is a very tough act to follow. Pretty much every track on demon days is really good or at least decent which allows for multiple listenings with no track skipping from start to finish. I had very high hopes for Plastic Beach as I expect an album that will either match or surpasses Demon Days.
Well good news is the album matches the greatness that is Demon Days. Bad news is it just barely matches its predecessor. Anytime I review a group that I personally enjoy I always hold them to a higher standard than a group I may only listen to from time to time. So what issues did I have with the album?
For starters one of the guest vocalists that Gorillaz have included on Plastic Beach is none other than the Doggfather himself Snoop Dogg. While I don’t dislike Snoop I do feel that he is a bit out of place for the Gorillaz. The Gorillaz have always had a hip hop vibe and have shown this side over their previous albums. One ongoing theme they have had in the past is featuring either true hip hop or indie rappers. They have never really had any mainstream rappers in the past. De La Soul has worked with them before but I consider them more indie and more true hip hop. Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach featuring Snoop just doesn’t feel like it should be on a Gorillaz album.
On the plus side they do include the great lyricist Mos Def as well as indie rappers Bash and Kano. De La Soul also makes a return on the funky Superfast Jellyfish. Plastic Beach also makes use of Orchestra’s on White Flag and Sweepstakes. Plastic Beach incorporates a little more electronic sounds than Demon Days which results in a more techno dance sound. Some standouts on the album include Stylo, Empire Ants, Some Kind of Nature, and Rhinestone Eyes. The album begins to lose a bit of steam towards the end.
While Plastic Beach is not exactly Demon Days, it still is a very well made album and a decent effort from the Gorillaz is way better than the best effort from most other acts out right now. There are no real bad songs on the album, I just don’t think the songs are as memorable as the tracks on Demon Days.

Tracks:
1. Orchestral Intro
2. Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach
3. White Flag
4. Rhinestone Eyes
5. Stylo
6. Superfast Jellyfish
7. Empire Ants
8. Glitter Freeze
9. Some Kind of Nature
10. On Melancholy Hill
11. Broken
12. Sweepstakes
13. Plastic Beach
14. To Binge
15. Cloud of Unknowing
16. Pirate Jet



Visit The Gorillaz Official Website
http://gorillaz.com/

--Steven M. Duarte