I didn't really think much of it until I picked it up for RSD last year (or was that the year before?). I was hooked after the first spin. People tend to never even mention that album, but I think it's great. Underrated, at least!
Weirder than "Idaho"?
The Fall has grown on me a lot in the decade (I feel so old typing that
) since it came out, but I still kind of look at it as a bit of an outlier... it definitely has it's own weird atmosphere that sets it apart. I think it gets looked over because there aren't very many traditional Gorillaz-type songs, it's a lot of unconventional instrumental bits and formless experimental songs (I mean that in a good way btw). It is vastly underrated but its also kind of understandable why it is, it won't appeal to a wide array of people the same way a Demon Days or a Plastic Beach will
Your drive with Plastic Beach sounds like when I first went on a walk and listened to Humanz. So much excitement after really enjoying all the singles and I ended the walk feeling so disappointed. However, I've managed to get over the initial disappointment by now and can appreciate the album but I do still remember that the first initial listen was pretty rough. But Plastic Beach was the first album cycle I ever paid attention to and the first big Gorillaz release to happen when I was a fan, so it will always be special to me just for that alone. I connect to the first three albums in different but equally special ways and all three occupy a very big space in my heart. Song Machine has really managed to inject a lot of that early spark back into the project to the point where it's made me go back to Humanz and The Now Now and be able to look at them in an even more positive light.
Which is probably why I don’t like either. I feel both lose some kinda essence by having too many collaborations. That said I love song machine and it’s all collaborations so who knows, I’ll just sit here with my opinions
Admittedly my initial impression of the album was this is nothing more than a collection of standalone singles because of the way it was rolled out but when listened to from front to back, some of the songs I didn't care for as much initially, I now have a different appreciation for and no longer feel the need to skip over. By nature, the album feels like a cohesive whole and is a great depiction of these strange timez. Very solid
I remember the first time I listened to Plastic Beach it didn't even feel like a Gorillaz album because of all the guest spots. It didn't feel like a cohesive album like Demon Days did. Demon Days was, and still is, one of my favorite 2000's albums so it was going to be hard to follow up.
My wife and I had a similar experience in seeing Gorillaz live on the Humanz tour. We thought the album was ok, but that show was AMAZING. The whole crowd was just vibing, hard. That show really upped the ante for me as a fan, even if Humanz is still my least-favorite of their albums.
The Humanz tour was a lot of fun.
I want more Empire Ants...give me all the versions of this song to pleaseAccording to Damon Albarn a Gorillaz movieis in the works plus he hints at a Plastic Beach 🏝 sequel...
