The Now Now
Gorillaz is an art project that has constantly been on the cutting edge of pop music since it’s naissance in a dreary west London flat back in 1998. The lovechild of former Blur troubadour Damon Albarn and comic-book master-craftsmen Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz was created in response to “substanceless” music media being funneled through MTV during the turn of the millennium. An idea delivered in the form of a virtual music group, the band featured four larger than life personalities, all caricatures of distinct tropes that you found in pop music at the time. You had 2D, the tall and emaciated frontman with his brain pouring out his ears. Noodle, the enigmatic child prodigy. Russell Hobbs, the group’s drummer who’s drive to create and succeed is catalysed by deaths of his childhood friends, all of whose ghosts now reside within the colossus that is Russell’s frame. And you have Murdoc Niccals, the drug-addled, STD infested, devil-worshipping bassist who is also head-honcho of Gorillaz. The forward thinking fusion of genres that Albarn and his collaborators brought to the table, coupled with the rich and colourful lore with which Hewlett brought the project to life, rendered Gorillaz one of the artistic success stories of the 21st century, topping charts all over the globe and igniting creative sparks in children and adults alike. Between their debut eponymous release in 2001, 2005’s Demon Dayz, their masterpiece, and the biblical Plastic Beach, Gorillaz’ contributions to pop music cannot be overstated. In 2010, however, Gorillaz fourth “studio album”, The Fall, was released to a lukewarm reception. The album was supposedly crafted by Albarn solely on his iPad, and featured spacey rhythms and a lo-fi aesthetic, but was a Gorillaz album only in name. Jamie Hewlett’s contributions were nowhere to be seen, and as a result the project lacked the larger-than-life character that made Gorillaz so unique and appealing in the first place. Following the release of The Fall, rumours started to circulate that Albarn and Hewlett had fallen out. In an interview with the Guardian in 2012, to the dismay of millions of fans worldwide, Albarn confirmed that it was “unlikely” that they would be releasing anymore material together. Years passed, there were whispers and nattering of revival, but as Albarn continued to release records under his own name and even released a new Blur album, a reunion seemed to be a lost cause.
In 2017, however Gorillaz crash landed back into pop culture with the announcement of their own festival, Demon Dayz, as well as the announcement that they would be releasing their 5th studio album, Humanz, on the 28th of April. The rollout for the album was an enormous effort, as Gorillaz assembled a virtual hypetrain the likes of which the world had never seen before. You had augmented reality apps, tv shows, VR music videos, the works. It was a sign that Hewlett’s influence in the creative output of the duo was back in force, and it was refreshing to say the least. When the album released, however, it was to be one of the most disappointed efforts of that year. Drowning in it’s collaborators, Humanz seemed to lack the musical organisation and sleekness that was typical of the projects output up until that point. Albarns reliance on software and digital, loop based recordings limited the album’s creative reach. It seemed that, in his efforts to keep Gorillaz sounding ahead of the curb, he had only made himself seem out of touch. I, and the majority of other Gorillaz fans, were left wanting more, which is why when this new project, The Now Now, was announced, I almost felt a sense of relief. Relief, coupled with an inescapable notion that this album was being released in response to the poor reception of Humanz. Whether this was for the fans sake, Albarn’s sake, or both, I was eager to hear what direction the groups sound would be taken in.
I will say this: The Now Now is undoubtedly better than Humanz. Sonically, it it far more regimented and displays a higher level of intent. Some of the tracks on here aare the best songs that Damon Albarn has released in over a decade, but this album does not sound like a Gorillaz project. The album’s lead single, Humility, feels like a mild attempt to rekindle the groups former sound in way of a summery festival bop. Lake Zurich is a pulsating, inescapable groove that has been finding itself on my active playlists consistently over the past few months. Fire Flies is a masterstoke, with Albarn crooning over an amazing, evolving instrumental that displays a kind of grandeur that he hasn’t captured since Blur’s “Death of a Party”, and by far the most mature and cutting edge moment on the entire LP. But where this tracks succeeds, the majority of the rest of this album fails. While Humility isn’t a horrible listen, it lack the punchiness that songs with similar arcs possess and thrive off of, and as a result comes across pretty flat. Hollywood, featuring Snoop Dogg and Jamie Principle, is just a straight rip off of Closer by Nine Inch Nails, only less carnal and less gripping. Kansas and Sorcerez aren’t bad tracks, they both feature fairly charismatic vocal performances from Albarn, and are lavishly dosed up with oscillating synths and reverb. They don’t really sound like Gorillaz tracks though. Idaho is a puzzling moment on the album, I’m still not sure how to feel about it. It feels interestingly experimental, I like what Albarn is going for on the song. It just makes me feel this inescapable sense of anxiety and dread, to the point where I can’t listen to it. I get this feelings on a few songs, such as Souk Eye. I don’t know whether Albarn is attempting to translate this feeling, if he is then he’s certainly achieving it. The rest of the songs on this album are often too mediocre to mention, they don’t possess any distinguishable moments, or moments notable enough to talk about.
The album is framed as being another political-but-not-political response to the state of the world, though like on Humanz, I have no idea what is being said here. Since the release of The Fall, Gorillaz musical output has never been quite right. There has been a tug of war over creative spotlight between Albarn and Hewlett, and it’s been clear for all to see. On The Now Now, however, it seems that they’ve regressed back to 2010. If Damon Albarn had released this project as a solo effort under his own name, it would probably have made a bigger impression on me, but because he has released it under the Gorillaz moniker, there is therefore a level of importance and expectation cast upon the release. It almost seems disingenuous to try and pull off such a stunt, not only disingenuous to the fans, but it’s a slap in the face to the rich and vibrant lore that Gorillaz has built up over the years. If Albarn had released this album in 2005 instead of Demon Dayz, Gorillaz would not exist as we know them today, or most likely would not exist at all. Gorillaz are at their best when they are cutting edge, and it seems that Albarn has lost touch with what cutting edge is anymore, musically speaking. The songs on the album aren’t bad, he’s clearly still a talented musician and songwriter, but it may be time to leave Gorillaz alone, rather than further damaging the project’s reputation with mediocre releases.
4/10
