Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

After a five year hiatus, the virtual cartoon band known as Gorillaz are back with their brand new album Plastic Beach. The follow up to 2005's hugely successful Demon Days, Plastic Beach is a concept album of sorts about a post-apocalyptic world made up of the last remnants of humanity. Damon Albarn of Blur and Jamie Hewlett are the masterminds behind the group and the creative force behind principal members 2-D, Murdoc, Russell, and Noodle.

After a brief instrumental intro, the album kicks off with "Welcome to the World of Plastic Beach" featuring a guest vocal appearance from Snoop Dogg, who adds his trademark vocal stylings to a hip-hop inspired track with mysterious rhythms emanating strongly and evoking the overall feel of the album. "Rhinestone Eyes" is a melancholy, laid back track with lead vocalist 2-D lending his trademark vocals to a solid and sustained track. My favorite track off the album is the album's first single, "Stylo". This track also features Mos Def and Bobby Womack, who make a terrific combo on this upbeat and funky track that perks up the vibe a bit on a bleak sounding album.

As the rest of the album chugs along, we hear "Superfast Jellyfish", which features a guest spot from hip-hop legends De La Soul, who add their trademark rhymes to a fun and escapist type of track. "Empire Ants" gives us some synthesized keyboard effects also brought to you courtesy of 2-D. "Some Kind of Nature" features a guest spot from Lou Reed, who does a great job of adding some mystique to an eerie and unique track, while "On Melancholy Hill" is a mysterious and a pure escapist track that seeks to take us away on a magical odyssey.

As the album winds down, we hear Mos Def again on "Sweepstakes", a hip-hop flavored jam that mixes up the vibe a bit on the disc, "To Binge" is a laid back and smooth track that features great variances in both sound and mood that feels different from all the other tunes on the album, and "Cloud of Unknowning" features a return vocal appearance from Bobby Womack, who provides a soulful and powerful punch that brings all the elements of the album together in one, cohesive package. Gorillaz are one of the more unique bands around in the sense that they only exist in the virtual world, and provide us with a form of escapist entertainment that is a glimpse of the post-apocalyptic world that some conspiracy theorists believe is going to occur in 2012. While I firmly believe that the apocalypse is not going to happen then, I think this album does provide us some insight as to what humans can do to prevent further damage to our environment and learn to better appreciate our surroundings more.

In retrospect,  a well put together and cohesive effort that furthers the musical mission of Gorillaz and co-creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. While it's not as catchy and instantly grabbing as Demon Days was, it still provides us some musical entertainment that takes us away from the ordinary lives we lead and into a mystical, fantasy world where we witness the damage that man has caused upon the world.

                                                                                                                          Album Score: 3.5/5

Track Listing:

1. Orchesral Intro (f/sinfonia ViVA)
2. Welcome to the World of Plastic Beach (f/Snoop Dogg and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
3. White Flag (f/Bashy,Kano, and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabian Music)
4. Rhinestone Eyes
5. Stylo (f/Mos Def & Bobby Womack)
6. Superfast Jellyfish (f/Gruff Rhys & De La Soul)
7. Empire Ants (f/Little Dragon)
8. Glitter Freeze (f/Mark E. Smith)
9. Some Kind of Nature (f/Lou Reed)
10. On Melancholy Hill
11. Broken
12. Sweepstakes (f/Mos Def & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
13. Plastic Beach (f/Mick Jones & Paul Simonon)
14. To Binge (f/Little Dragon)
15. Cloud of Unknowning (f/Bobby Womack & sinfonia ViVA)
16. Pirate Jet

As an added bonus for you guys, here is the music video for "Stylo" which features a cameo from none other than Bruce Willis! Hope you enjoy it!