Gorillaz: The Fall (Self-released)

By Ben Liew  •  04 Jan 2011 in Review

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Recorded while on tour with the help of his niffy IPad, then released for free on Christmas, Damon Albarn shows all the signs of a restless creator. The Fall, however, reflects a downtempo-ed Damon, who seems like he’s had his last banana after the Gorillaz’ hectic schedule of grandiose shows last year.

Moving away from the sleek funk and cameo hip hop coolness on Plastic Beach, this is an album made by a bedroom geek who’s trying to get away from the paparazzi. Computer-generated synths and guitars over slow quirky beats and 8-bit effects rule over The Fall. The tunes are not half bad and definitely more nonchalant than anything after Gorrilaz’ 2001 self-titled debut. But they lack cohesiveness to produce any chart potential. The first 4 songs (‘Phoner to Arizona’, ‘Revolving Door’, ‘Hillbilly Man’ & ‘Detroit’) are the most distinctive. Later on, the album enters shoegazing territory. Considering that it was made on an IPad with minimal assistance from live musicians, The Fall exceeds expectations. But as a Gorillaz album, we feel that Damon should be making one of these every week. It’d be the only way for him to ease his creative overflow now that Gorillaz are on ice. Oh wait, there’s always Blur…

Listen to: ‘Revolving Door’
If you like this you’ll dig: The Good, the Bad & the Queen, Damon Albarn, Blur.
Rating: 3

Get the album at gorillaz.com.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAeUwuUGSaM[/youtube]