Gorillaz - The Now Now
You have probably heard the story already: Damon Albarn, the musical mind behind Gorillaz, limits his number of guest artists for new album The Now Now, released just over a year after the previous album Humanz (2017). Though this follows the insane frequency of Albarn's musical output, it is nearly unheard of for the Gorillaz discography (excluding the iPad-created The Fall, which overall sounded much more "unfinished," to say the least). The situation does recall The Fall, once again only having three guest performers present, but in a slightly more cohesive way. Thankfully, it has yet to show that Albarn has been essentially churning out music, as his long-awaited projects are of comparable quality to his surprise releases. But more so than anything, it saddens me to say that The Now Now does draw similarities to Humanz, as it cannot quite capture the spirit of genre-fusion genius that comprises the first two Gorillaz albums. At this point, I think we can all admit nothing from this band will ever feel quite as fresh as Demon Days (2005).
In no way does this make The Now Now a bad album. On the whole, it is still fun and interesting, shifting away from the messiness of Humanz to suit a simpler approach. Simplicity is the backbone of successful pop music, even if this word never came up for any other Gorillaz album. In a way, The Now Now is actually a step in a more prosperous direction for Albarn, as the noticeable lack of collaboration has deservingly positioned him as the star of this album. He was always the mastermind behind the band, and now it seems more obvious than ever. Even Humanz had that same group mentality as the band of old, despite its complete lack of conceptual unity. The quick turn into a more singular focus is not necessarily unwelcome, though certainly shocking upon first listen. No doubt fans will be wondering where the rest of the fictional band has gone, officially drowned out in the personal musings of Albarn himself.
The music on the album is quite pleasant actually, with every song fitting into the "enjoyable background groove" feel that pervades most Gorillaz songs. When the songs do stand out, it is usually from the tasty melodic lines. The one guest-heavy song on The Now Now, "Hollywood" featuring Snoop Dogg and Jamie Principle, actually stands out for being just that - the only noticeable guest contribution. Albarn may consider the album through the lens of Gorillaz "singer" 2-D, but even he admits that "it's pretty much just me singing." Other highlights would be the laid-back hooky opener "Humility" and equally fun "Magic City," which bounces and grooves along with the title used both in the chorus and background vocals. Albarn gives each song a more introspective touch with far more personal lyrics than before - occasionally inward-looking depressives like in "Humility" but most are upbeat tracks that seem to be about locations or stories from his life. All are generally enjoyable, with the Radiohead-esque ballad "Idaho" making the biggest mark for being unlike any other previous Gorillaz song.
Why then does it feel like The Now Now is a bit of a betrayal from the Gorillaz universe? In all honesty, it really shouldn't. Gorillaz has always just been a creative and unique way to focus the music of Damon Albarn; he tries to put the music through different perspectives in his other projects, and Gorillaz is just another one of those projects. Without this context, The Now Now is quite enjoyable, but the differences of the album will add up in the back of the fans' minds. As I am sure many non-diehards have wondered before, Albarn may soon be at the point where Gorillaz does not have to hide behind cartoon faces - the songs will be reduced to song structure, music reduced to just sound. In that sense, The Now Now is a crucial point in the trajectory of this project: he could follow the sonic departure into a similar but more ambitious direction, or give up on what made Gorillaz so special in the first place.
As it was before yesterday, it's anyone's guess as to what Albarn will put out next.
In no way does this make The Now Now a bad album. On the whole, it is still fun and interesting, shifting away from the messiness of Humanz to suit a simpler approach. Simplicity is the backbone of successful pop music, even if this word never came up for any other Gorillaz album. In a way, The Now Now is actually a step in a more prosperous direction for Albarn, as the noticeable lack of collaboration has deservingly positioned him as the star of this album. He was always the mastermind behind the band, and now it seems more obvious than ever. Even Humanz had that same group mentality as the band of old, despite its complete lack of conceptual unity. The quick turn into a more singular focus is not necessarily unwelcome, though certainly shocking upon first listen. No doubt fans will be wondering where the rest of the fictional band has gone, officially drowned out in the personal musings of Albarn himself.
The music on the album is quite pleasant actually, with every song fitting into the "enjoyable background groove" feel that pervades most Gorillaz songs. When the songs do stand out, it is usually from the tasty melodic lines. The one guest-heavy song on The Now Now, "Hollywood" featuring Snoop Dogg and Jamie Principle, actually stands out for being just that - the only noticeable guest contribution. Albarn may consider the album through the lens of Gorillaz "singer" 2-D, but even he admits that "it's pretty much just me singing." Other highlights would be the laid-back hooky opener "Humility" and equally fun "Magic City," which bounces and grooves along with the title used both in the chorus and background vocals. Albarn gives each song a more introspective touch with far more personal lyrics than before - occasionally inward-looking depressives like in "Humility" but most are upbeat tracks that seem to be about locations or stories from his life. All are generally enjoyable, with the Radiohead-esque ballad "Idaho" making the biggest mark for being unlike any other previous Gorillaz song.
Why then does it feel like The Now Now is a bit of a betrayal from the Gorillaz universe? In all honesty, it really shouldn't. Gorillaz has always just been a creative and unique way to focus the music of Damon Albarn; he tries to put the music through different perspectives in his other projects, and Gorillaz is just another one of those projects. Without this context, The Now Now is quite enjoyable, but the differences of the album will add up in the back of the fans' minds. As I am sure many non-diehards have wondered before, Albarn may soon be at the point where Gorillaz does not have to hide behind cartoon faces - the songs will be reduced to song structure, music reduced to just sound. In that sense, The Now Now is a crucial point in the trajectory of this project: he could follow the sonic departure into a similar but more ambitious direction, or give up on what made Gorillaz so special in the first place.
As it was before yesterday, it's anyone's guess as to what Albarn will put out next.
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