Gorillaz leaving their mark in the musical jungle

By Marek Helebrant

Gorillaz is a band that you have probably heard of if your musical taste is focused around the alternative, pop, or hip hop scenes.

There is not really a genre that this band from London fits into. At first, people did not even know the true identities of these musicians making this electronic, groovy music, until later when it came out that the frontman is Damon Albarn from the rock band Blur. Even if you are not a regular listener of Gorillaz, you probably know their greatest hits such as Clint Eastwood or Feel Good Inc. Anyway, they have released a new album named Cracker Island and it is rather good.

The record starts off with the title track, Cracker Island, which is probably also the peak of the album. It is groovy and upbeat with Albarn’s instantly-recognisable vocals. Other than that another catchy song is New Gold, featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown. The hook in this song is created by fast-flowing rap verses. A standout from the record is the song Tormenta featuring Bad Bunny - not because of its instrumental part, but because of the singing in Spanish, which came a bit unexpected during a random mix in the headphones. 

Other than that all the songs stuck to a pop concept with a sort of melancholy vibe in everything. Nothing in contrast, but also no disappointment. Some of the songs have some features by other artists but it did not change the flow at all, remaining in an almost-boring vibe. However, Damon Albarn displays great vocal prowess in all ranges as it is expected from him.

Cracker Island definitely is not a disappointment from Gorillaz. It is one of their better albums, but it is also nothing special. Not pushing any boundaries, but still inimitably Gorillaz.

Image: Pitchfork, Gorillaz: Cracker Island Album Review