I was told to post this somewhere because my teachers loved it.
When you hear of the band “Gorillaz” what do you think? Maybe their most known song “Clint Eastwood”, their unique characters, or if you live under a rock, the animal. But what about how ahead of their time they were? My purpose is to make you consider how generational this band is. Theres a reason you see their famous album cover from “Demon Days” everywhere. If you’re a fan like me, you know they have released a new album this year, titled “The Mountain”. If you’re not a fan, I suggest you give it a listen. If you listen to both albums mentioned, it’s important to consider the similarities, but also the differences between them. Such as the influence of whatever era they were released in, the ways they portray emotion, and the sound of their albums.
Emotion is important in music. I never understood people who listen to musicians like Taylor Swift, or Sabrina Carpentar. It’s simply boring to hear tons of songs from your favorite artist just for each song to be recycled meanings into a song of synonyms for their last one. That’s why Gorillaz is so original. That’s what makes these two albums comparable, they portray their emotions in eloquent contrast. Demon Days is melancholic, an album I perceive as a perfect illustration of depression and accepting that life is suffering. There are songs with upbeat and cheery melodies, but the meaning of each song is depressing all the same, each a variation of this sorrow. (except for Dare, but that was written for the lore behind the famous characters.) However, The Mountain is quite the opposite. They don’t entirely stray from their token sad song, but melancholy isn’t the theme of this album. Despite it being about grief, it’s about accepting suffering as a part of life, and letting it flow through you in taking steps to move forward. Instead of letting the sorrow take over, you learn to embrace it as a part of life. In each song of both albums there is a story, a theme behind it. Portrayed with sound exploration. For example, “Feel Good Inc” from Demon Days, and “The God of Lying” from The Mountain. These songs explore themes of anti-corporate control. Remember how I said I didn’t like musicians who recycle meanings? Gorillaz finds a way to explore and dive deeper into the issues and meanings they choose to write and “re-write” about. Their music never feels recycled. That’s because it isn’t surface level expression, it’s real.
The songs I mentioned before are a perfect segway into my next comparison. It was 2005 when Demon Days came out, 2 years after the Iraq war. This album wasn’t just anti-corporate control, but also anti-war. It is full of political undertones hidden behind beautiful orchestra and experimental melodies. This album has a specific song, titled “Dirty Harry”, directly protesting war, the Iraq war. With mentions of the innocence of all the children, and verses of the reality victims live. This song includes a child choir as well. A verse from the song mentioned: “On constant alert/ from the constant hurt/ that seems limitless with no drop in pressure.” The significance of this line is detrimental, written in the point of a victim in this war, my guess is a soldier considering the music video. Many people forget that soldiers are victims too. A lot of them are drafted, without any concern for who they are or their way of life. War is traumatic for all sides, and Gorillaz does not let us forget that. The Mountain is a spiritual album in a way. Focused on accepting death as a rebirth. But they continue to remind us of the era we live in through their music. Its specific political song would be “The Happy Dictator”. It’s written in a satirical tone, making fun of the way government in the west. “So, look out to the west now/see where the devil lies/its pharmakon is with you and your empire/it is paralyzed. (oh, what a happy land we live in)” If you aren’t aware of what a pharmakon is, it’s basically another word for medical poison. This “pharmakon” could be referring to numerous things, but its message is clear.
Lastly, I would love to talk about their sound in each of these albums. As I’ve mentioned before, “Demon Days” is very melancholic. This album is experimental for its time. It combines orchestra, choir, and electronic melodies. When I first listened to this album, I thought they would never manage to top just how original sounding it is. There are instruments played that you can’t quite place. The songs on this album are littered with beats made up of what sounds almost futuristic with the overall ‘electronic’ sound. But the vocals from Damon Albarn, and the orchestra’s create symphonies with genuine love and soul pouring through the rhythms. I have trouble explaining just how sonorous these songs are. Gorillaz has such a way of combining instruments and people together which create harmonic compositions. There are collaborations from people such as MF Doom, De La Soul, and other notable artists like Bootie Brown. I mentioned how I never thought they would be able to top how original sounding that album was, but they did just that with “The Mountain.” Heavily influenced by India, this album explores many different sounds. With up to 4 foreign languages, and about 35 distinct instruments. These languages include Arabic, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba. They keep their classic overall electronic vibe, while showcasing the foreign influence. “The Mountain” is a much more upbeat and hopeful album, and some of these songs have that downhearted undertone behind it while keeping their music light, whereas “Demon Days” holds a heaviness over it. Of course, they still fill their music with electronic and orchestral symphony. Their key collaborations would include the musicians and vocalists Asha Bsole, Asha Puthli, and Yasiin Bay. There are so many more than just those 3, and each of them deserves credit I can’t quite give in a high school essay. It’s amazing to me how both albums follow almost the exact same themes, yet the overall sound is completely opposite of one another. My favorite part of this album is most definitely the foreign instruments which include the sitar, bansuri, sarod, and the tanpura. Though, there are many more incorporated. This band is the perfect example of how when times are bad, art is good.
At the end of the day, people are going to listen to what they listen to. You are going to enjoy the music you enjoy, but it is always important to remember that there is real art like this out there. Gorillaz is a band that will never be replaced, it is something so generational and original that it’s basically its own brand. These albums I spoke about today present the eras they were produced in a way I haven’t seen before. Not to mention the way you can feel each emotion their songs portray, and of course the sound of their music. I hope that I manage to convince you to check them out and consider these types of things when listening to music, not just Gorillaz. Music is everywhere; it’s in nature and our heartbeats. It’s in our soul.