Review Summary: Damon Albarn and his musical misfits go on a road trip.
With less than a year since the release of their fourth studio album, Plastic Beach, frontman Damon Albarn surprised fans and critics alike when he announced the release of a new Gorillaz record before the end of the year. On december 25 The Fall was released on the band’s website as the finale of the Gorillaz holiday Advent Calendar.
Listening to The Fall with any preconceived expectations is to invite disappointment. It is unlike anything previously released by the band and is better viewed as an audio tour diary than something to be compared to their previous work. Stylistically this album is most similar to the Gorillaz’s self-titled debut, though even then the comparison is only minor. The Fall sounds much more akin to Albarn’s own solo album, Democrazy. Many of the songs are in essence, instrumental. Peppered sparsely with Albarn’s recognizable vocals, The Fall relies upon programed synths and creative musical texturing to form a cohesive sonic soundscape. It is, perhaps, less entertaining than any of its predecessors, however, the musical tapestry it weaves of the bands journey and experiences through the North American leg of their world tour, is a unique and utterly captivating experience.
Upon glancing over the track listing and liner notes of the album it becomes apparent that the songs on the album are inescapably tied to the different cities they were written and recorded in. Much of the hype surrounding the album was concerned with the fact that Albarn recorded the entirety of “The Fall” on an apple iPad, providing a sense of intimacy with each city the songs were inspired by. With all that in mind, you can see that this album transcends the usual criteria for evaluating an album, though it, like other albums is created for entertainment, it stands up to scrutiny much better if viewed as a whole, a testament to the behind the scenes life of the Gorillaz World Tour. It is much more an experience than a simple collection of songs, and is best listened to in one sitting.
Each song feels unique, while retaining a strong sense of cohesiveness. The Fall captures perfectly the excitement, as well as the monotony of being on the road, yet somehow it avoids sounding boring or uninspired. The songs builds upon a foundation of throbbing synth or arpeggiating guitar and add in small changes throughout, not unlike classical minimalist pieces, to subtly change the mood and feel of the songs. The resulting product is one representative of progress and travel, a beautiful parallel for the album’s intent.
The Fall is not the best album the Gorillaz have produced. That is not what it was made for. It has much more in common with a tour DVD than the majority of music coming out these days. And that’s not a cut against it, it’s quite good for what it is. It may be slightly periphery compared to Demon Days or Plastic beach, however, for fans of the band who cannot get enough monkey business it is an invaluable investment.
