This is the third album from animated rock band, the Gorillaz, and recently it came under “Best Gorillaz album” talks in a way that only its predecessor, Demon Dayz, had done before. I haven’t heard that album yet, so that’s a story for another time. I like Plastic Beach very much though, so I think it’s a strong contender as I build my opinion on “Best Gorillaz album”. I only listened to The Now Now before this as well as whatever singles/music videos came down the pipeline including songs from this very album. Production sounds nice and full, with every instrument being able to come to the four, even if the vocals don’t always do that. Effects can get really creative at points and give this record more of a personality. Composition is nice and lush with lots of instruments given lots to do, even with synths running the show. This album flows really well too, even if it’s not the most cohesive album in the world. Speaking of cohesion, lyrics are great. Guests always show up and 2D is a nice calming presence to the madness of this album. The story itself is kind of all over the place at first glance, but then I realized, humans don’t just pollute the environment, but themselves. This album is quite heavy on the literal pollution of the Earth, but also touches on how we pollute ourselves and others and how we should stop that as well. Overall, it’s a very, very solid record for the Gorillaz.
PRODUCTION
Plastic Beach has some great production. These grating synths are really high in the mix, which adds to that plastic synthetic feeling that just overwhelms you. Even with these overwhelming synths, bass is audible, deliciously so on Superfast Jellyfish, selling the groove of that song. Speaking of the groove of Superfast Jellyfish, drums sound punchy which I like with those nice snares, whether analog or digital. Rhinestone Eyes does both very well. Vocal production is a bit inconsistent, however. The vocal mixing kind of falters at the beginning with White Flag, Broken and a bit on Welcome To The World of The Plastic Beach. I don’t like the sound of plosives on this album (which is rich given how many I keep in this podcast).
Effects are super important to this record and how it operates. Reverb on Albarn or 2Ds voice is crucial in building the vibe of his character as well as that radio filter on his voice. I don’t know if it’s his accent or the effects on his voice, but the effects on the “pirate jet” line on the song Pirate Jet make his voice go boing, and it makes for a groovy, bouncy way to end this album! They go together like peanut butter and jelly! In fact, reverb on this whole album is used really well everywhere with everything! The panning thing is not non-existent, but it’s just not obvious. With vocals, the stereo sound is used to add some layers like on Sweepstakes, especially with the echo on the word, sweepstakes. With instruments, the same kind of goes here, with different instruments chilling in different channels, but very little in the way of panning. But with all that, this album has a very well-rounded sound, if not one that jumps out at you right away. It is full of personality and it contributes to the unique sound of Gorillaz music.
COMPOSITION
Composition is very lush and full of things to enjoy. This record immediately greets us with Orchestral Opening and very full sounding strings which are very pretty whenever they show up throughout the whole album. I really like the Arabic orchestra on White Flag, they’re super fun and make this song unique. The bass is super fun and provides a nice backbone for everyone else while showing off like on Stylo with that killer bassline. The drums have this sound that always works with the song. There are both acoustic drums and drum machines, which songs like Rhinestone Eyes change effortlessly between the two. The pianos on Empire Ants in particular are just *chef’s kiss* perfect and they flow through you like water. That whole song is perfect! The clunky brass on Sweepstakes (yes I love that song) adds more to the madness of the song. It’s like they’re coming at you like the rest of the song. But the real star of the show is the synths. Hell, they name drop Casio, likely for the synth they used on this album. There’s a lot of this harsh synth sound such as on Glitter Freeze that sounds oppressive, cold, plastic, if you will. These synths are everywhere and they are responsible for a more unified sound from this record.
Speaking of a unified sound, this album is not nearly as cohesive as I thought it would be, but it’s still pretty cohesive. The structure of the songs are pretty common, but the songs themselves are good enough for me not to care (I’ll let you in on a little secret, if the song’s good enough, I won’t care if it happens to do something different with its structure, and I’m not sure anyone else outside of the most pretentious jazz theremin player or whatever will either). On Melancholy Hill is one of these simpler songs that I have loved for years but pay attention to the end with that bell that brings the song from a D major to a D minor chord. It’s just jarring enough to grab your attention, but it fits perfectly well with the song (sorry for the theory spiel, let’s move on). Also, the transition from the quiet part of Empire Ants to the fast part makes me feel like I’m travelling through the universe at the speed of light! Speaking of transitions, there are a few of them between songs that just work. Coming back to Empire Ants, the song before that one, Superfast Jellyfish has those falling hard synths that beautifully lead into the first synth note of Empire Ants. Also, the transition from Orchestral Intro to Welcome To The World of The Plastic Beach is great and it’s a nice starting point for musical tension. There are fewer transitions in the back half of this record but they go for a collection of songs thing. There are often bangers with those aggressive synths and you have the On Melancholy Hills and Empire Ants to break that up, which is really needed. It’s not as cohesive as I would have thought, but this album still flows quite nicely.
LYRICS
Speaking of flows, this album has some good ones! Let’s start with the man behind the musical madness (for the most part), Damon Albarn. Damon Albarn, otherwise known as 2D’s voice is shy and reserved, which is the trademark 2D style. It really speaks to 2D’s character, especially as a chill foil to the rowdy Murdoc, but you already knew that. Here on Plastic Beach, Damon uses this reserved voice for a variety of emotion such as dejection and hopelessness on Rhinestone Eyes, lightness on On Melancholy Hill and Empire Ants, then he adds a bit more firepower on Pirate Jet to close out this record with a bang. Snoop Dogg’s voice on Welcome To The World of The Plastic Beach is a very calming presence to help ease us into the album. Bashy and Kano on White Flag are in-your-face and fun with their verses, even if it’s a bit contradictory to the peace and love vibes. De La Soul is super expressive and fun on Superfast Jellyfish (OH THAT’S CHICKEN). Lou Reed’s voice on Some Kind of Nature is dusty and cool which really makes this song pop paired with the production. Little Dragon is one of my favourite collaborators on here with her powerful vocals on Empire Ants through that faster synth-led section. She also knows how to go smooth on To Binge, which pairs really nicely with Albarn’s equally smooth vocals. Of course, Bobby Womack’s contributions are really worth mentioning with the calming Cloud of Unknowing and his passionate lines on Stylo. One of the most important people who aren’t part of the Gorillaz band proper who shows up on this album is none other than Mos Def. His bridge on Stylo sets the tone for that song really well. But his masterpiece would have to be Sweepstakes, with the unnerving way he portrays them, which is only enhanced by the beat behind him. SWEEPSTAAAAAAAAKES kicks me deeper down into the abyss of madness of this song.
As for lyrical analysis, it’s not as easy to decipher as “environmental album”. 75% of this album is explicitly about environmental pollution, yes, but there’s at least 25% of this album that isn’t explicitly about the environment at all. This comes at a cost of a water-tight cohesive narrative, but I do admire how Plastic Beach tries not to write itself into a corner. Starting with these environmental tracks, it is a biting critique of our throwaway society and its consequences leading to a dirtier planet that will someday kill us all. You got tracks like Rhinestone Eyes that assert that this beautiful modern world is not as naturally beautiful as it would have you believe. Superfast Jellyfish critiques our throwaway society as well as the music industry, as it argues that consumers of food and music are more concerned with what is quick and easy as opposed to what is substantive, which in turn poisons not just the actual sea, but the sea of music out there. If you’re picking up what I’m putting down here, Plastic Beach is an album about pollution both literal and abstract. We are both polluting the earth and ourselves with the way we do things. For example, To Binge is a song about alcoholism and how it is not only poisoning their bodies and minds, but the two protagonists’ relationship. But there is a glimmer of hope in this album to break up the doom and gloom. Empire Ants and On Melancholy Hill are not just beautiful tracks compositionally but lyrically as well. Empire Ants at first reassures us that it will all be alright when the empire of modern life falls, and then tells us to break out of that monotonous cycle. On Melancholy Hill is among the most optimistic, I find. It is a pretty love song which criticizes society, but in a way that sees two lovers leaving this Plastic Beach behind: leaving a plastic world behind, riding off into the sunset. It’s beautiful. For an album about pollution and condemning it, it is a rather cleansing, refreshing listen.
CONCLUSION
Gorillaz’ Plastic Beach is a good record. It’s a record that is perhaps even more poignant today than it was 10 years ago as the climate crisis has greatly intensified. The production is rock solid and has a personality to it that could only be attributed to Damon Albarn and the Gorillaz. The instrumental production is fantastic, but I feel like the vocal production could be better. Effects are amazing at building the personality for this album. 2D’s voice is notable, but all the other instruments get some love to enhance their role in this record. Speaking of instruments, composition has a lot to work with and it makes for a lushly arranged album with these filthy, mechanical synths leading the charge. It makes for a diverse group of well-arranged songs that are sequenced in a way that keeps the album interesting. The transitions at the front especially are amazing! As for vocals, 2D’s shy vocals are calming and add a chiller angle to this album. Not one collaborator on this record is bad! They all show up and make this album great, particularly Mos Def. As for lyrics themselves, this is an album that has a loose concept tied to pollution, and I think that it explores that theme in a very creative way by not just talking about environmental pollution, but more abstract pollution as we bring more negative things into our lives that pollute us. Plastic Beach is a great album all-around and like Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs that came out the same year, it might have signalled the end of an era for Gorillaz as we knew it, as both bands’ first three albums are the ones everyone talks about and loves and anything that came after just isn’t as good. If I find that this is true, at least I’ll have this album to fall back on.
I’m giving this one a Strong 8/10.
FAVOURITE TRACKS: Orchestral Intro, Rhinestone Eyes, Stylo, Superfast Jellyfish, Empire Ants, Glitter Freeze, Some Kind of Nature, On Melancholy Hill, Sweepstakes, Plastic Beach, To Binge, Cloud of Unknowing, Pirate Jet
LEAST FAVOURITE TRACK: White Flag
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