Gorillaz "Plastic Beach"

Opening with the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, the Gorillaz “Plastic Beach” promises it’s listeners to be freewheeling. From the minute you pop it in, you don’t know quite what to expect. Enjoyed by audiences that take interest in trippy space-rap, this album will leave you craving more.
The Gorillaz are a virtual group that consists of cartoon characters. Why they hide their true identities we never know, but they put off an aura of mystery and uncertainty that can’t be ignored. If you aren’t willing to let your mind get lost in the lush, quirky tone of this album, don’t bother. For those of you who want to go on a little trip, “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach.”
“No War!
No Guns!
No Corps!
Just life.
Just Love
No Hate.
Just fun.
No ties.
Just me and my mind.
Just me and my wife.
But tell me if I'm dreamin'
'cause I don't wanna wake up till the evenin'
and I don't wanna be left sleepin'
from all the diseases
that I breathe in.”
Bashy smoothly spits out this in the track titled “White Flag” with a mystical approach challenging to negative thinkers. The universal theme is broadly displayed throughout the album: Life is not as bad as we make it seem. Take your mind to it’s own plastic beach and try to see some optimism in the world around you.
Plastic Beach moves the listener in and out of a daze, featuring artists such as Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Mick Jones, Mos Def, and the Lebanese National Orchestra. Somehow this virtual band has pulled off yet another excellent album that is full of energy and surprises. They stay with their Gorillaz roots; quirky toned, multiple genres, and happy -go- lucky attitude, but they have obviously evolved and added another element to their project. This time, instead staying simply at stoner music, they have themed their album at giving a positive attitude to ecology and in so doing create a consumer friendly album.
While listening to the Gorillaz, don’t be surprised if you suddenly feel celebratory and playful. For a minute, it allows you to forget about the stresses of life, and appreciate how easy we really have it in this era. It takes us back to the simplicity of life without all the consuming politics, opinions and advice. It slyly transports us to a more happy place and allows us to adopt an alternative perspective.
Plastic Beach comes together with its funky twists and takes pieces of all its contributors. The unit of their work is smooth and features much more rap then previous Gorillaz albums. Being more musically evolved, it gives us a taste of orchestration and not just a sound board. People who enjoy artists like Beck, Daft Punk, Gnarls Barkley, Portishead, and Massive Attack will find this right up their alley. It also blends into the rap genre, but cares about much more universal issues like happiness.
Cloud of Unknowing is a bit melancholy and doesn’t really fit with the rest of the bright tunes. The song borrows the title from a Christian theme, and that throws off the already decided tag. We’re then launched into the final piece, “Pirate Track” which is arguably the happiest one of all. Aside from this difficult switch, the album transitions smoothly and flows throughout its entirety with ease.
Plastic Beach sticks out, because it appeals to many. Crossing the boundaries of soul, hip hop, alternative, electronic, and plain poppy goodness, this is sure to catch the ear of many. How many other artists do you know that can completely transfer you to another place without actually leaving your bedroom? If you like to put your mind at ease, and don’t mind a hippie happy day at the park then please, buy this album. It may just fit right alongside with anything else you have in your collection.
And this month, "The Fall", an album produced by the Gorillaz on strictly an Ipad, will be available in stores!