Freezasaurus
Member
Got through about three-quarters of the album so far and really dig it. Only found two or three songs that I'm not feeling.
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Gorillaz-Humanz |OT| After All
- Thread starter Killer Queen
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This will probably be considered the "gateway" album for Gorillaz. Enough features to get people to look into the name and majority of the songs here sound like a 2017 verison of PB DD or in some cases self titled.
I like it more altogether more then plastic beach so far. PB had the troubles of coming off the heels of DD so it had that against it. I do miss the solo Damon tracks and I know he has some more songs like Busted and Blue tucked away so hopefully it will be on H sides.
Killer Queen
Banned
If anything I'd argue that Demon Days and Plastic Beach are more gateway albums considering they're far more accessible and easily digestible because of they're singles and straightforward nature in terms of song writing.
RecRoulette
Member
Every Gorillaz album feels like a product of it's time. I definitely see what you mean.
The singles were but not the albums. Plastic Beach is a little better but I definitely don't think DD was easily digestible unless you knew what you were getting into. Most of this album can be easily played on the radio. Stuff like White Light and Sweepstakes would throw people off that came in only from the singles
I can see why you could argue Humanz is more of a gateway album than Demon Days. I had an interaction today with someone who asked whether it was worth listening to Plastic Beach since they didn't get into Demon Days at all. When I thought about it I kind of realized that Plastic Beach as a whole is much more accessible and poppier than Demon Days. The latter also has a plethora of features who were more "alternative/underground" (MF Doom, Bootie Brown, Danger Mouse etc.) in comparison to the features of the former (Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Bobby Womack). The only thing that'd make Plastic Beach harder to get into than Demon Days would be the overarching "concept" of the album - it's not a record as rewarding when taken individually.
In some respects, Humanz has a contemporary sound like Plastic Beach (only it's a contemporary sound more palatable to the current world of music) with a more simple structure that's, honestly, probably the most reminiscent of their self-titled in the first half, though it veers towards Demon Days with it's later half.
I can see several of the tracks from this album receive heavy radio play and be more relevant to the current landscape than most other Gorillaz records, even if Demon Days and Plastic Beach still retain their staying power. They're just not as marketable as Humanz is right now, both in sound and themes. So yeah, as far as the current decade goes, Humanz will definitely be the gateway album for the band.
Honestly, much like Kendrick Lamar and DAMN. I'm kind of glad Gorillaz didn't try to "one up" themselves with this album. It's more of a come down to a more humble state after the incredibly expensive and thematically calculated Plastic Beach. It has the spirit of their self titled in a lot of ways, back when the idea behind the band was to just provide music with a counter culture context to it. The difference now is that they have a whole lot of people with their own views of what that counter culture embodies. The album title is apt since it's a much more human album from them, and it's clear everyone involved had a lot of fun making this.
In some respects, Humanz has a contemporary sound like Plastic Beach (only it's a contemporary sound more palatable to the current world of music) with a more simple structure that's, honestly, probably the most reminiscent of their self-titled in the first half, though it veers towards Demon Days with it's later half.
I can see several of the tracks from this album receive heavy radio play and be more relevant to the current landscape than most other Gorillaz records, even if Demon Days and Plastic Beach still retain their staying power. They're just not as marketable as Humanz is right now, both in sound and themes. So yeah, as far as the current decade goes, Humanz will definitely be the gateway album for the band.
Honestly, much like Kendrick Lamar and DAMN. I'm kind of glad Gorillaz didn't try to "one up" themselves with this album. It's more of a come down to a more humble state after the incredibly expensive and thematically calculated Plastic Beach. It has the spirit of their self titled in a lot of ways, back when the idea behind the band was to just provide music with a counter culture context to it. The difference now is that they have a whole lot of people with their own views of what that counter culture embodies. The album title is apt since it's a much more human album from them, and it's clear everyone involved had a lot of fun making this.
Killer Queen
Banned
Those are two very small examples though that aren't representitive of either album.
-Rhinestone Eyes
-Stylo
-Superfast Jellyfish
-Empire Ants
-Some Kind of Nature
-On Melancholy Hill
-Broken
-To Binge
-Cloud of Unknowing
-Doncamatic
all of that is pretty easily digestible, and that's the majority of the album, and most of that is chill slowed down stuff that's easy to relax to.
On Demon Days you have:
-Kids With Guns
-Last Living Souls
-O Green World
-Dirty Harry
-Feel Good Inc
-El Manana
-November has Come
-All Alone
-Dare
Which again, is the majority of the album, half rap oriented stuff and other half kind of weird but largely inoffensive stuff that's pretty close in line with the singles. Now lets look at the Humanz run and split it into two:
Weird
-Saturnz Barz which is very OG Gorillaz
-Carnival
-Busted and Blue
-Out of Body
-Sex Murder Party
-Hallelujah Money
-Halfway
-Ticker Tape
-Charger
-We Have The Power
All of that stuff is far more out there than anything on either prior album. That's 9/19 tracks. And every single one of them has its own weird sensibility about it, especially in the underlying production and the vocals.
And looking at what we're left with we have:
Less Weird
-Submission
-Ascension
-Strobelight
-Andromeda
-Let Me Out
-She's My Collar
-The Apprentice
7/19 tracks that are more digestible, but even then only Ascension, Strobelight, Let Me Out and Submission are the ones that are truly easily digestible. Just because they have some and it really is some popular artists doesn't change the circumstances surrounding every song, particularly the odd production and vocals at times. And if anything I think that's why a lot of people aren't digging it, is because its a lot to take in and digest, whereas its a lot easier to digest both Demon Days and Plastic Beach, which is why so many people love them.
GringoSuave89
Banned
Only issue I have is some songs and too quick. And not in an I'm greedy way. Carnival never gets a chance to get to top gear, and it's a shame cause it's a great song. It's just over far too quick.
Came here to say pretty much this.
Just finished listening through the album and not a single song really grabbed me.
Like the first time I heard Clint Eastwood when I was a young teen I was instantly hooked, I like most songs on the self-titled album and DD and very few were songs that had to grow on me to start liking them.
This album just wasn't for me and that's fine, I can only hope they make another album sooner rather than later and that it will be more in my taste.
Hearing the live version of Carnival first didn't help either. Whether it's something they do live or if it was a cut part, Damon has an extra bit and Anthony sings again. I get bummed where the album version ends at. https://youtu.be/nB1oSpmnUFc
those albums were 15 years ago, they've grown beyond that taste.
And like I said, that's fine. I am just disappointed this new album didn't do anything for me at all.
Overall I wasn't much of a fan of Plastic Beach either, but there's still a handful of song there I really like. On Melancholy Hill is probably the song I like most from them. Then again, I also lean more towards the songs where Damon sings most of it which this new album didn't have that much of.
I was worried when I heard "We Got the Power" and disliked it as much as I did. It was so grating, which was surprising. I love Savages, but Jehnny Beth was just so bad on it, too.
After a full listen through the album, I think I have confirmed said fears. This album is pretty bad. I haven't listened enough times to properly review it, but I just know I don't like it, and I am pretty sure it won't be a grower.
How have other people and critics responded to it?
After a full listen through the album, I think I have confirmed said fears. This album is pretty bad. I haven't listened enough times to properly review it, but I just know I don't like it, and I am pretty sure it won't be a grower.
How have other people and critics responded to it?
Killer Queen
Banned
Generally positive reviews. Mixed opinions but most people seem to like it at least somewhat.
Fancy Clown
Member
The louder you play the album, the better it gets
Huh, interesting. I'm glad other people are finding it enjoyable.
I've never been a huge Gorillaz fan, anyway (I"ve liked them enough, and I've been able to enjoy most of the albums from start to finish), but this album seems like the least Gorillaz album, and yet I'm still not feeling it. Maybe it's just me.
Feist's new album has me hooked, though, so today hasn't been a waste at least.
Playing some of these tracks while having played Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's battle mode with friends has been one hell of a wacky day.
It shares Plastic Beach's score on Metacritic. The reaction seems similar to that album but mostly for different reasons altogether, where that album mostly split fans on account of it's much poppier, sanitized and "cinematic" soundscape. That and I do recall a lot of people having issues with the number of collaborators back then too.
It shares Plastic Beach's score on Metacritic. The reaction seems similar to that album but mostly for different reasons altogether, where that album mostly split fans on account of it's much poppier, sanitized and "cinematic" soundscape. That and I do recall a lot of people having issues with the number of collaborators back then too.
Hm, interesting.
I like Metacritic, but I think their music tiers are the worst of their work. Anything above a 60 or 65 is still green, I think.
Regarding the Plastic Beach comparison: I haven't listened to that album in a while. I think I remember that one was maybe indulgent in the Gorillaz qua the Gorillaz and suffered for it while this one seems like kind of a departure from their norm, but just missing the mark.
Admiral Woofington
Member
Are the Damon bits super fucking low in the audio mixing? I can hear everybody else perfectly fine now that I've equalized my car's sound system a bit, but Damon is near impossible to hear.
Killer Queen
Banned
This album is really just something you have to give time and tbh (I don't mean to be condescending in any way) if you were an avid fan you'd kind of see that this isn't really all that different from stuff they've done before.
I also wasn't feeling the album too much when I first heard it but I've since grown to love it. It's a great album and very Gorillaz, but a lot of people's views of what Gorillaz is is pretty limited or misguided. Check out some of their B sides albums and their first album to see what I mean.
Gorillaz has no norm, they have 4 main albums now, and none of them sound alike. All of them are equally "Gorillaz".
Damon hasn't had that Clint Eastwood sound in at least a decade, they have evolved way past that era.
Alot of people I think are tripping up on this like they did when Kendrick dropped an album that didn't have jazz influences all over it with DAMN. I did the same with PB.
When people talk about Gorillaz it's always about Clinteast Wood, Feel Good Inc and on some level on melancholy hill. Their albums in each "era" before this one has always been outside of the normal "mainstream" stuff in each year they came out (01, 05 2010). They have always found their niche but it has never been mainstream top 40. This album easily is one of the more mainstream sounds they ever had. Something like Cloud of Unknowning is cool within their wheelhouse but it's not a song I would let a friend listen to as a good sampler of them.
Alot of people I think are tripping up on this like they did when Kendrick dropped an album that didn't have jazz influences all over it with DAMN. I did the same with PB.
When people talk about Gorillaz it's always about Clinteast Wood, Feel Good Inc and on some level on melancholy hill. Their albums in each "era" before this one has always been outside of the normal "mainstream" stuff in each year they came out (01, 05 2010). They have always found their niche but it has never been mainstream top 40. This album easily is one of the more mainstream sounds they ever had. Something like Cloud of Unknowning is cool within their wheelhouse but it's not a song I would let a friend listen to as a good sampler of them.
Plastic Beach will always suffer in my mind from opening with Snoop Dogg, who had already been in self-parody territory for ages at that point. That soured my first impression so much, even though objectively I like a lot of the album's songs.
Killer Queen
Banned
I think we're discussing two different things at this point. Sure they might have a mainstream "sound" in this phase, the songs and album themselves aren't that accessible compared to previous works because of the oddities in every song. This album is deceiving in that it sounds mainstream but in reality it's a huge departure from a lot of that stuff and you wouldn't hear any other artist making this kind of music.
I mean, I've listened to every main album they've released. I don't need to be an avid fan, and I'm never going to be.
Killer Queen
Banned
Not saying you have to be, I'm not even saying you have to like the album. I'm saying to call this a huge departure is a bit off base, as is to say it doesn't sound like Gorillaz. Because Gorillaz doesn't "sound" like any one thing in particular, and thats stated even further in their world outside of their main four albums.
Yea we might be on 2 different wavelengths. Im saying more so that this is their most mainstream album. In general tho yea you would be hard press to find music like this which has always been a cornerstone for the project.
I'm a big Gorillaz fan, but i didnt dig this one at all. Huge letdown after the glory that was plastic Beach.
But i don't think It doesnt feel like a Gorillaz album. At leasr to me, It feels like one, i Just didnt found it fun. Every album had a couple of songs that didnt click with me. This one felt like they tried to make an entire album in the style of these ones.
brianjones
Member
S'aight.. its patchy nature is in line with the rest of the albums but maybe the highs are lesser
itwasTuesday
He wasn't alone.
Oops, didn't realize today was today until just now. Just started track 3.
KeyBladerXIII
Member
Eh, bit disappointed in the album's version of Momentz, the live version that's been up was so much stronger.
Killer Queen
Banned
Feel the same way about Let Me Out
To be fair, I always DD and PB to be a lot more more similar to each other than people give em credit for. And I can see how this album's sound wouldn't jive well with people if they liked the first three.
I gave this album a week's listen. Each time I've liked it less and less. And most Gorillaz obsessed fans I know seem to consider it the weakest album whether they liked it or not. So I'd say it's a lot less of whether you're an avid fan or not and more so that it's been a few years, and for 2017's musical landscape it doesn't stand out as well as past albums have in their eras. But that's just me.
Admiral Woofington
Member
all i know is that left hand suzuki method continues to be on the throne as my favorite gorillaz song
Killer Queen
Banned
I think you've completely ignored what I said in the post you're quoting.
It's not because they're easier to digest, it's because they're better albums with better songwriting, better production and better guests. Simple as that.
Killer Queen
Banned
"Apples are just better than oranges, apples crunch, have a multitude of flavors and colors where oranges are orange and taste the same, simple as that. Completely ignore the fact that they're two different things doing two different things and that one opinion isn't universal. It's mine that matters"
Killer Queen
Banned
I would even argue that this has better and more complex production and songwriting than a lot of their past work. Especially ST. But at the end of the day, they're all doing different things for different reasons.
Well I received my Deluxe Edition and it's exactly what I thought it would be. Pretty incredible. I'm not sure what that reddit guy was posting, but this is all one object. the artbook houses the records on the outside flaps and it printed on some very heavy card stock. a well done product.
Killer Queen
Banned
Thanks for sharing! Can't wait to grab mine tomorrow. Beautiful product.Well I received my Deluxe Edition and it's exactly what I thought it would be. Pretty incredible. I'm not sure what that reddit guy was posting, but this is all one object. the artbook houses the records on the outside flaps and it printed on some very heavy card stock. a well done product.
RecRoulette
Member
If you make this argument, then one really can't say that their favorite band is Gorillaz right? Because you don't like a band, you like a concept.
Killer Queen
Banned
I mean, Gorillaz is my favorite band. But I've never not liked any of their material thus far (a few songs here and there though). To go down that road is kinda iffy but I do get the point your trying to make and I'm 50/50 on it. Because in a way you are correct, but I wouldn't say its too different from any band that reinvents themselves every so often, just that their reinventions are leaps and bounds rather than a few steps to the left or right.
Like, self titled is some kind of weird amalgamation of underground experimental electronic music, post rock, dub and hip hop. Demon Days is a sombre Post Rock+Underground Hip Hop commentary on the state of the world. Plastic Beach is a sea side pop album that dabbles equally in synthesizers and orchestral music. Then Humanz is an apocalyptic party album about personal experiences in our modern world that's every bit Demon Days and ST but removing the post rock elements and turning up the hip hop and synthesizers.
Well I received my Deluxe Edition and it's exactly what I thought it would be. Pretty incredible. I'm not sure what that reddit guy was posting, but this is all one object. the artbook houses the records on the outside flaps and it printed on some very heavy card stock. a well done product.
I'm so jealous. I really want that art book D:
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