Gorillaz
The Fall
EMI Records
Rating: 4
This album was created on the iPad.
Take a moment to let that sink in, because once you start listening to The Fall, you won’t believe it. The hypnotic beats and electronic effects are executed better here than in other artists’ tracks recorded in a full studio.
Each track in The Fall is exhilarating in its novelty. Vocals are minimal; some tracks, such as “Phoner to Arizona” and “Detroit,” are purely instrumental. In fact, it’s when vocals are abandoned that the album really soars with innovation and tongue-in-cheek nods to our current disconnectedness and obsession with technology. At different points in the album, we hear samples of a Texas radio broadcast, old-school video games, spoken word and much more.
The Fall has 15 tracks, half of which are less than three minutes long. While this provides ample opportunities for composers Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlitt to pursue all their creative impulses and keep the album moving briskly, it makes the tracks feel more like samplings than full-fledged works. Just when we’re beginning to adjust to a track’s unique aesthetic and effects, it’s over. Someone ought to tell Gorillaz that they’ve got something brilliant here – don’t stop.
Give these tracks a listen: “Phoner to Arizona,” “Revolving Doors,” “California and the Slipping of the Sun”
For fans of: Gnarls Barkley, OutKast, Daft Punk
– Robin Migdol
