Gorillaz: The Mountain
(Kong)
Out now
All formats
Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett return with their 9th Gorillaz album, one that turns inwards in reflection, paused and plaintive, while still retaining moments of energy.
This is not an album that hits hard from the first listen, and nor would you suspect that to be its intention. The mountain to climb is one that sets out in front of us a journey, one through which self-reflection and grief pull us. Conceived in the wake of the deaths of the Gorillaz’ creative duo’s respective fathers, and drawing heavily on the love of Eastern music of Albarn’s, the album sets as its backdrop a sprawling soundscape that draws a line from past to present. The final result is an album that feels raw, pain still present through the slow healing. Considering much of their previous output, here the songs are more paused, plaintive, each a considered rumination that elevates the album as a whole.
The world of Gorillaz has always, through its sheer scope and variety, run the risk of hitting some bumps in the road, but, where the concept has been clearest, the songs have responded, and that still holds true on The Mountain. The wistful and downbeat songs here are those that tend to hit hardest as we are drawn into their inner world.
Anoushka Shankar’s beautiful sitar work litters the album, drenching it in that Eastern influence that Albarn has so desired. It is that sound, coupled with the keen eye on the present, that makes songs such as Orange County stand out. Hooking up with Argentinian producer-de-jour Bizarrap and Kara Jackson, who also explored her own grief on her debut album, brings added depth to the song, both Albarn and Jackson delivering vocals that draw you into their inner-world, their quiet pain laid bare. It is one of the most beautiful Gorillaz’ songs to date.
When Albarn does add more energy to the beats, such as on The Moon Cave, there is still a magic that works its way through from within. The voice of De La Soul’s Trugoy The Dove threads a line back through the ether to some of their most well-known songs. By going back through the vault, bringing what he found back up to date, Albarn has brought together collaborators past and present to great effect. It stands out again on The Manifesto, featuring Argentine rapper Trueno and the late rapper Proof. It is the latter’s contribution, considering his own death, that really resonates in the song, the drive, the emotion, an almost self-fulfilled prophecy, pulsating through. Combined with sarod players Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, bansuri player Ajay Prasanna, the Vijayaa Shanker-led Mountain Choir, and the Jea Band Jaipur, it is the collaboration that probably best encompasses Albarn’s vision for the album.
As the album nears its end, The Sweet Prince provides a moment in which the mask slips, the curtain cracks, and Albarn provides a moment of real, focused pathos in an ode to his father. Scars that heal but that still remain, a long goodbye, it should have been the album closer, a moment of reflection at the end of the journey. Regardless, The Mountain is still a triumph, an album that drifts into your consciousness, hits hard at key moments, and pays service to the creative duo’s heartache, nodding to collaborators lost while still looking to the future.
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Words by Nathan Whittle. Find his Louder Than War archive here.
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