Gorillaz – The Mountain
Gorillaz explore life, death and what comes next on their ninth album The Mountain
It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since Gorillaz released their debut album. Damon Albarn and visual artist Jamie Hewlett’s pioneering project sang of having sunshine in a bag back then, amidst a dystopian future which now eerily feels like 'it’s comin’ on'. Their ninth record sees the group’s cartoon characters travel to India to tackle life, death, and what comes next. Learning that Albarn and Hewlett recently lost their fathers just ten days apart from one another makes this all the more poignant, and while The Mountain’s expansive palette is inextricably Gorillaz, its messages offer something that we can all learn from.
The Shadowy Light, featuring 91-year-old Bollywood queen Asha Bhosle, talks of embracing life after death, rather than fearing it. Posthumous features from Tony Allen (The Hardest Thing) and Mark E Smith (Delirium) bolster this Hindu ethos further. The Sad God and The Empty Dream Machine fuse world problems with personal loss, while Orange County and Damascus (featuring Yasiin Bey, fka Mos Def) offer the album’s catchiest hooks. There’s collaborations and musical fusions galore here, but this only scratches the surface. Ultimately, The Mountain blends darkness with light to explore the thrills of existence in Gorillaz’ own idiosyncratic way.
Listen to: The Shadowy Light, Orange County