Change the Record: Gorillaz – “The Mountain”

Once again, February was an absolute mess for new music releases. There were new releases from Bruno Mars, Baby Keem, and Jill Scott, all albums of high recognition, and in Jill Scott’s case, at least, extremely good music. Still, one release stood apart as the album I most anticipated this year, the subject of this review. The moment I saw it had been released, I couldn’t help but sink my teeth into it, like a ravenous dog.

Gorillaz is a multimedia music project formed by two British lads from very different backgrounds, the brainchild of alternative comic artist Jamie Hewlett and Britpop legend Damon Albarn. Together, they created a fictional band of animated characters through which they released very real music. A quick note: despite the kayfabe Gorillaz maintain, this review will refer to Albarn throughout rather than to the fictional band members. Not to be the lady who tells the orphans that Santa isn’t real, but it will make discussions clearer.

Gorillaz is a strong band, or at least that’s how it seems when one ignores releases after March 3, 2010. I kid, but still, the band can be frustratingly inconsistent. After a series of acclaimed, genre-defining records from 2001 to 2010, the project would quickly take a fall in quality, ironically starting with the album “The Fall” and only coming up for air a few times after. Nothing they have released since has been awful, but, most unfortunately, fails to surpass “pretty ok” and gives the impression of a band that has lost its direction. The main argument against my point would be their 2020 album “Song Machine,” which marked the first time in years that the band felt fresh, with a collection of well-crafted new songs. This was followed by what might be their weakest album since “The Fall,” “Cracker Island,” which felt far more tepid and unfocused; it was as if the band lost all its confidence at once.

This left the new record, “The Mountain,” in an unusual position: either redeem the band after “Cracker Island” or push it further into mediocrity. Fortunately, “The Mountain” is a total home run.

Starting with the opening tracks, the title track is an almost entirely instrumental four-minute opener, built around traditional Indian instruments. It is an unusual way to open the album, but it is well-produced and immediately captures one’s attention. It is then followed by the first full track, “The Moon Cave,” which opens with lush strings before hitting hard with booming synths. It’s an extremely welcome throwback to the band’s synthy and hard-hitting efforts off their magnum opus “Plastic Beach.”

The album is an ambitious expedition, par for the course for the band, but it doesn’t linger too long on any one style. The album includes upbeat 80s synthpop pastiches such as “The Happy Dictator” featuring Sparks, ambient, horn-led interludes such as “The Hardest Thing” featuring Tony Allen, and punchier, more skeletal-produced tracks such as “The God of Lying” featuring IDLES. Despite this sounding like a total hodgepodge, the band makes it work, primarily because the production is polished, with clean mixes and gorgeous instrumentals.

Albarn’s vocals this time around are mostly solid, although not as smooth as they once were. There are a few tracks where he sounds great, such as “Orange County,” featuring Kara Jackson, Bizzarrap, and Anoushka Shankar, which has one of the album’s catchiest hooks. There are also several tracks where his more offbeat, looser vocals work wonders, such as “Delirium,” featuring Mark E. Smith. Still, there are a few tracks where he just sounds a little off to me, like on “The Plastic Guru” featuring Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar.

Listeners might also notice there are a lot of features. Following in Gorillaz’s tradition, the band itself is only half the equation, with the other half being the sheer number of random people they can get on a single record. Most of the features do pretty well on their own, and none of the tracks feel worse off for having one. Black Thought delivers a standout performance on “The Empty Dream Machine,” and several other guests add a lot to their respective tracks.

Finally, the album’s themes and lyrics are generally strong. The album focuses on age, mortality, and the passage of time here; it feels like Albarn is reckoning with himself a bit. He is 57 now. There is a lot of smart and emotional writing throughout that explores ideas effectively. The album also shows deep reverence for India and its culture, which comes across clearly throughout the record. To some people, this may come across as orientalist, but I never saw it that way, and it always felt made with love for the country.

So that is “The Mountain.” An extremely solid record, and an even better comeback for the band after “Cracker Island.” It is always like seeing a group bounce back after a misfire, and it is especially nice to see a band release a great album like this so late in their careers. “The Mountain” may not be the band’s peak, but at least the hike provides some pretty gorgeous views.