Album Review - Gorillaz - The Mountain

Gorillaz

The Mountain

*** out of *****

On the ninth studio effort from the Gorillaz (the partnership between the musician Damon Albarn and the artist Jamie Hewlett) the themes of loss, India's artistic culture and remembrance flow throughout the cohesive album. The Mountain is large and high, bloated, but a heartfelt tribute to past friends and family members, making for a long, cathartic ride.   

Having lost both of their fathers in a 10 day-span, the raw pain caused the artists to develop a tribute album inspired by fallen comrades and trips to India. The Mountain brings in a host of guests as expected and was primarily produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, and Remi Kabaka Jr. They mine Indian sounds throughout the album, announcing their intentions on the opening title track which is alive with percussion, sitars, and a sense of calm mediation. 

Swirling synths book end a hip hop beat on "The Moon Cave" (featuring Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda, and Black Thought) while efforts like both "The Happy Dictator" (featuring Sparks)" and "The Plastic Guru" (featuring Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar) load up the synths in electro pop fashion. "Orange County" (featuring Bizarrap, Kara Jackson, and Anoushka Shankar) is the best of these efforts with catchy whistling, while directly dealing with loss. 

Both "The Empty Dream Machine" (featuring Black Thought, Johnny Marr, and Anoushka Shankar) and "Damascus" (featuring Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey) feature an intriguing mix of synth-pop, hip-hop, R&B, Middle Eastern sounds and Bollywood flair while "Delirium" (featuring Mark E. Smith) starts slow before working up a to full EDM banging. There is a lot to sort through here, at times too much, and efforts like the dramatic "The Hardest Thing" (featuring Tony Allen) and the drifting "The Sweet Prince" (featuring Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr, and Anoushka Shankar) can feel unnecessary. 

The albums centerpiece contains all the pluses and minuses of the The Mountain. "The Manifesto" (featuring Trueno and Proof) uses Latino flair, Indian influences, a popping light beat, a Frankenstein-ed in hardcore gangster rap center with big beats, before more horns and Spanish rapping from Trueno. There is a lot going here over seven minutes, before we even get to the lyrics from Proof, who passed away twenty years ago but is here to remind us that "No one can convince the invincible to be sensible". Lots to digest and a bit messy, but such is life in general.     

An over-the-top tribute to past collaborators and loved ones, full of Eastern tinged sounds, The Mountain deals successfully with remembrance and mourning while still offering up pop laden dance numbers for large speakers. 

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