The Good, The Bad and The Queen, Merrie Land, Album Review
The Good, The Bad and The Queen
Merrie Land
Album Review
While I've been aware of the alternative rock supergroup for a fair amount of time now, it was not until the teasing of this newest album that I really started listening to them. I was just glad that Damon Albarn had another project this year following the newest Gorillaz album, "The Now Now". But don't be fooled into thinking this is anything too similar to that album. Most likely because of the difference in people working on each project, this album sounds much different in a way that seems to be leaning towards a more positive respect.
This album seems to have an fully realised theme of Englishness which makes the album much easier for a listener to immerse themselves into. The lyricisms in the majority of the songs, while I still don't understand them fully, certainly remain thought provoking. It makes it incredibly fun to try and adopt a more creative and metaphorical mindset to try and work out what story each song is telling.
But what really attracted me about this album (as most other albums do) are the melodies and instrumentations. As well as thoughts, the tracks also provoke a lot of different feelings and portray many different atmospheres ranging from jolly to melancholy, which I think is a good reflection of England itself as I feel that it can be a great place to live or quite the opposite.
Furthering the English atmosphere is the intro which is simply a 13 second sound clip. But it needn't be any longer to get the theme across instantly.
The first actual song on the album both serves as a title track and a teaser track. I have this song to thank for getting me to listen to the full album upon release and furthermore, The Good, The Bad and The Queen themselves. It has a very autumnal atmosphere which makes it a perfect listen for the time it was released and is beautifully melancholy in both the melody and Damon Albarn's vocals. He does a very good job of emphasising the dreariness that perfectly juxtapositions itself with the title of "Merrie Land".
"Gun to the Head" was at first, one of the tracks I found to be a bit more lacklustre. However, I've recently grown a bit more fond of it. While I still find the sharpness of the vocal rhythm in the verses a bit of a bitter pill to swallow, I can appreciate the merriness of the chorus, which in a way sounds quite similar to something from Madness. I also like the various pipes that make up part of the instrumentation and give the track a bit more of a quirky quality.
I really enjoyed the rhythm from the next track, "Nineteen Seventeen" as it almost gives the track a crazy and somewhat circus-esque vibe. Nevertheless, its still calm enough to allow immersion. Albarn's vocals are refreshingly audible, the progression is very good and all in all, it is a marvellous track.
The darkest sounding track on the album in my opinion has to be "The Great Fire" which most likely is a song about the great fire of London, keeping the album on English soil whilst also maybe providing a little nod towards the cover art of their self-titled album. The first thing I thought of when listening to the track is that it almost reminded me of the Gorillaz track "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head" because of its melody and instrumentation. Its one of the more downbeat tracks on the album which makes it a suitable song considering its placement.
Moving on to a much brighter sounding track, "Lady Boston" has an incredibly oceanic sound. And what I mean by that is that it really reminds me of being at the beach. This was definitely intentional as the lyrics only further the beauty atmosphere with seagulls, the cliff edge and barnacles all being mentioned. The main instrumental attraction for me is the piano which I feel really adds a veil of blissfulness to the song. I also adore the choir segment towards the end and felt that it was an excellent way to fade out.
I really love the following track "Drifters and Trawlers" to the point where it could be a potential favourite of mine from the album. The only real reason for this is just the merriness and warmth that is carried within it as well as the beautiful wind instruments. Its just the perfect feel-good track!
You can easily notice the influence of The Clash on the next track; "The Truce of Twilight". This is most likely thanks to Clash bassist Paul Simonon who is one of the four members of The Good, The Bad and The Queen. The bass riff than spans throughout this track is really what makes it so enjoyable. its very groovy yet also a little sinister sounding, much like something from Parquet Courts. The other instrumental elements add an extra layer of quirkiness and grove and all in all, it is an incredibly catchy track.
"Ribbons" is what one might consider to be a typical Damon Albarn slow jam. But I still find it quite beautiful to listen to and despite only being track nine out of eleven, is possibly the most conclusive sounding songs. Therefore, I feel that it would've been far more fitting to put this track last. The melody of the song is also rather infectious and stays with you once its over and quite honestly, i believe that why I like it so much.
Where the album takes a bit of an unusual turn is with the next track; "The Last Man to Leave" which features a more spoken word style of vocals from Damon Albarn which I unfortunately found didn't really work as well as it should've. However, I do find the creepy and sinister melody that backs this rather interesting and certainly makes this track a unique one. The poetic nature of the lyrics also make this song one of the more thought-provoking ones I might add.
The final track, "The Poison Tree" still works quite well as a final track, but it leaves me torn in terms of whether I prefer this track or "Ribbons" because both are very good songs but for the same reasons. This track has a bit more of a rhythm to it and has a bittersweet atmosphere rather than a calming one. The lyrics and vocals also feel a bit more heartfelt which is also a plus and lastly, I really love the little piano instrumental along with the seagull noises. It feels very true to Damon Albarn's signature style and is a fitting way to conclude the album.
Before I round this review off, I wanted to rant quickly about the current state of Gorillaz as I feel that listening to this album has helped me realise why I much prefer their older stuff.
Ironically, this album reminded me more of why I love Gorillaz so much even more so than their own 2018 effort. Creating music by a "virtual band" is quite a great accomplishment to achieve. But everything that came after their 2010 effort "Plastic Beach" felt to me like they forgot the "band" part of the virtual band. In other words, I would struggle to imagine a four piece band playing the majority of their newest work. But "Merrie Land", on the other hand, has an incredible level of authenticity to it, so much so that one could compare the style to early 20th century music.
In conclusion, I feel that what the new Gorillaz album is lacking, this album has it in spades! I am extremely happy to have listened to this album which served me as a amazing introduction to yet another Damon Albarn band.
Thank you for reading,
Booth Boy
"Ribbons" is what one might consider to be a typical Damon Albarn slow jam. But I still find it quite beautiful to listen to and despite only being track nine out of eleven, is possibly the most conclusive sounding songs. Therefore, I feel that it would've been far more fitting to put this track last. The melody of the song is also rather infectious and stays with you once its over and quite honestly, i believe that why I like it so much.
Where the album takes a bit of an unusual turn is with the next track; "The Last Man to Leave" which features a more spoken word style of vocals from Damon Albarn which I unfortunately found didn't really work as well as it should've. However, I do find the creepy and sinister melody that backs this rather interesting and certainly makes this track a unique one. The poetic nature of the lyrics also make this song one of the more thought-provoking ones I might add.
The final track, "The Poison Tree" still works quite well as a final track, but it leaves me torn in terms of whether I prefer this track or "Ribbons" because both are very good songs but for the same reasons. This track has a bit more of a rhythm to it and has a bittersweet atmosphere rather than a calming one. The lyrics and vocals also feel a bit more heartfelt which is also a plus and lastly, I really love the little piano instrumental along with the seagull noises. It feels very true to Damon Albarn's signature style and is a fitting way to conclude the album.
Before I round this review off, I wanted to rant quickly about the current state of Gorillaz as I feel that listening to this album has helped me realise why I much prefer their older stuff.
Ironically, this album reminded me more of why I love Gorillaz so much even more so than their own 2018 effort. Creating music by a "virtual band" is quite a great accomplishment to achieve. But everything that came after their 2010 effort "Plastic Beach" felt to me like they forgot the "band" part of the virtual band. In other words, I would struggle to imagine a four piece band playing the majority of their newest work. But "Merrie Land", on the other hand, has an incredible level of authenticity to it, so much so that one could compare the style to early 20th century music.
In conclusion, I feel that what the new Gorillaz album is lacking, this album has it in spades! I am extremely happy to have listened to this album which served me as a amazing introduction to yet another Damon Albarn band.
Thank you for reading,
Booth Boy
Comments
Post a Comment