Sold Date: September 18, 2021
Start Date: May 13, 2021
Final Price: $145.00 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 5984
Buyer Feedback: 42

On 2017's Humanz, Damon Albarn returns to Gorillaz after a seven-year hiatus -- a period when he busied himself with two operas, a solo album, and a Blur reunion -- and reconnects with the collaborative instincts that drove the band's first two albums. Plastic Beach -- the 2010 album that served as the group's last major opus (The Fall, released just months later, was that LP's bittersweet coda) -- found Albarn stepping toward the center stage but on Humanz he recedes, giving his collaborators the spotlight and softening whatever complicated narrative he and illustrator Jamie Hewlett devised for their cartoon group's fourth phase. Maybe this is why Humanz feels wild and unruly in a way Plastic Beach never did: the emphasis is on the individual cuts, not the grand concept. Some themes are woven throughout the record -- there's a political undercurrent, although the upheavals of Trump and Brexit are never addressed directly; there's a heavy reliance on R&B and hip-hop -- but the album seems pleasingly scattershot as it bounces from guest to guest. Its messiness suits the digital era, when it's possible to swipe from style to style without a second thought, but Humanz isn't haphazard. Albarn deliberately sculpts each cut, giving plenty of space for Vince Staples, Grace Jones, Danny Brown, Anthony Hamilton, Mavis Staples, Pusha T, and longtime Gorillaz mainstay De La Soul to roam. That list of guest artists underscores how Humanz feels connected to soul in a way Plastic Beach didn't, but with its careening, carnivalesque hooks and skeletal 2-Tone spook -- not to mention how the whole thing is anchored on "Busted and Blue," a Damon solo track that could've slid onto Everyday Robots -- it's clearly an Albarn project. But even with its heavy, heavy R&B vibe and roiling politics, Humanz feels strangely uplifting, as if every musician who entered the studio found solace in the act of creation. That's why "We Got the Power" -- a collaboration with Savages singer Jehnny Beth and Damon's onetime rival Noel Gallagher -- is such a fitting closer: in dark times, it finds hope and inspiration in the power of the collective, which is a testament to what Albarn intends to do with Gorillaz. 
CONDITION: NEW. Not sealed . Autographed copy . Minor scuffings on cover. Vinyl Mint New. MADE IN THE EU
TRACK LISTING:
A1Intro: I Switched My Robot Off Narrator – Ben Mendelsohn 0:23 A2Ascension Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Michael Law Thomas* Featuring – Vince Staples Vocals [Additional Vocals] – The Humanz Written-By, Performer – Gorillaz, Vince Staples 2:36 A3Strobelite Featuring – Peven Everett Keyboards [Additional Keyboards] – Peven Everett Vocals [Additional Vocals] – The Humanz Written-By, Performer – Gorillaz, Peven Everett 4:33 A4Saturnz Barz Featuring – Popcaan Vocals [Additional Vocals] – The Humanz Written-By, Performer – Gorillaz, Popcaan 3:02 A5Momentz Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Morgan Garcia Featuring – De La Soul Narrator – Ben Mendelsohn Synthesizer – Jean Michelle Jarre* Vocals [Additional Vocals] – Azekel, The Humanz Written-By, Performer – De La Soul, Gorillaz 3:17 B6Interlude: The Non-Conformist Oath Voice [Contains Portions Of The Steve Martin Recording "A Wild And Crazy Guy"] – Steve Martin (2) 0:22 B7Submission Engineer [Additional Engineering] – J.U.S* Featuring – Danny Brown (2), Kelela Guitar – Graham Coxon Recorded By [Assisted By] – KT Pipal, Samuel Egglenton Vocals [Additional Vocals] – The Humanz Written-By, Performer – Danny Brown (2), Gorillaz, Kelela 3:22 B8Charger Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Samuel Egglenton Featuring – Grace Jones Written-By, Performer – Gorillaz, Grace Jones 3:35 B9Interlude: Elevator Going Up Narrator – Ben Mendelsohn 0:02 B10Andromeda Featuring – D.R.A.M. Vocals [Additional Vocals] – Roses Gabor Written-By, Performer – D.R.A.M., Gorillaz 3:18 B11Busted And Blue Vocals [Additional Vocals] – Kelela Written-By, Performer – Gorillaz 4:37 C12Interlude: Talk Radio Narrator – Ben Mendelsohn 0:20 C13Carnival Featuring – Anthony Hamilton Written-By, Performer – Anthony Hamilton, Gorillaz 2:15 C14Let Me Out Featuring – Mavis Staples, Pusha T Vocals [Additional Vocals] – The Humanz Written-By, Performer – Gorillaz, Mavis Staples, Pusha T 3:13 C15Interlude: Penthouse Narrator – Ben Mendelsohn 0:12 C16Sex Murder Party Featuring – Jamie Principle, Zebra Katz Written-By, Performer – Gorillaz, Jamie Principle, Zebra Katz 4:19 D17She's My Collar Featuring – Kali Uchis Written-By, Performer – Gorillaz, Kali Uchis 3:30 D18Interlude: The Elephant Narrator – Ben Mendelsohn 0:08 D19Hallelujah Money Featuring – Benjamin Clementine Vocals [Additional Vocals] – The Humanz Written-By, Performer – Benjamin Clementine, Gorillaz 4:26 D20We Got The Power (Version 2:18:482) Featuring – Jehnny Beth Synthesizer – Jean Michel Jarre* Vocals [Additional Vocals] – D.R.A.M., Noel Gallagher Written-By, Performer – Gorillaz, Jehnny Beth 2:18

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