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The Fall was great.

Perfect album for a casual listen or while on the road.

Although the OP could be alot more informative.

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New album? WTF?!

No really, what album. Is "The Fall" really already out? If so, that was really quick compared to the five-year time lapse between every album so far (2000 > 2005 > 2010).

EDIT: Oh jeez, late. Alrighty then, gotta check this out then. Still surprising they popped out a new album that quick. :huh:

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Honestly, I remember first seeing the music videos to Clint Eastwood & 19-2000 around 2000-03ish. They appeared on Toonami's music block they randomly had one night, and the other band I was introduced to that night was Daft Punk (with their Intestallar 5 AMVs for One More Time and HBFS). I was very fond of Gorillaz when they first came around, but because I was so young I only was interested for a second before my attention span jolted to something else.

Years later, I come back hearing they came out with Demon Days, and I proceed to hear some songs. I think it sounds really great and I start to download buy their music, and overall start respecting the group for what they are. Over time, again, I lost interest because I was only into the music, and vaguely into it because of my higher interest for classic hard rock at the time (which I now somewhat loathe, surprisingly).

Plastic Beach came and went and I didn't care. I don't know why I wasn't interested at all.

Sooo, just last week, I decided to redownload lots of their songs for the sake of nostalgia / packing up my music inventory again. These people were much better than I remembered! Intrigued by this, I proceeded to get into the Gorillaz mythos to understand the characters from the music videos...

...little did I know this "mythos" was basically giant life stories written about all these characters. And HOW, too. Each character feels so real, and they all are so likeable as well. There's an ongoing plot and set of events that go throughout each album (or "Phase"), the characters actually interact with the media, and the characters actually do age and have changing relationships with other members as their albums are continuing production. 2-D and Noodle are easily my favorite characters, Russel is one I'm sort of indifferent about (probably because he's not very spoken of much), and Murdoc is just plain evil and snarly, although he has a few attributes that make you have a soft spot for him. I wish I could go on and on and on about how much I love these guys, but alas I can't because I'm at loss of words for it.

I'm listening through all three albums right now, and I can't say there are many bad songs. At all. This collab project between Jamie, Damon and the rest of all these insanely awesome hiphop artists (and Danger Mouse) are creating the best modern music out there, and with an added set of realistic characters that make this feel like a wacky, innovative, new age Beatles. And I love it.

This is easily the last great band out there.

Edited by Azukara
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The Fall is an incredibly iffy thing. On one hand it's probably the least "Gorillaz-y" album in that it adds absolutely nothing to its own mythos and mostly just sounds like demos that Damon would throw out to numerous of his records. On the other hand it's a pretty generally fun record with some incredibly experimental stuff on there which I'd like to see more of in future Gorillaz projects, in a sense reminiscent of all those clips that they would release from the Plastic Beach teasers, something I was hoping to see a bit more on Plastic Beach.

The stuff like this, which sort of made me think that Plastic Beach would be the band's "Kid A".

The Fall doesn't come close to that kind of title either, but it's damn well their "Amnesiac". That's mostly what I feel listening to this album as it emits a plethora of Radiohead qualities, almost. It's pretty stripped down and atmospheric in a sense. The best thing to do with it is to not go into it with any pre-rendered expectations of the band's previous works, cause really it's just material that Damon did with the crew while on tour with an iPad.

Edited by Carbo
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Then he should've just listed it as demo tapes of his own stuff and not of Gorillaz, especially if it was just thrown together on an iPad and not at all related to Gorillaz stuff. <_>

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Well the release was really a Christmas present for the fans and was never considered a full-on studio release. I'm surprised how well this album is produced though, it pretty much feels like the legitimate studio stuff.

I think a big contributing factor to the different atmosphere is that there isn't nearly as much vocals as the other albums had and most instruments are consumed by acoustic instruments and electronics, sometimes even being incredibly centric on them. Even then songs like Revolving Doors, Shytown, The Parish of Space Dust and Amarillo feel like stuff I'd expect from one of their B-Side albums so it all balances out with the modern signature stuff and just experimenting.

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It sounds a bit bland compared to their usual work. I mean, it's alright, but it sounds a bit muddled and like there isn't much to it. Guess that's what happens when you write an album in a month and record it on an iPad. :P

I just wonder how many more music videos they are going to make before the next album and/or if they even will make any more before then.

I eagerly await to see how Noodle interacts with the others (especially Cyborg Noodle) after Rhinestone Eyes. In fact I'm even more interested to see just how much Noodle has changed since she got past her teenage years.

Also, Plastic Beach is.. an odd one to me. The Phase 1 album seemed alot like an urban/indie mixture album, and Demon Days seems to be the equivalent of 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' to the Beatles (in other words, the "magnum opus" album). This album to me is sort of odd, and obscure (yet still pretty awesome). Maybe because it's much brighter and colorful than previous entries (at least in the design of the island and stuff)? I dunno, it has a sort of different feel to it that I can't put my finger on.

Edited by Azukara
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We'll have to have an informative... Not Opening Post.

Gorillaz is a collaboration project between Damon Albarn (the lead singer and keyboardist of Blur) and Jamie Hewlett (Tank Girl). It's the worlds most successful virtual band, basically with Damon and his crew of usually mildly famous in their own right musicians making the music, and Jamie and his team making a fake band to present the material. So it would be the characters of the Gorillaz who would do interviews and appear in the music videos. Here they are:

a-group.jpg

Gorillaz, Phase 1

Murdoc is the satanic head honcho bass player of the band, who's probably the funniest character in the interviews due to his ego and suprising wit. 2d is the incredibly thick, doped up on pain medication singer and frontman of the group. Also a lot like an abused puppy, at times. Russel is the mountainous drummer, formerly possessed by the ghost of his best friend (Del, who did the rapping in Phase 1) and is always this close to insanity. Finally, there's Noodle. She's the formerly androgynous, now totally not androgynous guitarist of the group, definitely the smartest and most caring of the bunch, as well as being a genetically enchanced super-soldier. Oh, and Murdoc eventually made a robot clone of her.

As for the music, it changed. Gorillaz is a kind of an on-again, off-again project; the sound morphed between albums as the guests changed, Damon's musical tastes changed and the world changed. Phase 1's Gorillaz (2001) is trip-hoppy, looking forward in hope from the millenium but with a feeling of dread behind it in parts. Phase II's Demon Days (2005) had them in more of a rock phase, an album about the darker state of the world. Phase III, the current phase, has Plastic Beach. Plastic Beach (2010) is a bit of a poppier album, focussing more on the environment but also with a lighter tone.

The characters have aged with time too, the biggest change being with Noodle (who is now 20, and perfectly fine to hit on ... *cough*). I really love the band, one of my favourites really. I'd say their second album is best, but Plastic Beach was a very good album too and it's good to see that people are liking to The Fall (2010/2011). Wikipedia doesn't seem to count it as a real Gorillaz album though, which is bullshit IMO.

And that's all I can really think of. I hope it's informative enough to keep the topic afloat. :)

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Gerkuman basically covered everything you need to know.

Also, it seems every website interprets 2-D differently. Some say he's a rough and dirty kind of guy that's insatiably stupid, and others say that he's innocent and harmless with somewhat a lack of intelligence. The artwork featuring 2-D, and the interviews / videos featuring him tend to send mixed messages (the former in the artwork, the latter in the videos / interviews).

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The different eras portrayed him differently due to its own story progressing and evolving. Rise of The Ogre details all of it pretty well, apart from Phase III since it wasn't due yet, but that was largely detailed through Pirate Radio broadcasts.

During Phase I he was a dimwitted and confused guy who didn't really protest much to Murdoc denting his eyes out in a car accident and demanding him to be in the band. He was mostly just there and did what they told him to.

During the hiatus between Phase I and II, 2-D got a bunch of confidence after realizing that he was the most popular band member. This turned him into an overconfident jerk, only undermined by the fact that he wasn't any more clever or less oblivious of what he does.

After all the stuff that happened during Phase II, 2-D mostly just quit the band and didn't want to return, instead leading a much more regular life. In Phase III he stood up against Murdoc and outright refused his pleas to go to Plastic Beach and record new material, which led Murdoc to kidnapping him, traumatizing and torturing him into recording with the help of Cyber Noodle and a gigantic whale outside of the window of 2-D's room (he has a phobia for them).

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I sort of just interpreted 2-D as a guy that is a laid back and (mostly) innocent dude that has an addiction to pain pills thanks to multiple accounts of head trauma; and although he is oblivious to the world most of the time, he cares about people and about music. I just found it odd that I picked that up from all the interviews and stuff, while the Phase One artwork made him look constantly aggravated and Phase Two artwork made him look dark and slimy like Murdoc (even though the Feel Good Inc. music video sends opposite messages).

That said, with all this talk of 2-D, I'd actually like to say he's my second favorite character, with Noodle as my main favorite. :3

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Noodle is my favourite~. She's a adorable, and as I said before I find her phase 3 form attractive. XD (She's about 2-3 months younger than me, co-incidentally, and she shares my mum's birthday, Halloween).

Edited by Gerkuman
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Noodle is my favourite~. She's a adorable, and as I said before I find her phase 3 form attractive. XD (She's about 3-4 months younger than me, co-incidentally, and she shares my mum's birthday, Halloween).

Okay, admitted, I do too. She's sort of irresistable. X3

Erm I mean

Noodle's pretty awesome though. Charming, adorable, funny, insightful, very awesome fighter / shooter / guitarist, and overall the only genuinely nice person in the whole band. :P

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I can't believe how much I was concerned after El Mañana and that Noodle was being replaced.

Anyway, you guys should really check out Rise of The Ogre. It's the best book I've ever read, and the art is great fun.

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I can't believe how much I was concerned after El Mañana and that Noodle was being replaced.

I always feel sad when I see what's left of Noodle's room at kong studio (the virtual tour still exists but it's hard to find)The whole thing's in ruins including Shaun Ryder's head, but for some reason 2D and Murdoc are still around in Kong Studios while Russel isn't when they'ye both obviously in Plastic Beach right now, I don't know why that website has't been deleted as according to the story Kong was burnt down so Murdoc could get his sticky hands on the insurance money.

Do you guys think it's a coincidence that 2D's hair bares a resemblance to Sonic's quills?

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I can't believe how much I was concerned after El Mañana and that Noodle was being replaced.

Anyway, you guys should really check out Rise of The Ogre. It's the best book I've ever read, and the art is great fun.

I'm definitely going to check out Rise of the Ogre at some point.

Also regarding El Manana, jeez I got so sad. ;_; Noodle is the best, she can't die.

I also love how the series has fully established that Murdoc is "guy you love to hate" numero uno. Sometimes you just gotta have that feeling of punching him in the face for all he's done to the members of the group.. but then again he knocks it right back atcha with how he's really witty and comical, which makes him (unfortunately) likeable. :P Speaking of which, he too has changed. He's seemed to have become slightly more sophisticated and proper around Phase Three, rather than his slobbish and ungerish ways of the previous phases.

Also, why don't we hear more about Russel? He's cool and all, but I can't say much about him because we hear the least about him (2-D being right behind).

Btw is it bad that because of Noodle I somewhat have a crush on a fictional character? Haven't had one of those since the olden days when I was seven and saw Misty on pokemanz :<

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As I said in the shoutbox, been following these guys since 2000. No matter what the genre of the album, Damon has the unique ability to make it just so likable. No wonder he's regarded as a musical genius...

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Okay, so I listened to the entirety of Plastic Beach. Gerkuman is basically right, because this is how it goes:

Phase One (Gorillaz) : carefree, trip hoppy, blended with punk music and slight electronica

Phase Two (Demon Days): darker, depressing; deep electronica with soul, alternative hip hop and indie rock fused

Phase Three (Plastic Beach) : lighthearted, somewhat happy and/or sort of sad sounding; '80s techno-pop centric, more trip hop

Demon Days is still undeniably the best one of the three, because every track is so well done. Plastic Beach is an interesting, more bubbly and 'cartoony' turn for Gorillaz though; and the fact that a good bit of the songs are based somewhat around love or relationships is quite interesting.

I just wonder when they are going to continue making more music videos or continue off of this. It is killing me to see that they have gone no further to explain the return of Noodle. :(

Edited by Azukara
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Plastic Beach and the entire Phase III is incredibly melancholy compared to Phase II if you dig deeper into the surface, a depressing and crapsack world hidden behind a facade of upbeat tunes.

I wouldn't describe Phase II as depressing personally, I see it more as grim and unrelenting.

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The more I read about it, yeah, I am getting that impression now. Phase Two just sort of goes into how everything around the world is getting darker and more destructive, and that it's only getting worse. Phase Three is starting to show 2-D still stuck in the media / pop culture trash heap Murdoc started building around the time of Feel Good Inc. At least that's what I'm getting from it. Seems that this time though, 2-D is forced into it and it takes place in the middle of nowhere.

Also, I'm pretty sad. I've become so desperate for a continuation of the story past "Rhinestone Eyes", that I'm reading fanfiction. CURSES! ;_;

Won't lie though; the fanfics I'm reading right now are very well done and build off the characters really well. They all seem to lead towards 2DxNoodle though... should we just attach that to the canon and get it over with?

specialed.png

EDIT: Edited last sentence in the spoiler to dodge wars, trolol

Edited by Azukara
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I've become so desperate for a continuation of the story past "Rhinestone Eyes", that I'm reading fanfiction. CURSES! ;_;

Jamie said that he would finish the story sometime this yearish

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and A physical release of The Fall will be about April 18th or sometime around my birthday which is April 25th (according to Murdoc's twitter page)

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So I'd like to post to announce that Snoop Dogg is going to be doing a new single with Gorillaz for his "Doggumentary".

Looks like Damon and the musicians are just doing random collaborations in the meantime while Hewlett finishes up the Plastic Beach story? Either way he needs to hurry up; I'm impatient to find out what's going on in the world of these freaky awesome people. :I

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