Quick 'N Dirty Review: Gorillaz | Plastic Beach

Before we start, here's a quick look at the rating system that we use here at The Dirtywhirl:

100 - Classic Album; One Of The Best Of All Time
99-90 - Exceptional Work; Rush Out And Get This
89-80 - Very, Very Good; You Should Still Go Out And Get This
79-70 - Not Bad At All; Might Actually Be Worth Your Time
69-60 - Has Its Moments But On The Whole... Meh
59-50 - Won't Make Your Ears Bleed; Won't Make You Dance, Either
49-0 - Don't Waste Your Time; You're Smarter Than This (Probably) 

Now... onto the review:

Gorillaz | Plastic Beach

Gorillaz's third album (and first in five years), Plastic Beach, comes as a bit of a welcome surprise since rumor had it that 2005's Demon Days was to serve as their swan song, so the sheer fact that Plastic Beach even exists is a bonus. Over the course of their three record discography, Gorillaz have evolved from an afterthought of a side project for Blur's Damon Albarn into a dark electropop act that seems to be Albarn's main focus, at least for the time being. We're lucky that he decided not to pull the plug because, more than either of their previous records, Plastic Beach has a palpable late night vibe that makes it a unique entry into their catalog. It also marks the first Gorillaz release without a major name behind the boards (Dan The Automator and Danger Mouse served on Gorillaz and Demon Days respectively), but damned if it doesn't work in spite of that even if, at times, it's difficult to locate the thread that unites the album. That being said, Plastic Beach is still a better record than the Dan The Automator-produced debut. One of the selling points of Gorillaz as a project has always been that it lends itself to the drop-in nature of guest appearances. De La Soul, Del The Funky Homosapien, Cibo Matto, and even Dennis Hopper have popped up on the band's previous two records and this one's no different. Newcomers to the party this time around include Lou Reed, Mos Def, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash, Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, and in this record's crazy WTF category, '60's crooner Bobby Womack. As in the past, the majority of the guest spots work. Sure, Snoop Dogg's track, "Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach," sounds like it was readymade for Del and not Snoop and Rhys's spot on the abysmal "Superfast Jellyfish" can't lift it out of the realm of acid trip gone horribly wrong, but that doesn't detract from Mos Def and Womack's contributions to the stellar first single, "Stylo." Serving as the lynchpin of the album, "Stylo" is easily Plastic Beach's best track and is a slow burner that sets the tone for the 2:00 AM ambiance of the majority of the record (to say nothing of its crazy, Bruce Willis-cameoing video). Is it as strong as "Clint Eastwood" or "Feel Good Inc." were? Probably not, but it fits this album PERFECTLY and is its beating (emphasis on the beating) heart. Elsewhere, "Some Kind Of Nature" uses Reed's appearance to much better effect than The Killers' "Tranquilize" did a few years back, while the title track and the synth-washed "Empire Ants" contribute to the nocturnal haze that Plastic Beach creates, and "On Melancholy Hill" is one of the record's most graceful tracks. More than anything else, Plastic Beach is the sound of Gorillaz becoming a band for reals. That's not to say that Gorillaz was or is a joke, particularly when Albarn seems like he's taking the project more seriously than Blur these days, and that shows throughout the entirety of Plastic Beach. Frankly, to grow from the immaturity of Gorillaz to this is no easy feat. While it's no Demon Days, it's very, very close and is more than impressive in its own right.

Standout Tracks: "Stylo;" "Empire Ants;" "On Melancholy Hill;" "Some Kind Of Nature;" "To Binge"

Dirty Rating: 79/100

Listen To Gorillaz's Plastic Beach On Lala

Watch The "Stylo" Video On YouTube