Gorillaz – Cracker Island
welcome back folks! taking a small break between discographies to check out the newest Gorillaz record – Cracker Island, released last month!
aight i caught the lead single and title track, Cracker Island, during the album rollout and damn this track is really good. Thundercat destroys on the bass here. big fan of this one. damn Oil was kind of a perfect track to bring Stevie Nicks in on for real. The Tired Influencer is fine. i get where it fits in with the themes of the record and i like the usage of Siri sound effects here but im just not excited by it. Silent Running, which features backing vocals from Adeleye Omotayo, is definitely a very nice groove. this one grew on me over my time with the record. New Gold was the other single i caught during the lead up to the record – the Tame Impala bits works way better here than the Bootie Brown bits, which werent bad but didnt fit the vibe as well, imo. Baby Queen’s a really nice track. fittingly has a very dreamlike quality. Tarantula’s fine. definitely not the most impactful track here, but a solid listen. fuckin – Tormenta is also a p good track, and i really hope they collab with Bad Bunny again soon. Skinny Ape has that like, indie folk rock vibe to it. Possession Island brings Beck on for the closer. its a nice, mellow, introspective moment on a record thats already packed to the brim with anxiety, and i def appreciate that.
faves – Cracker Island, Silent Running, Tormenta
dislikes –
yeah i had a good time with this record – i def dont enjoy it as much as Song Machine, just cause there’s fewer tracks that i came out loving, but the package as a whole is very cohesive and the themes shine through well. i also liked the choices of features here – some classics and some newer folks. definitely appreciate them taking another swing at this type of record after Song Machine’s eclectic vibe, and Albarn and crew are showing they still got plenty of gas left in the tank.
Cracker Island – 7/10
the first: Gorillaz | previous: Song Machine Vol. 1: Strange Timez | next: who knows!
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