Gorillaz Thread

Kept them fun, probably would have less emphasis on "deep lore".

>>89825339
>How would you have handled Gorillaz?
less politics


although Stop the Dams was great despite itself

>First sign of activity from them after years of nothing
You weren't keeping up.

>>89825339
i'm gonna expect one more song about trump and shit and hopefully some sort of story of what the gang has been up too lately and how they handle being back in the spotlight

>>89825671
Their instagram has individual stories about what happened after plastic beach. Also, Noodle and Russel have been getting the most media attention. Noodle is sponsored by jaguar's racing team. russel got interviewed by a cat magazine.

We need more Noodle Webms, brb

>>89825339
That new song was fucking trash

>>89825562
>less political
But Demon Days was great.

>>89825745
>Noodle is sponsored by jaguar's racing team.
>russel got interviewed by a cat magazine.

Why must Russel suffer?

>>89825562
>politics
seems it was right for the time. or am i just being nostalgic?

https://youtu.be/-7h9AMtjfZc
>b-but gorillaz has never been political

>>89827868
it's always right for time in somebody's eyes

avoiding it is timeless

>>89827942
That's dumb, you're dumb.

>>89825562
>less politics
As someone who can only enjoy music if I don't comprehend the lyrics, I have no idea what you are talking about.

>>89828154
Hell if they didn't have the whole article saying THIS IS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP most people probaby wouldn't try to read too deeply into what Hallelujah Money is all about

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>>89825339
Can someone give me a quick rundown on the Gorillaz lore?
I have always been a fan of their music, but I never really cared for the backstory behind the band.

>>89828546
>Gorillaz lore
It's pure fucking nonsense. As in, it doesn't make sense. It started out as an animated band. Pretty comprehensible. Then they made Russell be the conduit for the ghosts of his dead homies, all killed in gang violence back in the US. Weird. Then, in Demon Days, they become superstars and live in a hazy decadence. Alright, comprehensible. Then Noodle gets a flying Windmill that gets shot down by Feel Good Inc. and she goes missing, prompting Murdoc to build an android replacement of her. She winds up on a cruise ship, Russell grows giant and they go looking for some manatee or something for some reason, then find a new home, or something. Honestly, I just don't know.

I love the art style and the 2d animation (since phased out in favor of CG that doesn't quite work) is beautiful. I love the music videos for Clint Eastwood, Dare and Feel Good Inc.

But holy hell, what a waste of likeable characters. I expect them to be tongue in cheek, likely satirical of modern culture, but why is it all so.. weird? It reminds me of John K. cartoons that get lost in translation between storyboard and animation, and end up not making any sense.

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>>89828825
It all sounds pretty stupid but kind of fun too.

I should get the Rise of the Ogre one of these days.

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>>89829150
I like stupid but I just can't follow what's happening. It gets to a point that there's snoop dog in a submarined riding towards a manatee on a rock that a gas mask guy is trying to steal, and I feel like pic related

I'll never get sick of Noodle's dance moves tho

>>89825562
they write songs about what they feel

>>89829150
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo7_BlbZ55g&t=1s

Superior voice acted version

>>89826660
It was hilarious. Just cheesy enough to capture 2016 alarmism.

>>89825562
What's wrong with political themes in their music? They have always handled them in a way that didn't seem manipulative.

The war is over, so said the speaker...

>>89829377
That's hilarious.

>>89826660
I think most Gorillaz songs are trash so I honestly can't tell how you all determine whether one is good or not.

>>89827784
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmB9LsIozSQ

>>89829215
Gasmask dude is Death pretty sure

Murdoc is living for way too long and Death has it out for him

>>89828825
Like when I first got into the band I thought the story was:
>Misfits start a band and become successful through their style and Sound.
>Each Music video is actually an event that happened and is just stylized to fit into a MV.
-
At the time I always thought Feel Good Inc. was the last song from the Band since I didn't hear or see anything from them in my area after.
>Feel Good Inc was about the group selling out to a large Music Label, and effectively selling their souls for fame.
>Murdoc surrounded by Women(Later looking like Sex Dolls/Corpses), that ultimately don't feel his void.
>Russle looking down(Angry) because it's no longer about making music or having fun, only money.
>2D just being a husk of his former self and looking back at the good(simple) times, which is seen through Noodles outside the windows.
>Noodles actually refused to sign on the contract and instead decided to live a "Faceless", but open and carefree life.

Later when I had stable internet and a conscious idea of how Music, Bands, and the internet worked I found out what the full story was and was severely disappointed that these character that had a fun mystery surrounding them, were so cookie cutter and honestly wasted to fuel a idea that "Lets make them wacky!".

>>89830781
Ripping this shit from the wiki because it's fucking 3:30am:

>"Like Dr. Wurzel, the Boogieman, (also known as Sun Moon Stars and also described as Flatulence by Jamie Hewlett) is one of the antagonists of the Gorillaz. Murdoc mentioned in his live chat with fans that the Boogieman was the essence of everything bad in the world in one person."

In other words, it's a character simple there to be there and used to "Deepen" the "plot".

>>89830752
it's okay, I think your opinion is unequivocally shit.

>>89829150
Good luck, they're going for 500 -700 dollars a piece. So glad I got mine when it was only 45.

Then again I guess you could also just download the pdf version, but the hardcover itself is pretty nice.

>>89831142
No need to get salty, anon.

>>89830975
i thought the song was about meaningless sex, drugs and substances that help one "feel good". 2D wakes up from his sleep (his sleep being drowning himself in all of these bad things that he's done) and wished he could do everything all over again while Noodle hasn't been affected by it. So from there 2D starts to wake everyone up with the megaphone and tell them like it is

>>89831241
That's pretty much the it, but then again Gorillas' MV's have a tendency to be purposely vague on their meaning(s).

It's just fun remembering watching MTV/VH1 back then and seeing these strange "Cartoon MVs" play during the late night hours.

>>89831191
man, you really felt the itch to reply, didn't you.

>>89828224
>Trumpfags got triggered.
>Again.

Are they the most thin-skinned group in the history of mankind?

How could you ever worry so much because of perceived slights against some other person, who's not even related to you?

Christ, I thought patriotic Russkies love their Putin just a liiiitle bit too much, but Trump's fans are cult-like. How? Why?

>>89831191
consider the following

your opinions are still shit

>>89831342
Yee, like how people thought Clint Eastwood was about being a failure, but getting your act together soon enough but in reality, it was about heroin.


A lot of Damon Albarn's songs have connections to his history with drugs and issues in life.

>>89831390
At this point the majority of Trump's supporters make him look bad.

>>89831354
Well obviously. I'm still waiting for a legitimate response about what makes a good Gorillaz song.

>>89831485
Nah.

>>89831485
Depends on person to person anon, personally I love "DARE" and "DoYaThing", but don't care for "On Melancholy Hill"(Too slow and chill for me).
Granted I also think that "Stylo" and "DoYaThing" didn't feel like Gorillaz to me.

>>89831732
ignore him

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>>89825339
>First sign of activity from them after years of nothing
Jamie has been teasing the actual first single for months

>>89831732
I like DARE too. I like Clint Eastwood as well. Maybe there is another Gorillaz song I like but that's about it. Feel Good Inc. is decent but not great IMHO. Obviously I don't "get" the appeal of Gorillaz, hence why I'm asking what makes a good Gorillaz song and thus what makes the new song bad.

>>89831876
There's really nothing special about the Band or even the style, it's just "Lets make a Fictional cartoon band with catchy songs.". It's mostly a band that was successful through a few big hits and then "died off" after their 10 minutes of Fame faded.
Most people who I've talked to when asked "What's your favorite song from [Gorillaz Album here]". They normally say one of the more will known songs(That played a lot in the US during their time) and never mention the other songs on the Album.


I guess the idea of these fiction characters have a backstory adds to the appeal, much like how people are drawn to artists, but are given more they can be apart of and witness more than you normally would than from a real band.

>>89831986
It's almost like most people never actually listen to albums and just know whatever was popular/on the radio. Is a damn shame that most Gorillaz "fans" have only ever listened to maybe 3 of their songs and ignored the actual best songs on their albums.

>>89830669
Yeah, they used to express their feelings without feeling too divisive.

That last video though.

>>89832061
Oh no people are putting political messages in music! How will we ever cope?

>>89828224
Might've been easier to swallow if it wasn't a really bad song even before the lyrics.

What happened? They used to have rhythm.

>>89832066
Oh don't you worry, wrists and slit and just waiting to bleed out already.

Because this is truly the end of the fucking world, friend.

>>89831876
>Obviously I don't "get" the appeal of Gorillaz,

For me the appeal is the experimentation with genre. Not every song individually is like that but each album does it (except maybe the fall).

I don't think the new song is bad so I can't comment on why people don't like it. I like the off kilter thing it's got going on and love the vocals.

>>89832114
Honestly even if I'm still not sure that their new song actually works I'm really glad that they're still experimenting. I was worried that they were going to bend over backwards to appeal to those annoying "I only ever listened to feel good inc and all Gorillaz needs to sound like that" fans.

>>89832114
Not the same guy, but for me the lack of appeal in the new song boils down to one thing I require in any song I enjoy.

Beat, rhythm, something to tap your foot too. When you don't have that I can't get into it. Like fucking Led Zeppelin. Half that band had no fucking talent and it showed in most of their work. Few songs turned out good by a stroke of luck and the fact that they didn't drown out Jimmy Page with their tambourines.

A good example of it falling apart in a Gorillaz song would be Latin Simone. It almost gets it right but then it breaks every now and then and I can't get into it.

>>89832061
>express their feelings without feeling too divisive.
Damon was well known for hating America and the people in it during the 90's. He would write songs about it and put them on the blur albums

>>89832158
I don't doubt you, I just fear that if this upcoming album is going to be fueled entirely by negativity we're not going to get much with staying power.

Demon Days and Plastic Beach both had dark feelings going into them, but to me they seemed to also take a pragmatic approach to the issue.

I dunno. The Trump thing seems like a bandwagon going straight off a cliff of uncertainty. Nobody has a solution for what they're mad about other than an unrealistic desire to undo what was done. This refusal to live through a problem is new to me. Been through war, struggled to find work, been accused of being something I'm not, arrested, beaten, molested and cheated. But I cannot relate to this feeling of hopelessness and indignation that people are propagating today.

Get over it, people. Your life is still yours.

>>89832155

That may just mean that you need very structured pop-styled music. I like everything so I don't mind music that is hard to impossible to keep up with. I listen to jazz and technical death metal and it usually takes a great many listens before I can follow the song super well.

>>89832153
Agreed. After seeing AnCo stop experimenting in their last couple albums I was worried that the Gorillaz might play it safe too.

>>89832261

I love jazz and metal, electro and disco, dubstep and classic rock. Rhythm isn't something tied down to any one genre.

But within those genres you'll get a mix of qualities still. Song structure is something I really look into, yeah. Gorillaz have done plenty that fit the bill nicely, but a few don't fall in the same line.

Guess it's to be expected when the 'band' is a mishmash of different talents.

>>89832303
>metal, electro and disco, dubstep and classic rock.

Pretty much all those have a more standard pop type structure though unless you're listening to really proggy stuff.

And just to be clear I'm not saying it's bad if that's what you like.

>>89832341
>And just to be clear I'm not saying it's bad if that's what you like.
Nah, I got that.

>>89831876
what is there to lay out to you then

you're obviously not going to change your stance on this matter and nothing anyone says will keep you from not liking their music, which is, you know, their main appeal

from the looks of it you're into their more mainstream songs so it would make sense for you to dwelve into the albums yourself and form an opinion rather than have us explain it to you because it's helpless

>>89832379
>all this salt
Fucking hell. Could you have been any more passive aggressive? Does the mere fact that people don't enjoy a band you like make you that mad? I'm being polite here, anon. I'm looking for discussion, an informed opinion that will help me appreciate the music and to judge what makes a good Gorillaz song.

>>89832530

You're asking too broad of a question. There is no concrete answer for what makes any piece of art good. There have been some suggestions in the thread already.

>>89832341
I don't know why you are going out of your way to call it pop though if it's so common. You might as well be calling it country music.

>>89832559
This is a decent post and I appreciate it, anon. I also appreciate the other well intentioned posts itt.

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>>89832530
not a single thing about what I said was in a passive aggressive manner, and maybe you have me confused by somebody else.

I'm legitimately confused by the way you conveyed your question, like you couldn't understand the appeal of a music hand as you go and name three mainstream songs from their albums and conclude you positively don't get the appeal for them, to which I recommend you listen to the albums yourself again if you haven't already. there is no concrete answer to your question.

>>89832723
Hmm... I reread your post and I think the misunderstanding is you mistyping "hopless" as "helpless". I interpreted it as you mistyping an insult rather than it being "hopeless". My mistake.

Also it's not necessarily true that I won't change my stance on the matter. I take a more cerebral approach to interests than the average person. I'm more likely to like something if someone explains the appeal to me and I can appreciate it. Sure, I won't just suddenly start liking the Gorillaz this very thread, but a good response may help me appreciate them in the future.

>>89832723
to this I add, 'what makes a good Gorillaz song' is pretty much as vague as you can get, because of their overdependence on experimentation and song structure change over the years.

you couldn't necessarily pinpoint a specific point of interest in a particular song by them because it's depending on your taste.

>>89832775
Not that anon but nobody can tell you how to like a piece of music. People aren't going to form your opinions for you.

Gorillaz songs are all different and your best bet is to just sit down and listen through their albums since it sounds like you've only listened to their three most popular songs.

>>89832775
it's okay. I never meant to question your choice behind not liking them, it's just the suddenness of your remark at first stuck out to me as resemblant of the archetypical dude coming into a fetish thread on /d/ asking people to explain their taste for women with 15cm long dicks attached to their groins. in that regard I admit I probably came off as condescending.

I also feel as though my personal taste in music has tainted me somewhat. I'm not so sure what being on the side of a person questioning the quality of a music piece feels like, because to me it all boils down to whether you can clench your buttcheeks to the beat or not. perhaps that's what you meant, perhaps not...

really just listen to whatever you feel like it.

>>89832796
Appreciating music isn't simply a matter of of some magical voice in your head rolling the dice. There are aspects to decent music that can be appreciated, themes and contrasts and such.

For example someone may not appreciate country music because they don't recognize the appeal of music that appreciates the value of a hard days work and separating work from pleasure or some such. Recognizing that fact may not make them a fan but it will help them appreciate it instead of them perhaps previously thinking that anyone who likes country is objectively wrong.

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I liked Hallelujah Money. Fight me.

>>89832565

Well it's the fastest way to communicate the style. Rock, country, etc all grew out of even older pop music.

>>89832845
For the record, I have sat down and listened to entire Gorillaz albums before, hence why I stated why I don't get the appeal despite listing off several of their more popular songs as exceptions.

>>89832867
It seems like a stupid over simplification to me that only can only be rationalized as a backhanded contrarian insult against "pop" and by extension the tastes of anyone who dislikes anything that can't be qualified as "pop". Maybe that's too scathingly direct on my part, but that's how it came off to me.

>>89832865
I think most people are just upset that it isn't Feel Good Inc. Same thing happened with Plastic Beach.

>>89832915

I didn't mean it that way. I like lots of poppy music. I just like lots of music that's outside of those traditional styles and structures too. I feel like Gorillaz can kind of flirt with not exactly being pop music enough for it to turn people off. I don't think that's bad as long as people aren't assholes trying to ruin other people's fun.

I'm sorry for coming off as a dick.

>>89832888
It sounds like you just don't like Gorillaz if the only songs you can enjoy are the mainstream singles.

>>89832963
Okay, cool.

>>89832853
in Gorillaz, the main aspect in the music style varies from record to record. you can hear slower tempo songs in the first, rapping and hip hop in the second and a prevalent pop esque vibe in the third release.

the consistent theme throughout them is the trashiness of the characters in the context of the music itself, and the overarching use of rappers to convey a message in a particular song. the vocal work is evocative of that of a radio transmission/mic in demon days, signaling a beacon of hope/desperation/sadness in each track, which directly ties into the 'the world is full of false icons' concept they aim for, as is most evident in songs like feel good inc and every planet we reach is dead. evokes a certain sense of one large political rap throughout it.

then there's the oboe/flute combo and light instrumentation, combined with the heavy brass in some songs in plastic beach, oftentimes employed to create dreamy melodies, inherent of the visual image of an illydic paradise, a shining peaceful location in the middle of the ocean, distant from all sorts of civilization, clean, almost holy, self-contained, self-sufficient and seamlessly beautiful... composed by literal human trash. songs talk about uncertainty, not knowing what to do besides following a chemical poisoning routine on a near daily basis by consuming plastic jellyfish gathered from the radioactive seashore, all the while pretending to live a peaceful live while the silver lining that lies underneath their feet is none other than human putrefaction itself, drowned in the deep ocean.

>>89833090
That was a better response than I expected or hoped.

I'm going to leave this thread open in a tab tonight so I can read your post later after I get a little shut-eye. Maybe I'll re-listen to some Gorillaz songs too.

>>89828825
God forbid it be nonsense for nonsense's sake. Reading the Phase 4 tweets show that you shouldn't be taking this too seriously in the first place, so what's the problem?

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>>89832919
>there were people around me who didn't immediately love Rhinestone Eyes

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>>89825339
>How would you have handled Gorillaz?

More cartoons, less politics.

Seems like they've turned a lot of people off with that latest release, wonder if they can recover.

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>>89828546
>Can someone give me a quick rundown on the Gorillaz lore?