The Fall

Damon Albarn had a very busy 2010, undeterred by the financial crisis and with a head full of ideas, along with a few of his pals he released what can only be described as one of the most ambitious alternative albums of recent times, _The Plastic Beach_. The Boar’s very own Hari Sethi, referred to the being staggered by Gorillaz’ most recent studio album’s “sheer musical depth and immersion”. However, for all its energy and the undeniable epic feel that _The Plastic Beach_’has, it can occasionally feel overworked.

With this seemingly in Albarn’s mind that Albarn has thrown yet another musical curve-ball into the world, with the enigmatic and altogether very commendable _The Fall_. The most notable thing about this new album, much to the delight of Steve Jobs and co, is that it was recorded, or at least produced almost entirely using the iPad using around twenty apps. The even more staggering fact about this album, is that it was written and recorded throughout Gorillaz 2010 American tour, with most of the music and vocals being performed by Albarn himself. Given this, whether or not the album was a creative masterpiece seems almost un-important, at its best this album could be nothing short of a monolithic achievement of musicianship and at worst it will at least be an impressive marketing campaign for the iPad. Best of all, the album is currently being streamed for free on Gorillaz website.

The good news is, _The Fall_ is, like everything the Gorillaz has ever produced, able to stand completely on its own two legs and there are enough interesting moments to make anyone even remotely interested in Gorillaz or electronica in general to give this a listen. The bad news is that the albums handcrafted heritage, although admirable, shows through during the entirity of the album and not necessarily in a good way, sometimes running short of ideas and devolving into a slightly mired and self indulgent listening experience.

Opening track ‘Phoner to Arizona’, sets the tone aptly for ‘The Fall’. There are no vocals the bass laden, sludgy beat builds an effectively spacey mood, something which is continued throughout much of The Fall. What follows next is ‘Revolving Doors’, which sounds more like a B-Side from Gorillaz’ debut than anything else, the backing track is simple, but very effecting, but there isn’t much substance to the song, nothing that we haven’t already seen Gorillaz do. Like almost everything to be found here, this song is simple, a tactic which unfortunately, doesn’t always pay off. Each of the songs seems to show at least one interesting idea, but most of them end up being half-baked and some just feel distinctly lazy, ‘HillBilly Man’ particularly feeling like a mere appendix to the infinitely better ‘Doncamatic’. Once in a while, the basic formula of, synths-damon-sound effects-repeat does pay off big style and you end up with something as genuinely entertaining as anything from their latest album. ‘Bobby in Phoenix’ is a slow burner and tellingly features more guitar than any other song on the album, Bobby Womack is featured as a guest vocalist and the song is complimented perfectly by the sparse beats, which seem to resonate perfectly with Womack’s chiselled voice.

_The Fall_ isn’t a bad album by a longshot. However if Gorillaz were to release this as a studio album, instead of as a creative spectacle, it would almost certainly fall flat. There are of course a few interesting moments and any fans of the band should give the album at least one listen through. Though I doubt anyone will remember this as Gorilaz’ shining moment as next to _The Plastic Beach_, it feels unfinished and dubiously draining. A nice idea, we’ll let this one slide, for now.