Music Corner
On Feb. 24, Gorillaz, a British virtual band, released a new album called “Cracker Island” inspired by their relocation to Silver Lake, California. “Cracker Island” is loosely based around a quasi-religious cult, which seems only tangentially connected to the themes of the two main tracks, “Oil” and “Silent Running.” “Cracker Island” didn’t do as well as though despite the various prominent artists that were featured. This album featured many of California’s favorite artists such as Stevie Nicks, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny and Thundercat. Despite these artists bringing attention to this band, the record didn’t have the pop of modern music I was hoping for. The record seemed just like regular Gorillaz, as usual. The diversity that the other singers were supposed to bring to this album didn’t seem notable enough to make a change to their style of music. Most Gorillaz album releases come with an underlying concept attached, although the concept on this album feels more vague and disconnected from the music in their most recent songs. However, the loose narrative structure suits both creative and modern music lovers. Albarn, the creator of Gorillaz, seems unburdened by his fearlessness to live up to a concept. They show time and time again why they remain relevant so far into their career, whereas other artists might start to die down. Even though their music can be repetitive in sound, this band that was once considered sitting out on the periphery of pop is now defining the present and inspiring the future. This album had its ups and downs, but overall it was disappointing because there was nothing special about it, especially since I was looking forward to hearing how new the artists would spice up this Gorillaz album.
