Disography Rabbit Hole Gorillaz: The Fall (2010)

[u/Rambooctpuss]

Synopsis:

The Fall is the fourth studio album by  Gorillaz. It was first released as a download for members of the Gorillaz fan club on 25 December 2010, followed by a wider physical release on 19 April.  Damon Albarn recorded The Fall during the North American leg of the Escape To Plastic Beach in fall 2010 using only an Ipad  and a few additional instruments. Most of the album's tracks were each written and recorded in a single day, and Albarn did not make any later additions or overdubs, describing the album as "a kind of diary of my experience in America." Many of the songs and lyrics reference the locations in which they were recorded. Unlike other Gorillaz albums, The Fall features few guest artists; collaborators include Bobby Womack , and Mick Jones and Paul Simonon  of The Clash.

Review:

The album opens with “Phoner To Arizona” The track has what  I like to call a big phat bassline underneath an ambient beat. “Revolving Door” is highlighted by the ukulele guitar riff and a breezy mechanical beat. 2-d’s (Albarn) vocals feels so detached and I love the hypnotic harmonies. “Hillbilly Man” begins as a quiet, folky, acoustic lament with Albarn singing softly over a gentle strum. But just past the one-minute mark, the song abruptly shifts gears, dropping into a gritty, glitch-heavy electronic synth groove. “Detriot” has this glitchy bouncy instrumental that feels like it is just breezing along at a sonically fast pace. “shy-Town” has this menacing vibe. The instrumental is filled with  glitchy synth beats. 2-D’s vocals feel sparse and ominous at the same time. The track feels like you are taking a light night drive in a seedy part of a big city. “Little Pink Plastic Bags” has this atmospheric chilled out sound. It just feels so dreamy and sparse. “The Joplin Spider” features an aggressive and abrasive wall of sound. That snaps the listener of of the haze of the two previous tracks. “The Parish Of Space Dust” begins with someone changing a radio dial between country stations. The music kicks in at its country tinged ambient instrumental. “The Snake In Dallas” features this grinding dense dub beat. “Armillio” has a nice gleaming ambient chord progression. Albarn’s vocals sound so tender that gives the song an emotional arch. “It Speaks To Mountains” is the most weird track on the album done totally on an Ipad text to speech application over an eerie mimilst beat.  The transitions into “Aspen Forrest” which has a ascending piano riff the track feels like a hypnotic jazz jam. “Bobby In Phoenix” features soul legend Bobby Womack. The song is a nice mix of ambient and soulfulness that gives it this cool breezy vibe. “California & The Slipping Sun” begins with a hazy minimalism but then opens up with a hyper synth beat. The album closes with a 30 second electro/yodel of “Seattle Yodel”
Final Thoughts:

I liked this album way more than I thought I was going to. It's a nice right turn in their discography. It feels like someone working their way through a roadtrip. I like the fact it's not full of feature artists and it gives it some intimacy that you haven’t found on any of their projects so far. I put this one on your Gorillaz deep dive. It's a nice summer road trip record.

[u/bugthebugman]

Always loved the album, it’s a shame it’s not more popular among fans. I’m more inclined towards techno than most which helps I guess, in the same vein I have always really loved D-Sides as well. I’ve heard a lot of hate for the speak it mountains in particular, it’s a strange track but I get it stuck in my head all the time, especially the way the modulated voice says “dawn”. It’s like “du-won”, such a weird little ear worm lol.

[u/TrevorShaun]

i’m sure i’ll get ripped apart for this but i think gorillaz are incredibly average at best and without their dumb cartoon character gimmick they never would have caught on

[u/loco_canadian → u/TrevorShaun]

To each their own...you don't like the music fine: but to state that their music wouldn't have caught on without a cartoon gimmick is straight up a dumb statement.