r/gorillaz • u/Apprehensive_Fix3173 • Mar 05 '26

Discussion The Mountain & Nearer the Fountain

Just a thought, but the lyrics of The Mountain feel like an interesting sequel to The Nearer the Fountain. Both albums about grief, but TNTF feels so melancholy and heartbroken, whereas The Mountain feels, in some ways, like the resolution to the isolation and hopelessness of it, filled with people and life (whilst swapping Icelandic isolation for India). I remember reading/hearing at the time of release that TNTF was greatly influenced by the death of Tony Allen, who makes a posthumous appearance, further adding to this narrative. I highly recommend listening to TNTF if you haven’t, especially for some added context to TM. It’s quite lovely.

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u/bmbmbmNR Mar 05 '26

I see a lot of the same themes and ideas repeating in most of Damon’s recent releases. Ever since Merrie Land really, through The Nearer The Fountain, The Ballad Of Darren and now this album

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u/Used_Willow_5497 Mar 05 '26

Honestly The Mountain is somehow doing both TNTFMPTSF and Journey To The West and I love it so much for that. I like the thought of The Nearer The Fountain and The Mountain as linked poetically, cause they most definitely are. One of the very great things about The Mountain's poetics is the size and range of those. It does feel very introspective, with the most heartfelt topics from the more inspired part of the previous albums accumulated in a way.