Fitting into the genres of synth-pop, funk, and psychedelic pop, the British virtual band Gorillaz released their 6th studio album on June 29th, 2018 titled The Now Now. Released to some mixed reviews, I am here to review the album myself.
This is an album meant to “reach far corners of main-stage fields” said Apple Music, mixed with the naturally scratchy sound of each track, giving off the sense of it being played on a record player. The collection brings together an album with a melancholy feel to each song. This album, and others that I may do in the future,will be graded on 5 key points: transitions between songs, lyrics, melody, featured artists, and cohesiveness/flow.
By listening to the first 3 tracks of the album, you will realize a major issue this album lacks, transitions. Whether they’re too obscure to notice, or not being present at all, going from one song to the next feels like an abrupt skip to the next song with nothing there to ease you into it. If you want an album with great transitions, go listen to “TEC” by Lil Tecca, and you will see what I am talking about.
The point of transitions also goes hand in hand with cohesiveness/flow. However, the album gains some lost points back when you look at this category because many songs in this album flow very well together such as “Humility,” “Tranz,” and “One Percent.” All three of the songs, and others present in the album, display a somber, melancholy tone that gives off a natural record playing feel. But no album is perfect in this aspect, with songs like “Hollywood” throwing off the entire flow by being a rap song that follows the more bubbly song “Tranz.”
Looking at the next two points that go together, lyrics and melody, this album is so close to being perfect in both categories, but falls just short. Songs like “Idaho,” “Humility,” and “Sorcererz” are prime examples of a song with great lyrics and even better melodies. Exerting a feeling of airiness that seems to forget about the stresses of life, each song presents you with an enjoyable few minutes. Where this album falls short of being perfect lies with the third song of the album “Hollywood.” With rap lyrics that do not go together at all, and seem to be just frankensteined together. This song drags, not only within itself, but the whole album too. In an album with so many highs, having a song like the clunky and unorganized “Hollywood” leaves a big dent in its overall grade.
Coming in at 41 minutes across 11 songs and with features by George Benson, Snoop Dogg, and Jamie Principle, I give Gorillaz “The Now Now” a 7.5/10. With it being my favorite album released by Gorillaz, and having my favorite song, “Humility,” it hurts to give that kind of score, but it is hard to look past the lack of transitions between songs, 2 of the 3 features being less than ideal, and the song “Hollywood” being such a let down for the rest of the album. With only 11 songs one really bad song can leave a big impact on the rest of the album.
Now I would like to express that this is just my opinion. Certain songs/albums can appeal to some people but not to others, and if you have any album that you’d like me to review, feel free to email me a [email protected].
