CD of The Week

Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s animated group, Gorillaz, have returned with their ninth studio album, The Mountain. The album follows the fictional band members as they escape to India for a break from international stardom. While there, they immerse themselves in a new culture and focus on “mystical music-making.”

While the tip-of-the-iceberg concept might seem to borrow from The Beatles’ trip to India in 1968 - they sought a break from international stardom to study Transcendental Meditation with the Maharishi - the unfortunate truth behind much of the inspiration for The Mountain comes from both Albarn and Hewlett losing their fathers within 10 days of each other. As Albarn noted in an interview with the NME, “India is a very interesting place to carry grief, because they have a very positive outlook on death.” He was able to appreciate life and recontextualize loss by being involved in a cremation ceremony and spreading some of his father’s ashes in the Ganges.

The theme of death is woven throughout The Mountain in a tastefully unsubtle way. Not only do the songs themselves grapple with spiritualism through loss, but Albarn also used archival recordings to collaborate with musicians from beyond the grave. A clip of Nigerian-Ghanaian drummer Tony Allen introduces “The Hardest Thing.” Rapper Proof from Detroit’s D12 is present on “Manifesto,” a track that blends elements of Indian music and Reggaeton while adding signature Gorillaz electronic production. Lou Reed, Dennis Hopper, Mark E Smith of The Fall, Trugoy the Dove from De La Soul, and Bobby Womack also make posthumous appearances.

Albarn and Hewlett also welcomed collaborations with still-living artists running the gamut of genres. Anoushka Shankar’s sitar and Ajay Prasanna’s flute open the album with its title track, introducing melodies that will weave throughout the rest of the album and ultimately reprise in the closer, “The Sad God.” 92-year-old Indian singer Asha Bhosle sings in Hindi in “The Shadowy Light,” lamenting of crossing the waters to the other side, where there is no sorrow. Lead single “The Happy Dictator” features the iconic duo Sparks, delivering the perfect Sparks-Gorillaz mashup we never knew we needed. “God of Lying” sees Gorillaz partner with IDLES to ask hard-hitting questions like, “Are you happy with your housing?” and “Are you defeated by the headlines or does your head not hear at all?” Johnny Marr adds his guitar to Shankar’s sitar in “The Empty Dream Machine, “The Plastic Guru,” “The Sweet Prince,” and is joined by The Clash’s Paul Simonon in “Casablanca.”

The Mountain brings us a sonically diverse experience that could only be conceived of and executed by Damon Albarn and Jaime Hewlett. It transcends genres and catches us off guard with blurred styles, collaborating with friends both living and dead. Once again pushing the boundaries of musical styles, Albarn shows us the healing that can come from a fresh perspective.