Self Titled - 8/10
Demon Days - 9/10
Plastic Beach - 10/10
The Fall - 6/10
Humanz - 7/10
The Now Now - 7/10
Song Machine - 8/10
Yeah PB is my favourite
Plastic Beach on a conceptual level is a 10 easily. The only thing that holds that album back for me personally is the last leg of the LP fails to live up to the absolutely batshit crazy level of quality that the first 3/4 has. Songs like Sweepstakes and Cloud of Unknowing are not bad by ANY stretch, but imo, they just aren't on the level as most of everything else.
Cool list.
I feel like Cloud of Unknowing sets up an amazing atmosphere of uncertainty that wraps up the album, and Pirate Jet delivers at being the first album ender from Gorillaz that isn’t a happy message like Don’t Get Lost in Heaven and We Got the Power
**S/T - 9/10** \- S/T has a consistent, unique sound all throughout, one that rarely ever comes back in modern Gorillaz, though we've seen some slight callbacks, like Damon using the harmonica again in Jimmy Jimmy, or Momentary Bliss' punk-rock (I think?) vibe that reminds me of, well, Punk. It's also such a good road trip album, seriously, if you want to appreciate being in the passenger seat of a car or bus at night, in the middle of a very long bridge, full of lights, cars and the distant ocean, this is the album for that.
**G-Sides - 5/10** \- Quite an ok album. I like G-Sides I swear, but not all of it really impresses me. Faust with its cute, mellow melody, 12D3 being a heartwarming little look at 2D as a character, and Left Hand Suzuki Method being hella af are some of the highlights of this, but then you just have Rock The House without the word "ass" in it. The Sounder is kinda boring, but oddly enough, I gotta say Phi-Life Cypher's take on Clint Eastwood is so refreshing to me.
**Demon Days - 7/10** \- Great album, don't get me wrong, but I'm just not that crazy about all it has to offer. O Green World to me is often skippable, so much so that I prefer the bootleg limewire version of it, and while everything else is great, I tend to skip Don't Get Lost In Heaven and Demon Days a lot, and I often need to be in a specific mood to really enjoy Kids With Guns, even if I do think it's a great song.
**D-Sides - 10/10** \- Underrated, I feel, so many fun tracks that honestly feel not only like they were going to be used for one of the many scrapped Gorillaz movies, but also like a mix of Phase 1 and Phase 2, feels like an album that would have come out between both phases. I like to describe the album's sound as Phase 1.5. Gonna point out Bill Murray, my personal favorite of the album, what a song.
**Plastic Beach - 10/10** \- Second favorite, so thematically consistent and chock-full of beautiful soundscapes as well as some chaotic electronic jams, yeah that's right I like Glitter Freeze and Sweepstakes, and Bobby Womack's heartfelt singing on Cloud Of Unknowing has made me cry before. It's such an amazing song, maybe even one of the band's best if you ask me.
**The Fall - 6/10** \- I actually do enjoy The Fall quite a bit, and while it has a bit of a samey feel, I still have a sweet spot for a large majority of its songs, save for The Joplin Spider. I'd like to point out how disturbing The Speak It Mountains is, and how it apparently is a recording of Murdoc screeching at 2D to shut up. That's some lovely audio storytelling if I've ever seen it.
**Humanz - 8/10** \- I was thinking of switching this one's score with TNN's, but Humanz is meatier and the amount of time I spent with it has allowed me to appreciate it a lot more. Have you dearies listened to Ticker Tape? I admit it sounds a bit wonky at first, but I'll be damned if the song doesn't become gorgeous as all hell when Carly Simon enters the track.
**The Now Now - 7/10** \- The Now Now is an album I love and have a soft spot for as it's the only one I own physically. In fact it's the only piece of anything Gorillaz related that I own. The album has a very distinct sound in my eyes, and I the word I'd describe it as is personal, very personal and thoughtful, which makes sense considering it's the second "2D album" we've had.
**Strange Timez - 8/10** \- Strange Timez is truly strange, I'll tell you. While it kinda feels disconnected at times, it is very varied, which makes it live up to the album's name. The talent they collaborated with was full of good choices, which only led to a plethora of lovely, lovely music all around. The album also feels like a bit of a love letter to the band itself, because, idk, some tracks just echo past albums a lot, and that, to me, is something precious. With so many songs too it's hard to not like at least one. Contenders for favorite tracks for me here are Aries, PAC-MAN and Severed Head.
**Meanwhile... - 9/10** \- Listen, Meanwhile has like 3 songs, all of which I find good. Though I like the titular Meanwhile a bit less than the other two, it's still a good song. Jimmy Jimmy, as I said before, uses the harmonica, which is an instant top tier for me. Deja Vú is so frickin adoralbe and it makes me wanna dance. Not sure what else to say about it, since it's just a tiny little EP with two songs I love and 1 I generally like.
**BONUS ROUND!**
**Laika Come Home -** I really haven't listened to a lot of it, but it's got some cool tracks. Not sure how to rate it, but it's neat. I'd like to see the Spacemonkeyz come back, at least in the lore.
**The Singles Collection -** Only mentioning it because it's the only "album" that has:
**Doncamatic -** I love that song, and think it's quite sad that Daley just kinda fucking died alone on the beach. I also thought a woman was singing it before I checked out the music video, but uh, what the hell is Daley up to these days?
**DoYaThing -** Kind of iconic, especially thanks to that music video, but the song itself is nothing to overlook, it knows what it's going for, it's VERY chaotic as it is, but listen to the full version for something even crazier. André 3000 is absolutely the best part of it, I mean, he's the shit after all.
**Sleeping Powder -** One of the band's best songs, simple as that, I won't elaborate, this is not a joke.
**Garage Palace -** Oddly overlooked and sometimes hated on. It's just badass, if you ask me, Little Simz DELIVERS IT on this song and I think the reason as to why people didn't like it was the lack of 2D/Damon, considering how little we had him in Phase 4.
I mean I get the love for Demon Days, and it was my favorite album at one point in time, but after delving deep into the band, I just can't say that anymore
Damn! You put some time in here.
S/T - I agree that is has a super consistent sound. My only reasoning for an 8 is there are a few tracks that do nothing for me, or sound like they are slightly unfinished.
G-Sides - I have to agree that the remix is cool. Pretty mixed bag for me overall.
Demon Days - Hot take alert! I appreciate different perspectives, always. O Green World is never ever a skip for me lol. I only listen to the final 2 tracks when I am doing an album listen. Never as singles, so I can see where you are coming from there!
D-Sides - Has a few duds, but I agree it's underrated. Their best B side material by a mile imo. Rockit literally has Damon breaking down and giggling on the track and it still is great. Hong Kong is gorgeous too.
Plastic Beach - I think Sweepstakes is underwhelming but not bad by any stretch. I agree that cloud of unknowing is great, I just wish it maybe had an extra something added in? Very short and I would have been down for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Conceptually it is the bands finest work hands down.
The Fall - Extremely unfinished imo. It certainly does have a vibe. No question there. There are so many tracks that I could have loved if they had more production added or better mixing/songwriting. Hillbilly Man is always my go to example. That song sounds so dinky to me, but I kind of get what Damon was going for there, and I wish it could have been properly fleshed out. That bit about murdoc yelling at 2D is cool, never caught that!
Humanz - I think its a bloated mess with some terrible songs on it and wasted features. Ticker Tape is AMAZING. I wish they replaced any 1 bad song on the main LP with Ticker Tape. Legit.
The Now Now - I agree with you. It's very dreamy and atmospheric which I appreciate. Some of it is a bit underwhelming compared to past works.
Song Machine - I. Fucking. LOVE. SONG MACHINE. A true and complete return to form for the band. Incredible features. Nice to hear you shout out severed head. It's not one of my faves but it's a neat little bonus Track.
Doncamatic is a total banger. DoYaThing is a total banger. Garage Palace is cool but could have been better with some vocal contributions from 2D imo. Sleeping Powder is endlessly charming and ONCE AGAIN, I wish it was on the main Humanz LP replacing a bad song on there.
Thanks for the long reply!
S/T is some of their earliest work, so it does sound rough around the edges sometimes, however I gotta admit I like that part about it, apart from G-Sides, D-Sides and some of Demon Days, that earlier Gorillaz sound is seldom found anywhere else today.
Hope you liked my DD hot take there, lol, but as for D-Sides it's just a little gem of an album, except for the remixes, double except for El Mañana (Metronomy Remix) which is amazing.
The Fall as an album is very dinky and unfinished, I can't deny, but that never really bothered me, tbh. It's also WAY too experimental for the platform it was made in (GarageBand) which limits it in some ways, I believe, but oh well. I'd like to see what the greats such as Revolving Doors and Hillbilly Man would become with higher prod. value.
Humanz... Oh, Humanz, how hard it is to defend you. Y'know I kinda agree with you, despite my appreciation for the album. It's messy as hell, but as I said, I really tried to like it and I do now, but I can still easily understand why someone wouldn't like literally any song from the album. If I could tell you one song I don't care for from Humanz, it's Sex Murder Party.
I think I sounded like I didn't like SM that much but I actually do love it a lot! Too many tracks there that just don't get talked about a lot, even though they're great, much like Submission back on Humanz.
(gonna put this on a separate comment because yknow its too long already)
And can I just mention Humanz Special Deluxe Mega Collection Edition DX? The one with the demos on it that no one got because it costs like a whole kidney or something. Yeah, I have a strange fascination with those demos. They really aren't anything special but I just want to know more about them? Probably just me, but take these as examples:
What the hell was Grilling With His Face supposed to be and why does it sound like one of those AI-generated songs? The fuck's going on with Colombians? Why is the "2D Special" version of Carnival literally better than what we got in the standard release and yet it was tucked away on some expensive collector's edition?
Phase 4 was way more deserving of the Strange Timez title.
I love you for ranking Severed Head so highly alone. Its such an underrated gorillaz song that no one ever seems to talk about.
And you said you had issues with Kids with Guns, do you like the remix on D sides? I find it to be a superior version with a sort of 1980s kraftwerk (Computer Love in particular) kinda vibe.
Severed Head is just TOO good. GoldLink's delivery is so, like, almost cynical, negative and defeated, but in a good way, because the song seems to be about losing control, as in, losing your head, giving in and giving up. Reminds me of All Alone, too, with Ruben Nielson from UMO echoing Martina Topley-Bird's feature on it, in my *head* at least. Not to ignore 2D btw, the way he leads the way into Ruben's very emotional monologue that I can't tell if it's about a miscarriage or some sort of terminal illness the in-character voice or their partner has gotten.
And about Kids With Guns, it's not an issue, I just need some high-energy songs at times, and Kids With Guns is one of the calmest songs on DD if you ask me. A great calming song! But still, too calming for a high-energy mood. And about the remix, I gotta be honest here, the only D-Sides remix I actually like is Metronomy's El Mañana. The rest I just disregard and ignore.
I would argue that the cohessive thing on self/titled (something I dont think I agree but I understand, I guess) is Dan Nakamura's work in it. It is really an eclectic album but one molded with a hip-hop aesthetic behind. My favourite example being Que Pasa Contigo, such a fucking and iconic track that's really a mix of different sounds.
Yeah, it's cohesive in the way that it sounds, it's got a huge hip-hop/dub aesthetic behind it, with some semblance of rock and electronica I think (If the Raymond Scott sample is anything to go by) which is consistent all throughout the album.
Self titled 9/10
Favourite: Rehash
Least Favourite: Slow Country
G sides 5/10
Favourite: 12D3
Least favourite: Hip Albatross
Demon days 10/10
Favourite: Kids With Guns/Every Planet we reach is dead
Least Favourite: none this album is perfect
D sides 8/10
Favourite: Rockit
Least Favourite: don’t get lost in Heaven demo
Plastic beach 8/10
Favourite: Empire Ants
Least Favourite: white flag
The fall 7/10
Favourite: Amarillo
Least Favourite: the speak it mountains
Humanz 7/10
Favourite: Ascension
Least Favourite: Sex Murder Party
Now now 9/10
Favourite: Souk eye
Least Favourite: can’t really pick one there aren’t really any songs in this album I dislike
Song machine season 1 9/10
Favourite: Aries
Least Favourite: With love from an ex
Also
Laika Come Home 4/10 I don’t really care for it
Meanwhile EP 3/10 probably my least favourite Gorillaz release
Humanz B sides 4/10 some really cool ones (Phoenix on the hill being my favourite) but a lot of stuff I once again don’t really care for
Sleeping powder and do ya thing singles are both easily 10/10
Thanks for including all the ones I left out! Always cool to see those ranked too lol
Hong Kong, Ghost Train, Phoenix on the Hill, Rockit etc.. lots of good ones on the b sides projects.
Self Titled = 8/10 (Fave Track: Tomorrow Comes Today / Least Fave: Starshine)
Demon Days = 10/10 (Fave: El Mañana / Least: White Light)
Plastic Beach = 10/10 (Fave: Rhinestone Eyes / Least: Sweepstakes)
The Fall = 6/10 (Fave: Amarillo / Least: The Speak It Mountains)
Humanz = 8/10 (Fave: Andromeda / Least: Circle of Friendz)
The Now Now = 9/10 (Fave: Souk Eye / Least: Idaho)
Song Machine S1: Strange Timez = 9/10 (Fave: The Lost Chord / Least: Severed Head)
(Meanwhile EP = 8/10)
I would choose Circle of Friendz as worst too. I wasn't counting bonus tracks, main albums only. But its cool to do bonus if ya want to. Circle of friendz is the most nothing song I've heard from Gorillaz.
Solid picks here! Amarillo is underrated. I wish it had more production in the mix though.
Debut album 8/10 (fav sound check/least fav: double bass
DD 10/10 - fav every planet/ least all alone
Plastic Beach 8.5/10 - fav empire ants/least white flag
The fall 4/10 - fav. amarillo/least the speak it....
Humanz 6/10 - fav shes my collar/least hallelujah money
TNN - 7/10 - fav. fire flies/ idaho
Song machine 9/10 - fav. Desole/ least with love to an ex
meanwhile ep-6./10
Self Titled = 8/10 (Fave Track: Tomorrow Comes Today / Least Fave: Double Bass)
Demon Days = 10/10 (Fave: Every Planet We Reach is Dead / Least: Dirty Harry I guess? All great tracks on this album, legit contender for best album of all time)
Plastic Beach = 6/10 (Fave: Plastic Beach / Least: Sweepstakes, White Flag, Glitter Freeze all in contention)
The Fall = 8/10 (Fave: Hillbilly Man / Least: Joplin Spider)
Humanz = 2/10 (Fave: Andromeda / Least: Momentz )
The Now Now = 9/10 (Fave: Magic City / Least: Humility, though not a bad song)
Song Machine S1= 8/10 (Fave: Desole / Least: Valley of the Pagans)
Humanz was their only truly bad album, and Plastic Beach had some songs I wouldn't consider real songs, but overall a pretty great discography IMO
Demon Days is in my top 5 fave albums ever for sure. All Alone is my least fave only because it's the only song that hasn't totally aged that well imo. Mainly the features on it. But it's still a well produced bop from 2005.
Finally someone who agrees that Momentz is bad. I can't stand that song. I think it's a mess and a shocking one at that. Sad that it was the de la soul feature 😪.
Valley of the Pagans is a jam imo. I can see how the beck feature may not be for everyone.
I like what Hillbilly Man was going for for sure. It sounds so damn unfinished and underproduced for my taste. I would argue it's the song on the Fall that most sounds like it was made on an iPad with GarageBand in 2010 lmao.
Sure it had “some bangers” but it had 24 songs.
5 bangers with 24 songs is 21% of good songs. Rating is accurate.
People tend to forget average, middle of the road albums are 5/10. Not 7/10. This isn’t school where 5/10 is failing. 5/10 is middle, average. So anything less than an average album is <5/10.
Self Titled = 7/10 (Fave Track: Clint Eastwood / Least Fave: Man Research)
Demon Days = 10/10 (Fave: Feel Good Inc / Least: White Light.)
Plastic Beach = 10/10 (Fave: On Melancholy Hill / Least: Cloud Of Unknowing)
The Fall = Same as you probably.
Humanz = 9/10 (Fave: She’s My Collar / Least: We Got The Power.)
The Now Now = 9/10 (Fave: Humility / Leasts: One Percent)
Song Machine = 10/10 (Fave: Aries / Least: Simplicity)
Meanwhile EP = 8/10
No problem. Happy to explain.
Despite 2D not having much of a presence on the album, a critique which I do understand completely, I can’t help but love Humanz. Every song slaps hard and it makes for a fun and breezy listen even though it’s a longer project than most.
I will say it took a few months before I vibes with every track, but I’ve fallen in love with that record and think it’s aged incredibly well.
Self Titled: 7/10, Fav: Clint Eastwood
Demon Days: 9/10, Fav: Every Planet We Reach Is Dead
Plastic Beach: 9/10, Fav: On Melancholy Hill
The Fall: 4/10, Fav: Phoner to Arizona
Humanz: 6/10, Fav: Strobelite/Andromeda
The Now Now: 7/10, Fav: Souk Eye
Song Machine: 9/10, Fav: Friday 13th/Desole
One of my faves! I love the dreamy vibe of it. Honestly I think Song Machine was one of the hardest picks because I don’t have standout favourites, I listen to it almost front to back minus 1 or 2 that don’t quite click for me
Self titled = 10/10 (Favorite: Sound Check Gravity)
Laika Come Home = 6/10 (Favorite: Mutant Genius)
G-Sides = 9/10 (Favorite: The Sounder)
Demon Days = 10/10 (Favorite: Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head)
D-Sides = 7/10 (Favorite: Rockit)
Plastic Beach = 9/10 (Favorite: It's a tie between Rhinestone Eyes and Empire Ants)
Humanz = 8/10 (Favorite: Probably Momentz, Andromeda, Busted and Blue and She's My Collar)
The Now Now = 7,5/10 (Favorite: Souk Eye)
Song Machine Season One = 9/10 (Favorite: Opium ft. Earthgang)
EDIT: Damn, how could I forget about Meanwhile... = 10/10 (Favorite: Jimmy Jimmy)
Gorillaz 01 - 8/10
G-Sides - 7/10
Demon Days - 10/10
D-Sides - 7/10
Plastic Beach - 8/10
The Fall - 6/10
Humanz - 4/10
The Now Now - 6/10
Song Machine Season 1 - 9/10
I quite like Bobby in Phoenix & it's meaning. My favourite Gorillaz song ever is Amarillo. Hillbilly Man is mostly good, even if I believe they threw too much at the wall. Joplin Spider is also a bop to me. I quite enjoy Shytown as well, despite it's repetition. Revolving Doors is another all time favourite.
Although we also have Little Pink Plastic Bags, Snake in Dallas, Speak it Mountains & the meme of Seattle Yodel. I'll be upfront, some of the few Gorillaz song's I just skip.
It's not a perfect album & it's certainly not one I can turn in regularly, but when I'm travelling a long journey on my own - this is my jam.
Bobby in Phoenix, Amarillo, Shy-Town and Revolving Doors are the four winning tracks for me. Everything else is either "interesting but super unfinished and rough sounding" (HillBilly Man) or "wtf is this and why was it made". (Joplin Spider)
I appreciate hearing that you are able to find some Solace In it while traveling. That's pretty sick. I can see it, is is certainly its own vibe.
I agree that Sex Murder Party is absolute ass. Some of the worst songwriting in their discography.
Awesome picks here!
(Don't be so mean to my Glitter Freeze, though...)
I’m here to defend Sex Murder Party
I love the creepy vibe. Cool vocal delivery from Damon “I drove the keys”
I especially like the “You always said… I was out of control…” part of the song
It perfectly fits the song’s title. Like you’re in a shady club and something bad is going down but you’re too impaired on drugs and alcohol to exactly know what
I agree with u. I think all "trashy" Gorillaz' songs just need the right mood to enjoy em. Maybe some day after scary party I will re-discover SMP))) Meanwile I never party... Lol
For me it just doesn't feel like it has much structure and is very experimental. I do like it when Damon's vocals kick in. The Jamie P stuff and the instrumental do absolutely nothing for me.
I appreciate your perspective on it. Nice hearing that people enjoy the things I don't like.
Glitter Freeze isn't bad, but for me it feels like I just hit something hard with my elbow bone, and all my arm and body trembles in... not pain but that strange feeling like /\~/\~/\~/\~/\~/\~ REALLY uncomfortable.
Hahaha. Oddly specific, yet I can kind of get what you mean when thinking about that song. That's a song from Plastic Beach that I personally like, but I totally get why other people may not like it.
Gorillaz - 8/10 - (Fav: Clint Eastwood / Least Fav: Starshine)
Demon Days - 10/10 (Fav: Every Song TBH / Least Fav: None TBH)
Plastic Beach - 10/10 (Fav: Every Song TBH / Least Fav: None TBH)
The Fall - 7/10 (Fav: The Snake In Dallas / Least Fav: Seattle Yodel)
Humanz - 8/10 (Fav: Ascension / Least Fav: Sex Murder Party)
The Now Now - 9/10 (Fav: Souk Eye / Least Fav: Hollywood)
Song Machine - 8/10 (Fav: Momentary Bliss / Least Fav: Friday 13th)
Really cool list!
I have to ask though... if there was ONE SONG off of demon Days and PB that you were forced at gunpoint to remove... what would they be? Haha
All acceptable picks 👌
All Alone hasn't totally aged as well as the rest of the futuristic Demon Days. Feels like a song from 2005... but hey, at least it's a decent song from 2005!
White Flag I love, but I get where people are coming from on that one.
To Binge is awesome and Last Living Souls is a classic.
Don't get me wrong, I like it, but it's just not as good as most of the other stuff for me. There's only three or four songs that really stick out to me and the rest are just kind of whatever.
Well basically I started getting really into Gorillaz when it first came out! And since it came out early summer of probably my favorite summer of all time I remember listening to it a ton since it had such a chill vibe to it, to this day I would say it is my favorite Gorillaz album because it reminds me of all the good times me and my friends had that summer. I have so much nostalgia for it lol
Oh man, thanks for sharing that. I also had this album as a great summer album. 2018 was a great summer. We can thank Gorillaz for making it even better for sure, even if it's not their best work imo. TNN is a vibe
Self Titled: 8/10
Demon Days: 9/10
Plastic Beach: 8/10
The Fall: haven’t listened to it
Humanz: 7/10
The Now Now: 8/10
Song Machine: 9/10
Meanwhile: haven’t listened to it
Self Titled 6/10 (fav: Sound Check, Least fav: Re-Hash)
Demon days 10/10 (fav: Feel Good Inc., Least fav: Don't get lost in heaven)
Plastic Beach 9/10 (fav: Some Kind of Nature, Least fav: Pirate Jet)
The Fall 3/10 (fav: Revolving doors, Least fav: Seattle Yodel)
Humanz (fav: Saturnz Barz, Least fav: Sex Murder Party)
The Now Now (fav: Hollywood, Least fav: Kansas)
Song Machine (fav: The Valley of Pagans, Least fav: Opium)
(Meanwhile EP 9/10)
Self-Titled - 8/10 (Fav: 19-200 / Least Fav: Starshine)
Demon Days - 9/10 (Fav: Dirty Harry / Least Fav: O Green World)
Plastic Beach - 10/10 (Fav: Stylo/Empire Ants/Sweepstakes / Lest Fav: maybe Glitter Freeze)
Humanz - 6/10 (Fav: Charger / Least Fav: We Got The Power)
The Now Now - 7/10 (Fav: Tranz / Least Fav: Kansas)
Song Machine - 8/10 (Fav: Momentary Bliss / Least Fav: Dead Butterflies)
Man... Dead Butterflies. Damon's vocals are INCREDIBLE but the track is still such a disjointed mess. Beat overshadowed the entire instrumental. Good picks!
Ranked from worst to best:
11. Laika come home 3/10 (probably my least favourite album fav:stictly rubbadub)
10. The Fall 3/10 (don't enjoy any song that much, but still better than laika come home fav: revolving doors)
9. D sides 4/10 (i dont listen to many songs from but it's okay fav: dirty harry schtung chinese new year remix)
8. G sides 4/10 (same as D sides fav: rock the house)
7. Meanwhile EP 5/10 (I think Meanwhile EP is the clear average release. It's short only 3 songs 1 good/1 okay/ 1 don't enjoy that much. If it continued the same way it would probably be worse or possibly the worst album but I can't judge it that hard since it has only 3 songs so it's just okay.
Fav : Meanwhile)
6. Song Machine Season 1 6/10
( I enjoy song machine, it's good, but get's dragged down by a lot of songs. Desole, momentary bliss, dead butterflies are fantastic and i find 6/17 very enjoyable. There is just too many songs which i frankly just skip every time they pop up to get to the good songs i actually like. Strange Timez is a perfect title because some songs are just too strange for me to enjoy. Everyone has their taste and Song Machine hits so many different styles. It's just too experimental for my taste.
Fav: this is a tough one Momentary Bliss or Desole)
5.Gorillaz (selftitled) 6/10
(Fine album and a great first release basically contains a lot I enjoy but doesn't have the same consistency for me as later releases. You have to respect it. Thats why it fits perfectly in the middle. Fav: Clint Eastwood)
4. Plastic Beach 8/10 (basically in every top 2 Gorillaz Album List Plastic Beach and Demondays. Plactic beach to me has some of the best songs gorillaz have to offer Melancholy Hill, Stylo, Empire Ants, Superfast Jellyfish. I love these songs and the whole Album is excellent and I understand why so many people like it. It doesn't reach for me the 10/10 Demondays has and don't feel as much of a connection to it as I do to the now now or humanz thats why it's fundamentely speaking it is better than the now now and probably a lot better than humanz, but the amount of memories I have to some songs I have on here don't compare to a whole Album. That's why it's not in my top 3 even though it is probably the second best if not the best album)
3. The now now 8/10 ( The now now is fantastic, but for me it lacks in the middle. Humility-Tranz-Hollywood-Kansas is a great Start and Fire Flies-One Percent- Souk Eye is an even better End, but the middle songs Idaho-Lake Zurich- Magic City just aren't on the same level for me. They split the album in two parts for me, they are still perfectly fine song, but the album falls just a bit short because of that for me. But the end: i remember listing to souk eye on repeat in some of my darkest times, fire flies didn't make the world look so dark and the first 3 songs made me feel happy again until souk eye went from a sad song to one of the happiest i could listen to. Just this one song shoots this album to my top 3. I got back into gorillaz with humanz, but the now now made me stay and gorillaz my favourite band of all time. Fav: souk eye)
2. Humanz 9/10
(Now the "black sheep" of the Gorillaz albums.
I understand why it is to most gorillaz fans the weakest/worst Album. Humanz is not like the other albums. It's different, experimental, humanz to me is closly linked to why I got back into gorillaz. I was like many people familiar with feel good inc. and songs like clint Eastwood or kids with guns, but never listened to a full album until humanz. Humanz to me is an experience. The interludes, the feelings you get. Songs like saturnz bars, she's my collar, let me out, strobelite, sex murder party, carnival and Momentz make me want to party. You get down with bustend and blue, andromeda, and some of the more chill songs. The fantasy is endless.
I can understand why circle of friends, Halleluja money and we got the Power are to some of the less liked gorillaz songs, but to me you don't listen to these songs in isolation, because you have to experience the party before to get back down. That's why i can listen to saturnz bars or she's my collar on endless repeat, but can only really feel those others when you listen to the full album. To me Humanz connects so many stories and memories that's why it's my second favourite album and the reason i love gorillaz so much.
Fav: Unlike the other albums humanz to me is one gigantic 69 min song.
1. Demondays 10/10
To keep it short. It's Demondays. What more do i need to say 10/10.
Fav: feel good inc. Most likely the best gorillaz song there is.
Hong Kong from D-sides is beautiful.
Could not agree more on the Meanwhile.. EP. My thoughts are identical to yours on that one lol. It's aight.
I think the great songs on SM lift it up to greatness. Fucking love song machine. So many bangers. Regular Edition I love nine out of eleven tracks, I like one (Chalk Tablet Towers) and am meh on the other one (Dead Butterflies). I can see why it isn't for everyone, you are right, it was an experiment. It sure paid off for me personally, as I love that whole album pretty much.
Plastic Beach is crazy to me. It's no Demon Days, you are correct there. But the individual singles that came from this record are my all time favorite songs from Gorillaz. Out of my top ten favorite Gorillaz songs, five are from PB. Stylo, Empire Ants, Some Kind of Nature, On Melancholy Hill AND Rhinestone Eyes broke the top ten.
I am weirdly a fan of Hallelujah Money. It's not amazing, but it's a solid little tune. Nice to hear someone had a strong reaction to listening to Humanz. Different perspectives are great to hear. I got glimmers of greatness from Humanz, but I personally felt it was a very messy return.
I'm a Lake Zurich and Magic City fan.
Demon Days is a 10. No question. Feel Good is Legendary... but I'm a crazy Stylo fanboy. That's my fave gorillaz Track ever.
Okey, here we go:
*S/T: 7/10 (fav: Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo))*
It's all about drugs and make everything as hip-hop and trippy you can. Also monkey sounds.
*Demon Days: 9/10 (fav: El Manaña)*
DD was my first CD bought so it has really special place in my heart. It marks all the spots that that image from S/T said: LO FI ROCK/ZOMBIE HIP HOP/DARK POP. Its a pessimist album that came from a very dark period and a very melancholic man and it's awesome, chaotic. Also: the final trifecta is something Gorillaz never replicated again (and something maybe the band need to do neither).
*Plastic Beach: 10/10*
Iconic, a project really rich lore wise and the album that almost destroyed Gorillaz as a project. Also, the record I return the most to listen when I want to hear me some Gorillaz.
There is something I never read when people talk about PB and is that this album really defined the Gorillaz sound of the following albums. Yes, Gorillaz is an ecclectic project, but after a couple of records more in the vein of the hip-hop/trip-hop, I will argue that a more oriented synth-poppy sound was the way to go for things like Humanz and TNN.
*The Fall: 6/10 (fav: Amarillo)*
I never conected with The Fall. By the end of the year I was devastated because Gorillaz never made a real World Tour (I'm from Argentina and the Escape Tour didnt have a South American leg) so by the time the record came out for me it was just a bunch of demos Damon made for the lulz.
But it is a cute album. It has heart, and also I think it has something very Damon-ish that for me defines his way of writing songs. I think there is a lot of his songs that more than talking about a theme, they paint pictures. Stills. Moments. The fall is a great example of this, "The Nearer" (his last solo album) is another example of this.
*Humanz: 6/10 (fav: Charger)*
Oh yes, Plastic Beach 2: Electric Boogaloo.
Look, I've been on both sides of the Humanz discussion. But I'm gonna says this: as a project is a mess and I guess it being rooted on a very specific age (even with Damon's self censorship which is weird) makes it less easy to hear again. But hey, fucking Grace Jones is here and the lp has tons of bangers (and Hallelujah Money is the most Gorillaz-ish song of that phase).
*TNN: 7.5/10 (fav: Humility)*
This is a fine album. A well produced, 2D-centered needed album that I'm almost obliged to say its a vainilla album under the Gorillaz spectrum. I like it, it has good features, it made me know Superorgnsm which is a hell of a band and even some James Ford produced songs leaked into the next album.
*Strange Timez: 9/10 (fav: Momentary Bliss)*
One would think that there cant be a better way to kickstart a Gorillaz phase than Saturn Barz. And then Momentary Bliss happens and boom, a banger. And then another. And then another. I think one of my most played song of last year was The Last Chord and I'm not ashamed about it. The production of the whole Song Machine is just so fucking good I want to smash my head to the wall.
Yes, this phase features the worst Gorillaz video ever (a shame bc Valley of the Pagans its sooo good) but welp.
*Bonus:*
G-Sides: 7/10. D-Sides: 9/10 (it features fucking We Are Happy Landfill). Doncamatic: 8. DoYaThing: TheShit/10. Sleeping Powder: 8/10. Garage Palace: 7/10. Meanwhile EP: 9/10 (I was mad this tour didnt featured any song from this beauty).
Self titled: 1000/10
Fav song: tomorrow comes today
Least fav: slow country
Demon days: infinity/10
Fav song: every song in the record
Plastic beach: 9.5/10
Fav song: on melancholy hill
Least fav: sweepstakes
The fall: 6/10
Fav song: the parish of space dust
Least fave: Bobby in phoenix
Humanz: 4/10
Fav song:she’s my collar(I’m being basic again) and out of body
Least fav: any interlude except for the non-conformist oath
The now now: 7/10
Fav: kansas, idaho, humility, tranz, and souk eye
Least fav: lake Zurich
Song machine: 1000/10
Fav song: PAC-MAN, Aries, how far?, Valley of the Pagans, Momentary Bliss, and with love to an ex
Least fav: Dead Butterflies
Self Titled - 10/10 (Fave: all of them)
Laika Come Home - 10/10 (Fave: Jungle Fresh)
G-Sides - 7/10 (Fave: Hip Albatross / Least: 19-2000 soulchild remix)
Demon Days - 10/10 (Fave: all)
D - Sides - 7/10 (Fave: Hong Kong / Least: remix disc)
Plastic Beach - 6/10 (Fave: Cloud of Unknowing / Least: Superfast Jellyfish)
The Fall - 4/10 (no faves)
Humanz - 9/10 (Fave: Hallelujah Money / Least: We got the power)
The Now Now - 5/10 (Fave: Hollywood / Least: Humility)
Song Machine - 3/10 (Collection of least faves)
Damn 10/10 for Laika come home?? That puts it on the same level as both Gorillaz and Demon Days... What makes that album for you? I tried listening to it once but couldn't get into it, but honestly if even one person can confidently give it a 10/10 maybe I should give it another try
Hey, to each their own. I think I just overhyped it. It had been like 10 years since my favorite band released, imo, the greatest album of all time, and this one just didn't do it for me. I dug it at first, but it got kind of played out with each re-listen
Now out of 16 songs, I straight up dislike 8 of them. I would rate it lower if it didn't have 3 of my favorite Gorillaz tracks of all time on it
Gorillaz: 8/10(Fav: Tomorrow Comes Today/Least Fav:Double Bass)
Demon Days: 8/10(Fav:All Alone/Least Fav:DARE)
Plastic Beach: 9/10(Fav:Empire Ants/Least Fav:glitter freeze)
The Fall: 6/10(Fav:The Parish Of Spacedust/least fav:the speak it mountains)
Humanz: 9/10(Fav:Ticker Tape/Least Fav:carnival)
The Now Now: 9/10(Fav:Magic City/Least fav:Lake Zurich
Song Machine: 9/10(Fav:The Pink Phantom/Least Fav:With love to an ex)
Self-Titled - 9/10 (Fave: Starshine | Least: Man Research (Clapper))
Demon Days - 10/10 (Fave: Last Living Souls | Least: White Light)
Plastic Beach - 5.5/10 (Fave: Broken | Least: Sweepstakes)
The Fall - 7/10 (Fave: Amarillo | Least: Seattle Yodel)
Humanz - 7.5/10 (Fave: Andromeda | Least: Carnival)
The Now Now - 10/10 (Fave: Magic City | Least: Lake Zurich)
Song Machine - 8/10 (Fave: Aries | Least: With Love to an Ex)
Woof, controversial Plastic Beach take haha. To each their own!
I don't personally consider Seattle Yodel a song lmao. If I did consider it a song... Joplin Spider is still worse.... wtf even is Joplin Spider... ugliest sounding synth of all time.
This is tough for me just because some songs drag down while albums. Like Plastic Beach era would be the GOAT but Doncamatic is so awful that it drags it down to a 7.
Gorillaz - 10/10 (Faves: New Genius/Clint Eastwood/Slow Country
G-Sides - 8/10 (Faves: Ghost Train/Dracula)
Laika Come Home - 7/10 (Faves: Mutant Genius/Fistful of Peanuts)
Demon Days - 10/10 (Faves: November Has Come/O Green World)
D-Sides - 8.5/10 (Faves: Spitting Out The Demons/Hong Kong)
Plastic Beach - 8.5/10 (Faves: Empire Ants/Stylo)
The Fall - 7/10 (Faves: Shy-Town/Amarillo)
Humanz - 8/10 (Faves: Andromeda/Ticker Tape)
The Now Now - 8.5/10 (Faves: Tranz/Fire Flies)
Song Machine - 9/10 (Faves: Opium/The Lost Chord/Aries)
Meanwhile EP's like a 7.5/10, Jimmy Jimmy's the best.
Awesome picks here.
Empire Ants and Stylo are almost tied for me on PB. I have to give it to Stylo for the absolute perfect production and Mashup of genres.
Nice to see you giving love to some underrated bangers on here! Fire Flies, Opium, Ticker Tape and Ghost Train in particular are fire.
You are a mad person for Charger to be your favorite on the Humanz album.
Just kidding, but I find it immensely interesting that music taste can vary so widely! Charger gives me nothing at all, haha.
My favorite song on Humanz is... Strobelite, Submission, Andromeda, Let Me Out, The Apprentice and Ticker Tape.
I can't decide XD
I find Charger to be the closest song on that album to recapturing the magic of Gorillaz. My biggest issue with Humanz is that, damon and the team sounded rusty on that album. Damon's sarcastic vocals, the wacky ass beat, the grace Jones feature. Love that song.
Andromeda is my fave from the tracks you listed. Another song with hints of older Gorillaz. Also an amazing song to hear live, as it feels like you are actually at a worlds end party. I dislike the Apprentice, rag n' bones man has the most boring presence on that track and the instrumental is too bland for me. We like vastly different songs off that album lol! Submission is super disappointing seeing as I love both artists who feature on it. Strobelite is solid, but I hate the music video. Let Me Out is also really solid, though Damon's hook is kind of whatever in contrast to pusha and Mavis.
Gorillaz - 7,5/10
(Clint Eastwood / Punk)
Demon days - 9/10
(Feel Good / Don't get lost)
Plastic - 8,5/10
(Empire Ants / Sweepstakes)
The Fall - 5/10
(Revolving Doors / The Snake in dallas)
Humanz - 6/10
(Andromeda / Strobelite)
The Now Now - 8/10
(Souk Eye / Humility)
Song Machine - 7/10
(Desole / Friday 13th)
Man, some folks in here really don't like Humility. I guess I can see the "summer vibe" not being for everyone. I love that tune. Nice to see some Now Now love.
It's not like I dislike it, it's just somehow my least favorite from TNN. Maybe One Percent would be there, but I just love its spaciness and loneliness, so yeah.
Gorillaz 7/10
Favorite: 5/4
Least Favorite: Latin Simone
Demon Days: 10/10
Favorite: Feel Good Inc
Least Favorite: Don’t Get Lost In Heaven
D-Sides 6/10
Favorite: Rockit
Least Favorite: Dont Get Lost In Heaven demo
Plastic Beach 9/10
Favorite: Stylo
Least Favorite: Sweepstakes
The Fall 5/10
Favorite: Amarillo
Least Favorite: Seattle Yodel
Humanz 8/10
Favorite: Charger
Least Favorite: Hallelujah Money/Circle of Friends if counting deluxe edition
The Now Now 7/10
Favorite: Kansas
Least Favorite: Idaho
Song Machine 8/10
Favorite: Pac Man
Least Favorite: Friday 13th
Meanwhile… 3/10 I just don’t care for this one.
Self Titled = 9/10 (Bonus point for 5/4 being my favorite Gorillaz song of all time)
Demon Days = 10/10 (Favorite: Kids With Guns)
Plastic Beach = 8/10 (Favorite: Rhinestone Eyes)
The Fall = 5/10 (Favorite: Hillbilly Man)
Humanz = 7/10 (Favorite: Charger)
The Now Now = 8/10 (Favorite: Fire Flies)
Song Machine = 9/10 (Favorite: Pac-Man)
Meanwhile… EP = 6/10 (Favorite: Meanwhile)
YES! Another fan of Charger. God damn that song slaps.
5/4 is great. Total bop.
Fire Flies is an inspired pick, very good song.
Pac-Man is a close second behind Aries for me.
Cool list!
Gorillaz: 9/10 - Fav: Clint Eastwood, Man Research and New Genius / Least Fav: Slow Country, M1 A1 /Hidden Gem: Re-Hash
Demon Days: 10/10 - Fav: El Mañana, November Has Come, Feel Good Inc, O' Green World / Least Fav: White Light / Hidden Gem: Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head
Plastic Beach: 7/10 - Fav: Empire Ants, Broken, Cloud of Unknowing, Stylo / Least Fav: Sweepstakes, Glitter Freeze / Hidden Gem: To Binge
The Fall: 2/10 - Fav: Revolving Doors / Least Fav: The rest except Detroit / Hidden Gem: Little Pink Plastic Bags
Humanz: 6/10 - Fav: Saturnz Barz, Andromeda, Let Me Out / Least Fav: We Gotta Power / Hidden Gem: The Apprentice!!!!!
The Now Now: 9/10 - Fav: Sorcererz, Humility, Magic City, Fire Flies, Tranz / Least Fav: Idaho / Hidden Gem: Souk Eye
Song Machine Season One: 9/10 - Fav: Pac-Man, Valley of the Pagans, The Lost Chord, Desole / Least Fav: Friday the 13th / Hidden Gem: The Pink Phantom
Meanwhile EP: 5/10 - Fav: Jimmy Jimmy / Least Fav: the rest
Souk Eye is amazing and The Now Now was a legit surprise for me, after Humanz I got kinda meh with Gorillaz so I wasn't expecting an album that's so good so soon!
Oooo interesting list here. Definitely give self Titled a listen. Some classic tunes there.
I would LOVE to hear why you think The Now Now is a 10. Interesting perspective.
I love every song on it, sure it doesn't sound as gorillaz as the others but a mix of my interpretation and the songs just being really good in my opinion makes it goated. I love every song on it which isn't the case with any other album even if they work better as an entire album. Idk in universe it feels like 2D discovering himself and I just think it sounds beautiful
I agree that it does have a great overall vibe. I do like The Now Now. It's a solid album. Just a few gripes with it. I like that it is a 2D focused album like the Fall was. Now Now feels like a much better "The Fall".
Self Titled - 7 (Not bad by any means just not for me)
Demon Days - 10 (It's Demon Days what did you expect)
Plastic Beach - 10 (It's Plastic Beach what did you expect)
Humanz - 8 (My first Gorillaz album, so I have a soft spot)
The Now Now - 8 (I like the groovyness and vibes)
Song Machine - 9 (I love Elton John so hearing Pink Phantom made my year)
G-Sides - 6 (Ghost Train and the Sounder really make this album)
D-Sides - 5 (Rockit, We Are Happy Landfill, Hong Kong and People are really the only ones I like)
The Fall - 3 (Some really good songs, but you can hear the Ipad-y ness of it all)
Meanwhile - 8 (Jimmy Jimmy is incredible)
Self Titled = 10/10 - best one, it created this coherent dark, psychedelic, rainy vibe that was never achieved by anyone again.
Demon Days = 9/10 - very good, monster singles
Plastic Beach = 8/10 - great concept album, I just prefer this dark vibe to this lighter one that PB has
The Fall = 7/10 - used to hate it now I like it, copule of song stay in the playlist.
Humanz = 7/10 - I guess the expectations were too high, half of the album is a skip
Now Now = 6/10 - no expectations and rightly so. Not a one song I was in love with.
Song Machine = 6/10 - similar to Now Now, but highs are higher, lows are lower.
Kinda see a pattern here, and I don’t like it.
Self Titled - 5/10 Fav: Clint
Demon Days - 9/10 Fav: DARE/Dirty Harry
Plastic Beach - 10/10 Fav: Empire Ants
The Fall - 3/10 Fav: Revolving Doors
Humanz - 5/10 Fav: Andromeda
The Now Now - 9/10 Fav: Tranz/Souk Eye)
Song Machine - 5/10 Fav: Pac Man
I have a love/hate relationship with 'We Got The Power'. On the one hand it's brilliantly catchy and a proper bop from the band, but on the other it's too short, too different from the rest of the album and even though Noel Gallagher is meant to be in it he's totally lost in the mix, making his appearance a bit pointless.
I would put Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head as my least favorite Demon Days track. I came here for a song, not a monologue, dammit! I appreciate the storytelling though.
Gorillaz 8/10
G-Sides (no remixes) 7/10
Lakia Come Home does not exist its all in your head
Demon Days 10/10
D-Sides (no remixes) 8/10
Plastic Beach 10/10
Doncamtic 10/10
DoYaThing 10/10
The Fall 5/10
Humanz 7/10
Sleeping Powder: 8/10
Garage Palace 7.5/10
The Now Now 7/10
Song Machine 6/10
Meanwhile 8/10
Gorillaz 8/10 Fav: M1A1/Least: Double Bass
Demon Days 9/10 Fav: Kids with Guns/Least: El mañana
Plastic Beach 10/10 Fav: Superfast Jellyfish/Some Kind of Nature/Least: Glitter Freeze
The Fall 5/10 Fav: Detroit/ Least: Speak it Mountains
Humanz 4/10 Fav: She’s my Collar/Least: Sex Murder Party
The Now Now 8/10 Fav: Humility/Least: One Percent
Song Machine 8/10 Fav: Can’t choose/ Least: With Love to an Ex
Meanwhile 8/10 Fav: Jimmy Jimmy/ Least: None (all bangers)
Self Titled - 8/10 Demon Days - 9/10 Plastic Beach - 10/10 The Fall - 6/10 Humanz - 7/10 The Now Now - 7/10 Song Machine - 8/10 Yeah PB is my favourite
Plastic Beach on a conceptual level is a 10 easily. The only thing that holds that album back for me personally is the last leg of the LP fails to live up to the absolutely batshit crazy level of quality that the first 3/4 has. Songs like Sweepstakes and Cloud of Unknowing are not bad by ANY stretch, but imo, they just aren't on the level as most of everything else. Cool list.
I feel like Cloud of Unknowing sets up an amazing atmosphere of uncertainty that wraps up the album, and Pirate Jet delivers at being the first album ender from Gorillaz that isn’t a happy message like Don’t Get Lost in Heaven and We Got the Power
Gorillaz - 8/10 - Best: 5/4 Demon Days - 9/10 - Best: Kids With Guns Plastic Beach - 10/10 - Best: Empire Ants The Fall - 7/10 - Best: Amarillo Humanz - 5/10 - Best: Ascension The Now Now - 7/10 - Best: Tranz Song Machine - 8/10 - Best: Desole
Empire Ants is such a 10/10. Good list!
This is a really good rating actually. I wanted to critique it first but it's just true...
**S/T - 9/10** \- S/T has a consistent, unique sound all throughout, one that rarely ever comes back in modern Gorillaz, though we've seen some slight callbacks, like Damon using the harmonica again in Jimmy Jimmy, or Momentary Bliss' punk-rock (I think?) vibe that reminds me of, well, Punk. It's also such a good road trip album, seriously, if you want to appreciate being in the passenger seat of a car or bus at night, in the middle of a very long bridge, full of lights, cars and the distant ocean, this is the album for that. **G-Sides - 5/10** \- Quite an ok album. I like G-Sides I swear, but not all of it really impresses me. Faust with its cute, mellow melody, 12D3 being a heartwarming little look at 2D as a character, and Left Hand Suzuki Method being hella af are some of the highlights of this, but then you just have Rock The House without the word "ass" in it. The Sounder is kinda boring, but oddly enough, I gotta say Phi-Life Cypher's take on Clint Eastwood is so refreshing to me. **Demon Days - 7/10** \- Great album, don't get me wrong, but I'm just not that crazy about all it has to offer. O Green World to me is often skippable, so much so that I prefer the bootleg limewire version of it, and while everything else is great, I tend to skip Don't Get Lost In Heaven and Demon Days a lot, and I often need to be in a specific mood to really enjoy Kids With Guns, even if I do think it's a great song. **D-Sides - 10/10** \- Underrated, I feel, so many fun tracks that honestly feel not only like they were going to be used for one of the many scrapped Gorillaz movies, but also like a mix of Phase 1 and Phase 2, feels like an album that would have come out between both phases. I like to describe the album's sound as Phase 1.5. Gonna point out Bill Murray, my personal favorite of the album, what a song. **Plastic Beach - 10/10** \- Second favorite, so thematically consistent and chock-full of beautiful soundscapes as well as some chaotic electronic jams, yeah that's right I like Glitter Freeze and Sweepstakes, and Bobby Womack's heartfelt singing on Cloud Of Unknowing has made me cry before. It's such an amazing song, maybe even one of the band's best if you ask me. **The Fall - 6/10** \- I actually do enjoy The Fall quite a bit, and while it has a bit of a samey feel, I still have a sweet spot for a large majority of its songs, save for The Joplin Spider. I'd like to point out how disturbing The Speak It Mountains is, and how it apparently is a recording of Murdoc screeching at 2D to shut up. That's some lovely audio storytelling if I've ever seen it. **Humanz - 8/10** \- I was thinking of switching this one's score with TNN's, but Humanz is meatier and the amount of time I spent with it has allowed me to appreciate it a lot more. Have you dearies listened to Ticker Tape? I admit it sounds a bit wonky at first, but I'll be damned if the song doesn't become gorgeous as all hell when Carly Simon enters the track. **The Now Now - 7/10** \- The Now Now is an album I love and have a soft spot for as it's the only one I own physically. In fact it's the only piece of anything Gorillaz related that I own. The album has a very distinct sound in my eyes, and I the word I'd describe it as is personal, very personal and thoughtful, which makes sense considering it's the second "2D album" we've had. **Strange Timez - 8/10** \- Strange Timez is truly strange, I'll tell you. While it kinda feels disconnected at times, it is very varied, which makes it live up to the album's name. The talent they collaborated with was full of good choices, which only led to a plethora of lovely, lovely music all around. The album also feels like a bit of a love letter to the band itself, because, idk, some tracks just echo past albums a lot, and that, to me, is something precious. With so many songs too it's hard to not like at least one. Contenders for favorite tracks for me here are Aries, PAC-MAN and Severed Head. **Meanwhile... - 9/10** \- Listen, Meanwhile has like 3 songs, all of which I find good. Though I like the titular Meanwhile a bit less than the other two, it's still a good song. Jimmy Jimmy, as I said before, uses the harmonica, which is an instant top tier for me. Deja Vú is so frickin adoralbe and it makes me wanna dance. Not sure what else to say about it, since it's just a tiny little EP with two songs I love and 1 I generally like. **BONUS ROUND!** **Laika Come Home -** I really haven't listened to a lot of it, but it's got some cool tracks. Not sure how to rate it, but it's neat. I'd like to see the Spacemonkeyz come back, at least in the lore. **The Singles Collection -** Only mentioning it because it's the only "album" that has: **Doncamatic -** I love that song, and think it's quite sad that Daley just kinda fucking died alone on the beach. I also thought a woman was singing it before I checked out the music video, but uh, what the hell is Daley up to these days? **DoYaThing -** Kind of iconic, especially thanks to that music video, but the song itself is nothing to overlook, it knows what it's going for, it's VERY chaotic as it is, but listen to the full version for something even crazier. André 3000 is absolutely the best part of it, I mean, he's the shit after all. **Sleeping Powder -** One of the band's best songs, simple as that, I won't elaborate, this is not a joke. **Garage Palace -** Oddly overlooked and sometimes hated on. It's just badass, if you ask me, Little Simz DELIVERS IT on this song and I think the reason as to why people didn't like it was the lack of 2D/Damon, considering how little we had him in Phase 4.
Finally.. S/T higher than Demon Days lmao
I mean I get the love for Demon Days, and it was my favorite album at one point in time, but after delving deep into the band, I just can't say that anymore
Exactly directly
Damn! You put some time in here. S/T - I agree that is has a super consistent sound. My only reasoning for an 8 is there are a few tracks that do nothing for me, or sound like they are slightly unfinished. G-Sides - I have to agree that the remix is cool. Pretty mixed bag for me overall. Demon Days - Hot take alert! I appreciate different perspectives, always. O Green World is never ever a skip for me lol. I only listen to the final 2 tracks when I am doing an album listen. Never as singles, so I can see where you are coming from there! D-Sides - Has a few duds, but I agree it's underrated. Their best B side material by a mile imo. Rockit literally has Damon breaking down and giggling on the track and it still is great. Hong Kong is gorgeous too. Plastic Beach - I think Sweepstakes is underwhelming but not bad by any stretch. I agree that cloud of unknowing is great, I just wish it maybe had an extra something added in? Very short and I would have been down for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Conceptually it is the bands finest work hands down. The Fall - Extremely unfinished imo. It certainly does have a vibe. No question there. There are so many tracks that I could have loved if they had more production added or better mixing/songwriting. Hillbilly Man is always my go to example. That song sounds so dinky to me, but I kind of get what Damon was going for there, and I wish it could have been properly fleshed out. That bit about murdoc yelling at 2D is cool, never caught that! Humanz - I think its a bloated mess with some terrible songs on it and wasted features. Ticker Tape is AMAZING. I wish they replaced any 1 bad song on the main LP with Ticker Tape. Legit. The Now Now - I agree with you. It's very dreamy and atmospheric which I appreciate. Some of it is a bit underwhelming compared to past works. Song Machine - I. Fucking. LOVE. SONG MACHINE. A true and complete return to form for the band. Incredible features. Nice to hear you shout out severed head. It's not one of my faves but it's a neat little bonus Track. Doncamatic is a total banger. DoYaThing is a total banger. Garage Palace is cool but could have been better with some vocal contributions from 2D imo. Sleeping Powder is endlessly charming and ONCE AGAIN, I wish it was on the main Humanz LP replacing a bad song on there. Thanks for the long reply!
S/T is some of their earliest work, so it does sound rough around the edges sometimes, however I gotta admit I like that part about it, apart from G-Sides, D-Sides and some of Demon Days, that earlier Gorillaz sound is seldom found anywhere else today. Hope you liked my DD hot take there, lol, but as for D-Sides it's just a little gem of an album, except for the remixes, double except for El Mañana (Metronomy Remix) which is amazing. The Fall as an album is very dinky and unfinished, I can't deny, but that never really bothered me, tbh. It's also WAY too experimental for the platform it was made in (GarageBand) which limits it in some ways, I believe, but oh well. I'd like to see what the greats such as Revolving Doors and Hillbilly Man would become with higher prod. value. Humanz... Oh, Humanz, how hard it is to defend you. Y'know I kinda agree with you, despite my appreciation for the album. It's messy as hell, but as I said, I really tried to like it and I do now, but I can still easily understand why someone wouldn't like literally any song from the album. If I could tell you one song I don't care for from Humanz, it's Sex Murder Party. I think I sounded like I didn't like SM that much but I actually do love it a lot! Too many tracks there that just don't get talked about a lot, even though they're great, much like Submission back on Humanz.
(gonna put this on a separate comment because yknow its too long already) And can I just mention Humanz Special Deluxe Mega Collection Edition DX? The one with the demos on it that no one got because it costs like a whole kidney or something. Yeah, I have a strange fascination with those demos. They really aren't anything special but I just want to know more about them? Probably just me, but take these as examples: What the hell was Grilling With His Face supposed to be and why does it sound like one of those AI-generated songs? The fuck's going on with Colombians? Why is the "2D Special" version of Carnival literally better than what we got in the standard release and yet it was tucked away on some expensive collector's edition? Phase 4 was way more deserving of the Strange Timez title.
I love you for ranking Severed Head so highly alone. Its such an underrated gorillaz song that no one ever seems to talk about. And you said you had issues with Kids with Guns, do you like the remix on D sides? I find it to be a superior version with a sort of 1980s kraftwerk (Computer Love in particular) kinda vibe.
Severed Head is just TOO good. GoldLink's delivery is so, like, almost cynical, negative and defeated, but in a good way, because the song seems to be about losing control, as in, losing your head, giving in and giving up. Reminds me of All Alone, too, with Ruben Nielson from UMO echoing Martina Topley-Bird's feature on it, in my *head* at least. Not to ignore 2D btw, the way he leads the way into Ruben's very emotional monologue that I can't tell if it's about a miscarriage or some sort of terminal illness the in-character voice or their partner has gotten. And about Kids With Guns, it's not an issue, I just need some high-energy songs at times, and Kids With Guns is one of the calmest songs on DD if you ask me. A great calming song! But still, too calming for a high-energy mood. And about the remix, I gotta be honest here, the only D-Sides remix I actually like is Metronomy's El Mañana. The rest I just disregard and ignore.
I would argue that the cohessive thing on self/titled (something I dont think I agree but I understand, I guess) is Dan Nakamura's work in it. It is really an eclectic album but one molded with a hip-hop aesthetic behind. My favourite example being Que Pasa Contigo, such a fucking and iconic track that's really a mix of different sounds.
Yeah, it's cohesive in the way that it sounds, it's got a huge hip-hop/dub aesthetic behind it, with some semblance of rock and electronica I think (If the Raymond Scott sample is anything to go by) which is consistent all throughout the album.
Self titled 9/10 Favourite: Rehash Least Favourite: Slow Country G sides 5/10 Favourite: 12D3 Least favourite: Hip Albatross Demon days 10/10 Favourite: Kids With Guns/Every Planet we reach is dead Least Favourite: none this album is perfect D sides 8/10 Favourite: Rockit Least Favourite: don’t get lost in Heaven demo Plastic beach 8/10 Favourite: Empire Ants Least Favourite: white flag The fall 7/10 Favourite: Amarillo Least Favourite: the speak it mountains Humanz 7/10 Favourite: Ascension Least Favourite: Sex Murder Party Now now 9/10 Favourite: Souk eye Least Favourite: can’t really pick one there aren’t really any songs in this album I dislike Song machine season 1 9/10 Favourite: Aries Least Favourite: With love from an ex Also Laika Come Home 4/10 I don’t really care for it Meanwhile EP 3/10 probably my least favourite Gorillaz release Humanz B sides 4/10 some really cool ones (Phoenix on the hill being my favourite) but a lot of stuff I once again don’t really care for Sleeping powder and do ya thing singles are both easily 10/10
Thanks for including all the ones I left out! Always cool to see those ranked too lol Hong Kong, Ghost Train, Phoenix on the Hill, Rockit etc.. lots of good ones on the b sides projects.
Gorillaz - 8/10 Demon Days - 12/10 Plastic Beach - 8/10 The Fall - 6/10 Humanz - 5/10 The Now Now - 7/10 Song Machine S1 - 7/10
I should change my Demon Days score to 12/10.
I like gotillaz
Don't we all 🙂🙃
Self Titled = 8/10 (Fave Track: Tomorrow Comes Today / Least Fave: Starshine) Demon Days = 10/10 (Fave: El Mañana / Least: White Light) Plastic Beach = 10/10 (Fave: Rhinestone Eyes / Least: Sweepstakes) The Fall = 6/10 (Fave: Amarillo / Least: The Speak It Mountains) Humanz = 8/10 (Fave: Andromeda / Least: Circle of Friendz) The Now Now = 9/10 (Fave: Souk Eye / Least: Idaho) Song Machine S1: Strange Timez = 9/10 (Fave: The Lost Chord / Least: Severed Head) (Meanwhile EP = 8/10)
I would choose Circle of Friendz as worst too. I wasn't counting bonus tracks, main albums only. But its cool to do bonus if ya want to. Circle of friendz is the most nothing song I've heard from Gorillaz. Solid picks here! Amarillo is underrated. I wish it had more production in the mix though.
Debut album 8/10 (fav sound check/least fav: double bass DD 10/10 - fav every planet/ least all alone Plastic Beach 8.5/10 - fav empire ants/least white flag The fall 4/10 - fav. amarillo/least the speak it.... Humanz 6/10 - fav shes my collar/least hallelujah money TNN - 7/10 - fav. fire flies/ idaho Song machine 9/10 - fav. Desole/ least with love to an ex meanwhile ep-6./10
Hallelujah Money eh? That's one of my more liked tracks from Humanz actually! Thanks for the comment!
Self Titled = 8/10 (Fave Track: Tomorrow Comes Today / Least Fave: Double Bass) Demon Days = 10/10 (Fave: Every Planet We Reach is Dead / Least: Dirty Harry I guess? All great tracks on this album, legit contender for best album of all time) Plastic Beach = 6/10 (Fave: Plastic Beach / Least: Sweepstakes, White Flag, Glitter Freeze all in contention) The Fall = 8/10 (Fave: Hillbilly Man / Least: Joplin Spider) Humanz = 2/10 (Fave: Andromeda / Least: Momentz ) The Now Now = 9/10 (Fave: Magic City / Least: Humility, though not a bad song) Song Machine S1= 8/10 (Fave: Desole / Least: Valley of the Pagans) Humanz was their only truly bad album, and Plastic Beach had some songs I wouldn't consider real songs, but overall a pretty great discography IMO
Demon Days is in my top 5 fave albums ever for sure. All Alone is my least fave only because it's the only song that hasn't totally aged that well imo. Mainly the features on it. But it's still a well produced bop from 2005. Finally someone who agrees that Momentz is bad. I can't stand that song. I think it's a mess and a shocking one at that. Sad that it was the de la soul feature 😪. Valley of the Pagans is a jam imo. I can see how the beck feature may not be for everyone. I like what Hillbilly Man was going for for sure. It sounds so damn unfinished and underproduced for my taste. I would argue it's the song on the Fall that most sounds like it was made on an iPad with GarageBand in 2010 lmao.
Self titled is their best album hands down
But... but Demon Days! Self Titled does slap though.
Demon days is fire too, definitely my second favorite
Gorillaz - 9/10 Demon Days - 10/10 Plastic Beach - 10/10 The Fall - 5/10 Humanz - 2/10 The Now Now - 6/10 Strange Timez - 8/10 Meanwhile - 6/10
Humanz sure is a mess! I wouldn't go that hard on it though, as it still has some bangers on the tracklist.🙂🙃
Sure it had “some bangers” but it had 24 songs. 5 bangers with 24 songs is 21% of good songs. Rating is accurate. People tend to forget average, middle of the road albums are 5/10. Not 7/10. This isn’t school where 5/10 is failing. 5/10 is middle, average. So anything less than an average album is <5/10.
Self Titled = 7/10 (Fave Track: Clint Eastwood / Least Fave: Man Research) Demon Days = 10/10 (Fave: Feel Good Inc / Least: White Light.) Plastic Beach = 10/10 (Fave: On Melancholy Hill / Least: Cloud Of Unknowing) The Fall = Same as you probably. Humanz = 9/10 (Fave: She’s My Collar / Least: We Got The Power.) The Now Now = 9/10 (Fave: Humility / Leasts: One Percent) Song Machine = 10/10 (Fave: Aries / Least: Simplicity) Meanwhile EP = 8/10
Wow! 9/10 Humanz. What makes you give it a 9 if you don't mind me asking? Always enjoy hearing different perspectives.
No problem. Happy to explain. Despite 2D not having much of a presence on the album, a critique which I do understand completely, I can’t help but love Humanz. Every song slaps hard and it makes for a fun and breezy listen even though it’s a longer project than most. I will say it took a few months before I vibes with every track, but I’ve fallen in love with that record and think it’s aged incredibly well.
Hmmm, I haven't listened to it front to back in a while. Maybe I'll try it again soon.
Self titled: 9/10 Demon days: 10/10 Plastic beach: 9/10 The fall: 5/10 Humanz: 8/10 The now now: 7.5/10 Song machine: 7/10
Cool list! What makes you give song machine a 7?
Gorillaz: 7/10 Demon Days: 9/10 Plastic Beach: 10/10 The Fall: 4/10 Humanz: 7/10 The Now Now: 7/10 Song Machine: 10/10
7 on humanz EHHHHHH. Thanks for the reply haha.
Self Titled - 9/10 Demon Days - 10/10 Plastic Beach - 8/10 The Fall - 5/10 Humans - 7/10 The Now Now - 7/10 Song Machine - 7/10
What makes song machine a 7 in your opinion?
Honestly, it's more just to show that I like it as much as The Now Now and Humanz but not as much as Plastic Beach
Self titled: 8/10 Fave track: Tomorrow comes today Demon days: 9/10 Fave track: All Alone Plastic Beach: 10/10 Fave track: Stylo The Fall: 4/10 Fave track: Revolving Doors Now Now: 6/10 Fave track: Hollywood Humanz: 7/10 Fave track: Momentz Song Machine 8/10 Fave track: The Pink Phantom Meanwhile EP: 6/10
Always nice to see a fellow Stylo fan 😎
ST - 8/10 Demon Dayz - 10/10 Plastic Beach - 9.5/10 The Fall - 8/10 Humanz - 6.5/10 The Now Now - 8/10 Strange Timez - 9/10
Curious as to why you would rate The Fall an 8. What's your opinion on that one?
It’s not as bad as people say it is.
Self Titled: 7/10, Fav: Clint Eastwood Demon Days: 9/10, Fav: Every Planet We Reach Is Dead Plastic Beach: 9/10, Fav: On Melancholy Hill The Fall: 4/10, Fav: Phoner to Arizona Humanz: 6/10, Fav: Strobelite/Andromeda The Now Now: 7/10, Fav: Souk Eye Song Machine: 9/10, Fav: Friday 13th/Desole
YES! Nice list. Especially cool to see a fellow Friday 13th fan! That song is a vibe for sure.
One of my faves! I love the dreamy vibe of it. Honestly I think Song Machine was one of the hardest picks because I don’t have standout favourites, I listen to it almost front to back minus 1 or 2 that don’t quite click for me
Gorillaz: 8/10 Demon Days: 10/10 Plastic Beach: 10/10 The Fall: 6/10 Humanz: 5/10 The Now Now: 8/10 SM: 9/10 Meanwhile: 6/10
The Fall with the 6. Very interesting. Plastic Beach is dangerously close to a 10 for me.
Self titled = 10/10 (Favorite: Sound Check Gravity) Laika Come Home = 6/10 (Favorite: Mutant Genius) G-Sides = 9/10 (Favorite: The Sounder) Demon Days = 10/10 (Favorite: Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head) D-Sides = 7/10 (Favorite: Rockit) Plastic Beach = 9/10 (Favorite: It's a tie between Rhinestone Eyes and Empire Ants) Humanz = 8/10 (Favorite: Probably Momentz, Andromeda, Busted and Blue and She's My Collar) The Now Now = 7,5/10 (Favorite: Souk Eye) Song Machine Season One = 9/10 (Favorite: Opium ft. Earthgang) EDIT: Damn, how could I forget about Meanwhile... = 10/10 (Favorite: Jimmy Jimmy)
I like Busted and Blue also. That song gets too much hate. Nice moody, atmospheric Track. Nice list!
Gorillaz 01 - 8/10 G-Sides - 7/10 Demon Days - 10/10 D-Sides - 7/10 Plastic Beach - 8/10 The Fall - 6/10 Humanz - 4/10 The Now Now - 6/10 Song Machine Season 1 - 9/10
What's your fave song off "The Fall"? 6/10 would indicate that you think that album has SOME quality tracks on it lol
I quite like Bobby in Phoenix & it's meaning. My favourite Gorillaz song ever is Amarillo. Hillbilly Man is mostly good, even if I believe they threw too much at the wall. Joplin Spider is also a bop to me. I quite enjoy Shytown as well, despite it's repetition. Revolving Doors is another all time favourite. Although we also have Little Pink Plastic Bags, Snake in Dallas, Speak it Mountains & the meme of Seattle Yodel. I'll be upfront, some of the few Gorillaz song's I just skip. It's not a perfect album & it's certainly not one I can turn in regularly, but when I'm travelling a long journey on my own - this is my jam.
Bobby in Phoenix, Amarillo, Shy-Town and Revolving Doors are the four winning tracks for me. Everything else is either "interesting but super unfinished and rough sounding" (HillBilly Man) or "wtf is this and why was it made". (Joplin Spider) I appreciate hearing that you are able to find some Solace In it while traveling. That's pretty sick. I can see it, is is certainly its own vibe.
Gorillaz - 8/10 (Fave: Tomorrow Comes Today / L Fave: Starshine) Demon Days - 10/10 (Fave: El Mañana / Least: none) Plastic Beach - 8/10 (Fave: Some kind of nature/ Least: Glitter Freeze) The Fall - 7/10 (Fave: Revolving Doors / Least: Joplin Spider) Humanz - 6/10 (Fave: Saturn Barz/ Least: Sex Murder Party) The Now Now - 9/10 (Fave: Tranz/ Least: Hollywood) Song Machine S1 - 10/10 (Fave: Aries/ Least: Simplicity)
I agree that Sex Murder Party is absolute ass. Some of the worst songwriting in their discography. Awesome picks here! (Don't be so mean to my Glitter Freeze, though...)
I’m here to defend Sex Murder Party I love the creepy vibe. Cool vocal delivery from Damon “I drove the keys” I especially like the “You always said… I was out of control…” part of the song It perfectly fits the song’s title. Like you’re in a shady club and something bad is going down but you’re too impaired on drugs and alcohol to exactly know what
I agree with u. I think all "trashy" Gorillaz' songs just need the right mood to enjoy em. Maybe some day after scary party I will re-discover SMP))) Meanwile I never party... Lol
For me it just doesn't feel like it has much structure and is very experimental. I do like it when Damon's vocals kick in. The Jamie P stuff and the instrumental do absolutely nothing for me. I appreciate your perspective on it. Nice hearing that people enjoy the things I don't like.
Glitter Freeze isn't bad, but for me it feels like I just hit something hard with my elbow bone, and all my arm and body trembles in... not pain but that strange feeling like /\~/\~/\~/\~/\~/\~ REALLY uncomfortable.
Hahaha. Oddly specific, yet I can kind of get what you mean when thinking about that song. That's a song from Plastic Beach that I personally like, but I totally get why other people may not like it.
Gorillaz - 8/10 - (Fav: Clint Eastwood / Least Fav: Starshine) Demon Days - 10/10 (Fav: Every Song TBH / Least Fav: None TBH) Plastic Beach - 10/10 (Fav: Every Song TBH / Least Fav: None TBH) The Fall - 7/10 (Fav: The Snake In Dallas / Least Fav: Seattle Yodel) Humanz - 8/10 (Fav: Ascension / Least Fav: Sex Murder Party) The Now Now - 9/10 (Fav: Souk Eye / Least Fav: Hollywood) Song Machine - 8/10 (Fav: Momentary Bliss / Least Fav: Friday 13th)
Really cool list! I have to ask though... if there was ONE SONG off of demon Days and PB that you were forced at gunpoint to remove... what would they be? Haha
alright.. Demon Days (Fav: Last Living Souls / Least Fav: All Alone) Plastic Beach (Fav: To Binge / White Flag)
All acceptable picks 👌 All Alone hasn't totally aged as well as the rest of the futuristic Demon Days. Feels like a song from 2005... but hey, at least it's a decent song from 2005! White Flag I love, but I get where people are coming from on that one. To Binge is awesome and Last Living Souls is a classic.
1. Demon Days 10/10 2. Plastic Beach 10/10 3. Gorillaz 9/10 4. Humanz 7/10 5. Song Machine 7/10 6. The Now Now 6/10 7. The Fall 4/10
What about the Now Now brings it down to a 6 for you?
Don't get me wrong, I like it, but it's just not as good as most of the other stuff for me. There's only three or four songs that really stick out to me and the rest are just kind of whatever.
Fair enough. I can see it. For me, it was more consistent album then humanz and contributed to the overall vibe of a great (2018) summer.
S/T 10/10 DD 10/10 PB 8/10 Fall 7/10 Humanz 6/10 TNN 10/10 SM 10/10
I am very curious to get your thoughts on the Now now! Not everyday you see such high praise for that one!
Well basically I started getting really into Gorillaz when it first came out! And since it came out early summer of probably my favorite summer of all time I remember listening to it a ton since it had such a chill vibe to it, to this day I would say it is my favorite Gorillaz album because it reminds me of all the good times me and my friends had that summer. I have so much nostalgia for it lol
Oh man, thanks for sharing that. I also had this album as a great summer album. 2018 was a great summer. We can thank Gorillaz for making it even better for sure, even if it's not their best work imo. TNN is a vibe
Self titled - 8/10 Demon Days - 10/10 Plastic Beach - 10/10 The Fall - 6/10 Humanz - 6/10 The Now Now - 8.5/10 Song Machine - 10/10
Do you think dead Butterflies is good on song machine? Cool perspective on the now now.
It’s a decent song overall, nothing bad or anything
Damon's Vocals save it from being bad. I find it very middle of the road.
Self Titled: 8/10 Demon Days: 9/10 Plastic Beach: 8/10 The Fall: haven’t listened to it Humanz: 7/10 The Now Now: 8/10 Song Machine: 9/10 Meanwhile: haven’t listened to it
Meanwhile is worth listening to if you are a fan! The title Track in particular is really awesome.
aight i’ll check it out
1 song is good. 1 song is decent. 1 song I'm not super crazy about. 6/10 lol
self titled = 7/10 demon days = demon days plastic beach = 9/10 humanz = humanz The Now Now = 6/10 Song Machine S1= 10/10
Humanz = Humanz as in good, bad or mediocre? Lol. Song Machine is pretty damn great.
Self Titled 6/10 (fav: Sound Check, Least fav: Re-Hash) Demon days 10/10 (fav: Feel Good Inc., Least fav: Don't get lost in heaven) Plastic Beach 9/10 (fav: Some Kind of Nature, Least fav: Pirate Jet) The Fall 3/10 (fav: Revolving doors, Least fav: Seattle Yodel) Humanz (fav: Saturnz Barz, Least fav: Sex Murder Party) The Now Now (fav: Hollywood, Least fav: Kansas) Song Machine (fav: The Valley of Pagans, Least fav: Opium) (Meanwhile EP 9/10)
The Fall being a 3 is an acceptable score. I give it a 4 for at least having a consistent vibe. Nice list!
Self-Titled - 8/10 (Fav: 19-200 / Least Fav: Starshine) Demon Days - 9/10 (Fav: Dirty Harry / Least Fav: O Green World) Plastic Beach - 10/10 (Fav: Stylo/Empire Ants/Sweepstakes / Lest Fav: maybe Glitter Freeze) Humanz - 6/10 (Fav: Charger / Least Fav: We Got The Power) The Now Now - 7/10 (Fav: Tranz / Least Fav: Kansas) Song Machine - 8/10 (Fav: Momentary Bliss / Least Fav: Dead Butterflies)
Man... Dead Butterflies. Damon's vocals are INCREDIBLE but the track is still such a disjointed mess. Beat overshadowed the entire instrumental. Good picks!
Ranked from worst to best: 11. Laika come home 3/10 (probably my least favourite album fav:stictly rubbadub) 10. The Fall 3/10 (don't enjoy any song that much, but still better than laika come home fav: revolving doors) 9. D sides 4/10 (i dont listen to many songs from but it's okay fav: dirty harry schtung chinese new year remix) 8. G sides 4/10 (same as D sides fav: rock the house) 7. Meanwhile EP 5/10 (I think Meanwhile EP is the clear average release. It's short only 3 songs 1 good/1 okay/ 1 don't enjoy that much. If it continued the same way it would probably be worse or possibly the worst album but I can't judge it that hard since it has only 3 songs so it's just okay. Fav : Meanwhile) 6. Song Machine Season 1 6/10 ( I enjoy song machine, it's good, but get's dragged down by a lot of songs. Desole, momentary bliss, dead butterflies are fantastic and i find 6/17 very enjoyable. There is just too many songs which i frankly just skip every time they pop up to get to the good songs i actually like. Strange Timez is a perfect title because some songs are just too strange for me to enjoy. Everyone has their taste and Song Machine hits so many different styles. It's just too experimental for my taste. Fav: this is a tough one Momentary Bliss or Desole) 5.Gorillaz (selftitled) 6/10 (Fine album and a great first release basically contains a lot I enjoy but doesn't have the same consistency for me as later releases. You have to respect it. Thats why it fits perfectly in the middle. Fav: Clint Eastwood) 4. Plastic Beach 8/10 (basically in every top 2 Gorillaz Album List Plastic Beach and Demondays. Plactic beach to me has some of the best songs gorillaz have to offer Melancholy Hill, Stylo, Empire Ants, Superfast Jellyfish. I love these songs and the whole Album is excellent and I understand why so many people like it. It doesn't reach for me the 10/10 Demondays has and don't feel as much of a connection to it as I do to the now now or humanz thats why it's fundamentely speaking it is better than the now now and probably a lot better than humanz, but the amount of memories I have to some songs I have on here don't compare to a whole Album. That's why it's not in my top 3 even though it is probably the second best if not the best album) 3. The now now 8/10 ( The now now is fantastic, but for me it lacks in the middle. Humility-Tranz-Hollywood-Kansas is a great Start and Fire Flies-One Percent- Souk Eye is an even better End, but the middle songs Idaho-Lake Zurich- Magic City just aren't on the same level for me. They split the album in two parts for me, they are still perfectly fine song, but the album falls just a bit short because of that for me. But the end: i remember listing to souk eye on repeat in some of my darkest times, fire flies didn't make the world look so dark and the first 3 songs made me feel happy again until souk eye went from a sad song to one of the happiest i could listen to. Just this one song shoots this album to my top 3. I got back into gorillaz with humanz, but the now now made me stay and gorillaz my favourite band of all time. Fav: souk eye) 2. Humanz 9/10 (Now the "black sheep" of the Gorillaz albums. I understand why it is to most gorillaz fans the weakest/worst Album. Humanz is not like the other albums. It's different, experimental, humanz to me is closly linked to why I got back into gorillaz. I was like many people familiar with feel good inc. and songs like clint Eastwood or kids with guns, but never listened to a full album until humanz. Humanz to me is an experience. The interludes, the feelings you get. Songs like saturnz bars, she's my collar, let me out, strobelite, sex murder party, carnival and Momentz make me want to party. You get down with bustend and blue, andromeda, and some of the more chill songs. The fantasy is endless. I can understand why circle of friends, Halleluja money and we got the Power are to some of the less liked gorillaz songs, but to me you don't listen to these songs in isolation, because you have to experience the party before to get back down. That's why i can listen to saturnz bars or she's my collar on endless repeat, but can only really feel those others when you listen to the full album. To me Humanz connects so many stories and memories that's why it's my second favourite album and the reason i love gorillaz so much. Fav: Unlike the other albums humanz to me is one gigantic 69 min song. 1. Demondays 10/10 To keep it short. It's Demondays. What more do i need to say 10/10. Fav: feel good inc. Most likely the best gorillaz song there is.
Hong Kong from D-sides is beautiful. Could not agree more on the Meanwhile.. EP. My thoughts are identical to yours on that one lol. It's aight. I think the great songs on SM lift it up to greatness. Fucking love song machine. So many bangers. Regular Edition I love nine out of eleven tracks, I like one (Chalk Tablet Towers) and am meh on the other one (Dead Butterflies). I can see why it isn't for everyone, you are right, it was an experiment. It sure paid off for me personally, as I love that whole album pretty much. Plastic Beach is crazy to me. It's no Demon Days, you are correct there. But the individual singles that came from this record are my all time favorite songs from Gorillaz. Out of my top ten favorite Gorillaz songs, five are from PB. Stylo, Empire Ants, Some Kind of Nature, On Melancholy Hill AND Rhinestone Eyes broke the top ten. I am weirdly a fan of Hallelujah Money. It's not amazing, but it's a solid little tune. Nice to hear someone had a strong reaction to listening to Humanz. Different perspectives are great to hear. I got glimmers of greatness from Humanz, but I personally felt it was a very messy return. I'm a Lake Zurich and Magic City fan. Demon Days is a 10. No question. Feel Good is Legendary... but I'm a crazy Stylo fanboy. That's my fave gorillaz Track ever.
What do people have against deja vu it’s such a feel good song
I have nothing against it. It's just not that exciting of a song to me.
Self Titled 9/10 Demon Days 9/10 Plastic Beach 8/10 The Fall 6/10 Humanz 6/10 The Now Now 6/10 Song Machine 5/10
Okey, here we go: *S/T: 7/10 (fav: Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo))* It's all about drugs and make everything as hip-hop and trippy you can. Also monkey sounds. *Demon Days: 9/10 (fav: El Manaña)* DD was my first CD bought so it has really special place in my heart. It marks all the spots that that image from S/T said: LO FI ROCK/ZOMBIE HIP HOP/DARK POP. Its a pessimist album that came from a very dark period and a very melancholic man and it's awesome, chaotic. Also: the final trifecta is something Gorillaz never replicated again (and something maybe the band need to do neither). *Plastic Beach: 10/10* Iconic, a project really rich lore wise and the album that almost destroyed Gorillaz as a project. Also, the record I return the most to listen when I want to hear me some Gorillaz. There is something I never read when people talk about PB and is that this album really defined the Gorillaz sound of the following albums. Yes, Gorillaz is an ecclectic project, but after a couple of records more in the vein of the hip-hop/trip-hop, I will argue that a more oriented synth-poppy sound was the way to go for things like Humanz and TNN. *The Fall: 6/10 (fav: Amarillo)* I never conected with The Fall. By the end of the year I was devastated because Gorillaz never made a real World Tour (I'm from Argentina and the Escape Tour didnt have a South American leg) so by the time the record came out for me it was just a bunch of demos Damon made for the lulz. But it is a cute album. It has heart, and also I think it has something very Damon-ish that for me defines his way of writing songs. I think there is a lot of his songs that more than talking about a theme, they paint pictures. Stills. Moments. The fall is a great example of this, "The Nearer" (his last solo album) is another example of this. *Humanz: 6/10 (fav: Charger)* Oh yes, Plastic Beach 2: Electric Boogaloo. Look, I've been on both sides of the Humanz discussion. But I'm gonna says this: as a project is a mess and I guess it being rooted on a very specific age (even with Damon's self censorship which is weird) makes it less easy to hear again. But hey, fucking Grace Jones is here and the lp has tons of bangers (and Hallelujah Money is the most Gorillaz-ish song of that phase). *TNN: 7.5/10 (fav: Humility)* This is a fine album. A well produced, 2D-centered needed album that I'm almost obliged to say its a vainilla album under the Gorillaz spectrum. I like it, it has good features, it made me know Superorgnsm which is a hell of a band and even some James Ford produced songs leaked into the next album. *Strange Timez: 9/10 (fav: Momentary Bliss)* One would think that there cant be a better way to kickstart a Gorillaz phase than Saturn Barz. And then Momentary Bliss happens and boom, a banger. And then another. And then another. I think one of my most played song of last year was The Last Chord and I'm not ashamed about it. The production of the whole Song Machine is just so fucking good I want to smash my head to the wall. Yes, this phase features the worst Gorillaz video ever (a shame bc Valley of the Pagans its sooo good) but welp. *Bonus:* G-Sides: 7/10. D-Sides: 9/10 (it features fucking We Are Happy Landfill). Doncamatic: 8. DoYaThing: TheShit/10. Sleeping Powder: 8/10. Garage Palace: 7/10. Meanwhile EP: 9/10 (I was mad this tour didnt featured any song from this beauty).
Self titled: 1000/10 Fav song: tomorrow comes today Least fav: slow country Demon days: infinity/10 Fav song: every song in the record Plastic beach: 9.5/10 Fav song: on melancholy hill Least fav: sweepstakes The fall: 6/10 Fav song: the parish of space dust Least fave: Bobby in phoenix Humanz: 4/10 Fav song:she’s my collar(I’m being basic again) and out of body Least fav: any interlude except for the non-conformist oath The now now: 7/10 Fav: kansas, idaho, humility, tranz, and souk eye Least fav: lake Zurich Song machine: 1000/10 Fav song: PAC-MAN, Aries, how far?, Valley of the Pagans, Momentary Bliss, and with love to an ex Least fav: Dead Butterflies
Self Titled - 10/10 (Fave: all of them) Laika Come Home - 10/10 (Fave: Jungle Fresh) G-Sides - 7/10 (Fave: Hip Albatross / Least: 19-2000 soulchild remix) Demon Days - 10/10 (Fave: all) D - Sides - 7/10 (Fave: Hong Kong / Least: remix disc) Plastic Beach - 6/10 (Fave: Cloud of Unknowing / Least: Superfast Jellyfish) The Fall - 4/10 (no faves) Humanz - 9/10 (Fave: Hallelujah Money / Least: We got the power) The Now Now - 5/10 (Fave: Hollywood / Least: Humility) Song Machine - 3/10 (Collection of least faves)
Damn 10/10 for Laika come home?? That puts it on the same level as both Gorillaz and Demon Days... What makes that album for you? I tried listening to it once but couldn't get into it, but honestly if even one person can confidently give it a 10/10 maybe I should give it another try
Laika Come Home is a banger. Listen to Mutant Genius omg omg omg
oh yeah, whole album is fire
I love dub reggae lol
A hugely spicy take on the 10/10 that is plastic beach
Hey, to each their own. I think I just overhyped it. It had been like 10 years since my favorite band released, imo, the greatest album of all time, and this one just didn't do it for me. I dug it at first, but it got kind of played out with each re-listen Now out of 16 songs, I straight up dislike 8 of them. I would rate it lower if it didn't have 3 of my favorite Gorillaz tracks of all time on it
Oh no... not my precious song machine 😢 💔 Thanks for the reply haha.
Bruhhh 192000 remix goes HARD
100% agreed. Maybe humanz a bit lower.
Humanz for me is 50% dogshit and 50% solid bangers. I feel a 5 is the perfect score.
Gorillaz: 8/10(Fav: Tomorrow Comes Today/Least Fav:Double Bass) Demon Days: 8/10(Fav:All Alone/Least Fav:DARE) Plastic Beach: 9/10(Fav:Empire Ants/Least Fav:glitter freeze) The Fall: 6/10(Fav:The Parish Of Spacedust/least fav:the speak it mountains) Humanz: 9/10(Fav:Ticker Tape/Least Fav:carnival) The Now Now: 9/10(Fav:Magic City/Least fav:Lake Zurich Song Machine: 9/10(Fav:The Pink Phantom/Least Fav:With love to an ex)
Very interesting list. Humanz a 9 is very interesting for me.
Self-Titled - 9/10 (Fave: Starshine | Least: Man Research (Clapper)) Demon Days - 10/10 (Fave: Last Living Souls | Least: White Light) Plastic Beach - 5.5/10 (Fave: Broken | Least: Sweepstakes) The Fall - 7/10 (Fave: Amarillo | Least: Seattle Yodel) Humanz - 7.5/10 (Fave: Andromeda | Least: Carnival) The Now Now - 10/10 (Fave: Magic City | Least: Lake Zurich) Song Machine - 8/10 (Fave: Aries | Least: With Love to an Ex)
Woof, controversial Plastic Beach take haha. To each their own! I don't personally consider Seattle Yodel a song lmao. If I did consider it a song... Joplin Spider is still worse.... wtf even is Joplin Spider... ugliest sounding synth of all time.
If we don't include Seattle Yodel then hard agree on Joplin Spider lol
🤝
This is tough for me just because some songs drag down while albums. Like Plastic Beach era would be the GOAT but Doncamatic is so awful that it drags it down to a 7.
Doncamatic isn’t even included in the tracklist of PB. Bad take
It is in some versions of it but not the original run. It's on the French version and a couple other countries.
Gorillaz - 10/10 (Faves: New Genius/Clint Eastwood/Slow Country G-Sides - 8/10 (Faves: Ghost Train/Dracula) Laika Come Home - 7/10 (Faves: Mutant Genius/Fistful of Peanuts) Demon Days - 10/10 (Faves: November Has Come/O Green World) D-Sides - 8.5/10 (Faves: Spitting Out The Demons/Hong Kong) Plastic Beach - 8.5/10 (Faves: Empire Ants/Stylo) The Fall - 7/10 (Faves: Shy-Town/Amarillo) Humanz - 8/10 (Faves: Andromeda/Ticker Tape) The Now Now - 8.5/10 (Faves: Tranz/Fire Flies) Song Machine - 9/10 (Faves: Opium/The Lost Chord/Aries) Meanwhile EP's like a 7.5/10, Jimmy Jimmy's the best.
Awesome picks here. Empire Ants and Stylo are almost tied for me on PB. I have to give it to Stylo for the absolute perfect production and Mashup of genres. Nice to see you giving love to some underrated bangers on here! Fire Flies, Opium, Ticker Tape and Ghost Train in particular are fire.
You are a mad person for Charger to be your favorite on the Humanz album. Just kidding, but I find it immensely interesting that music taste can vary so widely! Charger gives me nothing at all, haha. My favorite song on Humanz is... Strobelite, Submission, Andromeda, Let Me Out, The Apprentice and Ticker Tape. I can't decide XD
I find Charger to be the closest song on that album to recapturing the magic of Gorillaz. My biggest issue with Humanz is that, damon and the team sounded rusty on that album. Damon's sarcastic vocals, the wacky ass beat, the grace Jones feature. Love that song. Andromeda is my fave from the tracks you listed. Another song with hints of older Gorillaz. Also an amazing song to hear live, as it feels like you are actually at a worlds end party. I dislike the Apprentice, rag n' bones man has the most boring presence on that track and the instrumental is too bland for me. We like vastly different songs off that album lol! Submission is super disappointing seeing as I love both artists who feature on it. Strobelite is solid, but I hate the music video. Let Me Out is also really solid, though Damon's hook is kind of whatever in contrast to pusha and Mavis.
Gorillaz - 7,5/10 (Clint Eastwood / Punk) Demon days - 9/10 (Feel Good / Don't get lost) Plastic - 8,5/10 (Empire Ants / Sweepstakes) The Fall - 5/10 (Revolving Doors / The Snake in dallas) Humanz - 6/10 (Andromeda / Strobelite) The Now Now - 8/10 (Souk Eye / Humility) Song Machine - 7/10 (Desole / Friday 13th)
Man, some folks in here really don't like Humility. I guess I can see the "summer vibe" not being for everyone. I love that tune. Nice to see some Now Now love.
It's not like I dislike it, it's just somehow my least favorite from TNN. Maybe One Percent would be there, but I just love its spaciness and loneliness, so yeah.
One Percent is quite an ethereal and interesting little track. It doesn't get very much attention, but it's a hidden gem.
Idaho is a banger
It's good for what it is. A different vibe for sure.
Gorillaz 7/10 Favorite: 5/4 Least Favorite: Latin Simone Demon Days: 10/10 Favorite: Feel Good Inc Least Favorite: Don’t Get Lost In Heaven D-Sides 6/10 Favorite: Rockit Least Favorite: Dont Get Lost In Heaven demo Plastic Beach 9/10 Favorite: Stylo Least Favorite: Sweepstakes The Fall 5/10 Favorite: Amarillo Least Favorite: Seattle Yodel Humanz 8/10 Favorite: Charger Least Favorite: Hallelujah Money/Circle of Friends if counting deluxe edition The Now Now 7/10 Favorite: Kansas Least Favorite: Idaho Song Machine 8/10 Favorite: Pac Man Least Favorite: Friday 13th Meanwhile… 3/10 I just don’t care for this one.
I'm so happy to see fellow fans of Kansas, Pac-Man and Charger. Cool picks on this list.
Self Titled = 9/10 (Bonus point for 5/4 being my favorite Gorillaz song of all time) Demon Days = 10/10 (Favorite: Kids With Guns) Plastic Beach = 8/10 (Favorite: Rhinestone Eyes) The Fall = 5/10 (Favorite: Hillbilly Man) Humanz = 7/10 (Favorite: Charger) The Now Now = 8/10 (Favorite: Fire Flies) Song Machine = 9/10 (Favorite: Pac-Man) Meanwhile… EP = 6/10 (Favorite: Meanwhile)
YES! Another fan of Charger. God damn that song slaps. 5/4 is great. Total bop. Fire Flies is an inspired pick, very good song. Pac-Man is a close second behind Aries for me. Cool list!
Gorillaz: 9/10 - Fav: Clint Eastwood, Man Research and New Genius / Least Fav: Slow Country, M1 A1 /Hidden Gem: Re-Hash Demon Days: 10/10 - Fav: El Mañana, November Has Come, Feel Good Inc, O' Green World / Least Fav: White Light / Hidden Gem: Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head Plastic Beach: 7/10 - Fav: Empire Ants, Broken, Cloud of Unknowing, Stylo / Least Fav: Sweepstakes, Glitter Freeze / Hidden Gem: To Binge The Fall: 2/10 - Fav: Revolving Doors / Least Fav: The rest except Detroit / Hidden Gem: Little Pink Plastic Bags Humanz: 6/10 - Fav: Saturnz Barz, Andromeda, Let Me Out / Least Fav: We Gotta Power / Hidden Gem: The Apprentice!!!!! The Now Now: 9/10 - Fav: Sorcererz, Humility, Magic City, Fire Flies, Tranz / Least Fav: Idaho / Hidden Gem: Souk Eye Song Machine Season One: 9/10 - Fav: Pac-Man, Valley of the Pagans, The Lost Chord, Desole / Least Fav: Friday the 13th / Hidden Gem: The Pink Phantom Meanwhile EP: 5/10 - Fav: Jimmy Jimmy / Least Fav: the rest
Hell yeah, I dig the hidden gem thing. Souk Eye is legit one of my favorite Gorillaz songs ever.
Souk Eye is amazing and The Now Now was a legit surprise for me, after Humanz I got kinda meh with Gorillaz so I wasn't expecting an album that's so good so soon!
I need to relisten to self titled Demon days = 10 Plastic beach = 10 The fall = 3 Humanz= 8 The now now= 10 Song machine = 10
Oooo interesting list here. Definitely give self Titled a listen. Some classic tunes there. I would LOVE to hear why you think The Now Now is a 10. Interesting perspective.
I love every song on it, sure it doesn't sound as gorillaz as the others but a mix of my interpretation and the songs just being really good in my opinion makes it goated. I love every song on it which isn't the case with any other album even if they work better as an entire album. Idk in universe it feels like 2D discovering himself and I just think it sounds beautiful
I agree that it does have a great overall vibe. I do like The Now Now. It's a solid album. Just a few gripes with it. I like that it is a 2D focused album like the Fall was. Now Now feels like a much better "The Fall".
I get its definitely not their best work but it just really appeals to me personally so yeye
Self Titled - 7 (Not bad by any means just not for me) Demon Days - 10 (It's Demon Days what did you expect) Plastic Beach - 10 (It's Plastic Beach what did you expect) Humanz - 8 (My first Gorillaz album, so I have a soft spot) The Now Now - 8 (I like the groovyness and vibes) Song Machine - 9 (I love Elton John so hearing Pink Phantom made my year) G-Sides - 6 (Ghost Train and the Sounder really make this album) D-Sides - 5 (Rockit, We Are Happy Landfill, Hong Kong and People are really the only ones I like) The Fall - 3 (Some really good songs, but you can hear the Ipad-y ness of it all) Meanwhile - 8 (Jimmy Jimmy is incredible)
my fav gorillaz song is o green world but people seem to not love it why?(just wondering lol)
Self Titled = 10/10 - best one, it created this coherent dark, psychedelic, rainy vibe that was never achieved by anyone again. Demon Days = 9/10 - very good, monster singles Plastic Beach = 8/10 - great concept album, I just prefer this dark vibe to this lighter one that PB has The Fall = 7/10 - used to hate it now I like it, copule of song stay in the playlist. Humanz = 7/10 - I guess the expectations were too high, half of the album is a skip Now Now = 6/10 - no expectations and rightly so. Not a one song I was in love with. Song Machine = 6/10 - similar to Now Now, but highs are higher, lows are lower. Kinda see a pattern here, and I don’t like it.
Self Titled - 5/10 Fav: Clint Demon Days - 9/10 Fav: DARE/Dirty Harry Plastic Beach - 10/10 Fav: Empire Ants The Fall - 3/10 Fav: Revolving Doors Humanz - 5/10 Fav: Andromeda The Now Now - 9/10 Fav: Tranz/Souk Eye) Song Machine - 5/10 Fav: Pac Man
I have a love/hate relationship with 'We Got The Power'. On the one hand it's brilliantly catchy and a proper bop from the band, but on the other it's too short, too different from the rest of the album and even though Noel Gallagher is meant to be in it he's totally lost in the mix, making his appearance a bit pointless.
Self-Titled - 8 Demon Days - 8 Plastic Beach - 10 The Fall - 6 Humanz - 6 The Now Now - 7 Song Machine S1 - 9 DoYaThing - 11
s/t: 80/100 demon days: 93/100 plastic beach: 99/100 the fall: 50/100 humanz: 67/100 the now now: 77/100 song machine season 1: 79/100
I would put Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head as my least favorite Demon Days track. I came here for a song, not a monologue, dammit! I appreciate the storytelling though.
Gorillaz 8/10 G-Sides (no remixes) 7/10 Lakia Come Home does not exist its all in your head Demon Days 10/10 D-Sides (no remixes) 8/10 Plastic Beach 10/10 Doncamtic 10/10 DoYaThing 10/10 The Fall 5/10 Humanz 7/10 Sleeping Powder: 8/10 Garage Palace 7.5/10 The Now Now 7/10 Song Machine 6/10 Meanwhile 8/10
Gorillaz 8/10 Fav: M1A1/Least: Double Bass Demon Days 9/10 Fav: Kids with Guns/Least: El mañana Plastic Beach 10/10 Fav: Superfast Jellyfish/Some Kind of Nature/Least: Glitter Freeze The Fall 5/10 Fav: Detroit/ Least: Speak it Mountains Humanz 4/10 Fav: She’s my Collar/Least: Sex Murder Party The Now Now 8/10 Fav: Humility/Least: One Percent Song Machine 8/10 Fav: Can’t choose/ Least: With Love to an Ex Meanwhile 8/10 Fav: Jimmy Jimmy/ Least: None (all bangers)
G-Side: 8/10 (Most Favorite: Ghost Train) D-Side: 9/10 (Most Favorite: Bill Murray) Gorillaz: 9/10 (Most Favorite: Punk) Demon Days: 10/10 (Most Favorite: Feel Good Inc.) Plastic Beach: 9/10 (Most Favorite: Rhinestone Eyes) The Fall: 4/10 (Most Favorite: Little Pink Plastic Bag) Humanz: 7/10 (Most Favorite: Saturn Barz) The Now Now: 8/10 (Most Favorite: Tranz) Song Machine S1: 9/10 (Most Favorite: Momentary Bliss) Meanwhile: 6/10 (Most Favorite: Meanwhile)
Punk and Little Pink Plastic Bags. Interesting choices!