Though their last album, Humanz, released only last year, might suggest that there was something at least mildly human about Gorillaz (mainly Damon Albarn), the Jamie Hewlett-animated band is already gearing up for a new album–their sixth–called The Now Now, and has confirmed the return of the Demon Dayz Festival at the end of the summer. It certainly makes “analog” musicians composed solely of ordinary strands of DNA appear a bit lazy, that’s for sure. In fact, the only people in the industry who have ever had enough bionic strength to keep going ad nauseum at this rate are females, namely Madonna and Beyoncé (who Gorillaz somehow still haven’t collaborated with). Which is why Gorillaz doesn’t appear to be the “band of the future” so much as the expectation of the now (now). With fans and consumers of music alike constantly expecting more, more, more to absorb and then move on from, Gorillaz are the ideal for filling ear troughs with content.
And while they might have taken a five-year pause in between The Fall and Humanz, it seems as though that break was all the recalibration they needed to continue at full speed ahead (though perhaps we can assume many of the tracks from The Now Now are merely leftovers from all the excess of Humanz). The primary difference between these two records is, of course, the scant number of collaborations. But when the ratio of songs (eleven in total) diminishes, so, too, must the number of other featured artists, with Gorillaz keeping it limited to George Benson and Snoop Dogg and Jamie Principle.
To add to the non-static nature of the band (perhaps far more interesting than any live people), they’ve added a new (temporary) member to replace Murdoc while he’s in jail (crime committed unknown). Ace, a member of the Gangreen Gang and vague originator of the Powerpuff Girl series has settled quite nicely into the quartet, and may never surrender the role of bassist back to Murdoc. With two new singles already out, the instrumental “Lake Zurich” and “Humility,” Gorillaz are quickly setting the stage to make it, once again, their summer. But, of course, based on these two releases alone, it seems that Gorillaz’s quality–while still ever-present–has slightly dipped in comparison to the overt care they took with the songs on Humanz, most notably “Hallelujah Money,” “Saturnz Barz,” “Charger,” “Busted and Blue” and “Sex Murder Party.” This isn’t to say that the faster you work, the less “genius” your output will possess–for I have always been a believer that when the inspiration is there it doesn’t matter how quickly one produces something (hear: Grimes’ Visions). But it is rather apparent that Albarn is spreading himself very thin at the moment, with plans for another The Good, The Bad and The Queen album also in the works. So maybe it isn’t Gorillaz that’s superhuman so much as Albarn, perpetually trying to keep himself busy so as to shake the memory of Justine.
