Damon Albarn never does anything quite the way one expects him to. You might think that the first Gorillaz album not to be released on a big label would be a less expansive affair, either in the production, the stylistic range, or the guest list. You'd be mistaken.While the previous Gorillaz release, 2023's Cracker Island, certainly had its share of high-powered features, the sonic focus was on danceable, ‘80s-influenced pop. On The Mountain, however, Albarn and company stretch out to occupy an exponentially larger space, both musically and conceptually.The Mountain matches the peaks of the first three Gorillaz albums, after which the quality dipped. It takes Albarn and Hewlett’s cartoon band to a new destination: India. The theme is death and the afterlife, inspired by Albarn’s trip to Varanasi to scatter his father’s ashes in the Ganges.Famous names from Indian music are joined by a diverse set of the world.Find tracklist and full story in comment.
