We are all still humans

2017 saw a lot of big album releases and a lot of comebacks. Probably the most anticipated return (at least for me) was Gorillaz. Expectations were huge, and the hype-building skills of the Gorillaz team were proven to be beyond compare.

The anticipation had already begun to accumulate back in 2016 when Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn let slip in interviews that a new Gorillaz album was in the works and would, in fact, be out soon. Their famed avatars (2D, Murdoc, Russel, and Noodle) started appearing in the media, and updates on their lives were slowly unveiled, bridging the gap between phase 3 and the incoming phase 4. Everyone was getting ready for the big comeback. However, 2016 soon came to an end leaving the impatient fans with no new music from the world’s favourite virtual band. It was exactly one year ago – January 19th, the day before Donald Trump’s inauguration - when we finally heard the first Gorillaz song since 2012, ‘Hallelujah Money’, featuring one of the most promising and original new artists around – Benjamin Clementine. Murdoc and his crew started creeping into the collective consciousness, using all possible platforms of expression. From posts on social media, interviews, Spotify playlists through videos and smartphone app to murals, posters and secret gigs. They had everything covered.

As always, the team behind Gorillaz pushed technological limits to bring their ideas to life. This time around, apart from cool animations and even a 360° video, they also created a portable, eco-friendly recording studio and produced an augmented reality app The Lenz which showed Gorillaz-related content whenever you pointed your smartphone camera at something magenta. What’s more, 2D and Murdoc even gave their first ever real time animated interview, blurring the boundaries reality and fiction. In the world where avatars are given so much importance and cartoon characters are not only present in the show business, but become influential politicians – Noodle, 2D, Murdoc and Russel seem more real and relevant than ever before.

“They’re a brand, an industry, a one of a kind popcultural phenomenon.”

Gorillaz have always been more than just music – they’re a brand, an industry, a one of a kind popcultural phenomenon. But let’s talk about the album itself. On the 28 April 2017, the wait was finally over and HUMANZ dropped. While some fans immediately loved it, others were a bit disappointed (see Felix issue 1678). I would not call it a masterpiece; there were a couple of songs that didn’t quite match the standard of hits like ‘Clint Eastwood’ or ‘Dirty Harry’.Nonetheless, there were many great tracks (e.g. ‘Strobelite’ or ‘Charger’) and the album overall was received well. Accusations of having too many guests on the record and not enough Damon made by some fans are rather pointless. Gorillaz has always been a collaborative effort and the musicians involved changed over the years. Collaboration lies at the heart of HUMANZ. The title says it all – HUMANZ is about the humanity crisis we’re going through. And it’s not just represented in the lyrics; the album carries the message non-verbally. Juxtaposition of individual human voices and rich, warm sounds of gospel choirs, with machine generated music resulting in a good quality, cohesive album is itself a metaphor of a human race that can find its place in the artificial world and work as one.

Despite dealing with tough issues, HUMANZ ends with a positive message. You may say that finishing the record with words “We got the power to be loving each other no matter what happens” is rather infantile. I agree. We’ve heard slogans about coming together and sharing one love a million times by now. But when Gorillaz say it, I actually believe them, because they support their statements with action. It is the most apparent in their live performances. Seeing this diverse group of people coming from various musical backgrounds, young and old, black and white, famous and unknown, rappers and singers putting on a fantastic show at the O2 Arena on 5th December 2017 was truly uplifting.

“We’ve heard slogans about coming together and sharing one love a million times by now, but when Gorillaz say it, I actually believe them”

The gig was wonderful. The band, smiling at each other, dancing, spontaneously hugging and simply having lots of fun on stage, proved that the coexistence is possible and even enjoyable! The long setlist included old hits (‘Feel Good Inc.’), new bangers (‘Andromeda’), great renditions of slightly forgotten tracks (‘Every planet we reach is dead’) and homages to iconic artists who are no longer with us (‘Stylo’). With two drumkits, all sorts of electronics and a multitude of other musicians on stage, the sounds were extremely powerful and kept the crowd going for over two hours.

The show culminated with the beautiful ‘Demon Days’ from their 2007 classic, leaving the audience with a big red sphere on the screen and the choir repeatedly chanting “To the Sun!”. The song is still relevant after a decade. It gives hope and acknowledges that to cope with hard times, it is important (but difficult) to stay optimistic: “In these demon days it’s so cold inside / So hard for a good soul to survive/ (…) Pick yourself up it’s a brand new day / so turn yourself round / Don’t burn yourself, turn yourself / Turn yourself around into the Sun”.

With that in mind we can enter 2018 hoping for some good changes in our lives and in the world around us. But above all waiting for the rumoured next Gorillaz album!