Gorillaz

[Henrie_Schnee]

My friends and me have been spinning the first leak heavily in the past day and so far - we've celebrated it. The general consensus seems to be "Ooooookay....", swiftly followed by "oh well, since I'll probably listen to it for the next few years, it'll grow on me". We tend to compare it more to Plastic Beach and Daft Punks RAM then everything else. But yeah, the Rip was shitty - and its download only justifiable by it occurring on four-twenty. Let's face it: That leak was no accident.

Can't wait for the release... I'm getting really giddy. This will be the first Gorillaz-record I will buy as a vinyl instead of a CD. And I digg the implications of the more dancehall-oriented songs being my OST for summer 2017... YAH YAH YAH

[neorev]

My friends and me have been spinning the first leak heavily in the past day and so far - we've celebrated it. The general consensus seems to be "Ooooookay....", swiftly followed by "oh well, since I'll probably listen to it for the next few years, it'll grow on me". We tend to compare it more to Plastic Beach and Daft Punks RAM then everything else. But yeah, the Rip was shitty - and its download only justifiable by it occurring on four-twenty. Let's face it: That leak was no accident.

Can't wait for the release... I'm getting really giddy. This will be the first Gorillaz-record I will buy as a vinyl instead of a CD. And I digg the implications of the more dancehall-oriented songs being my OST for summer 2017... YAH YAH YAH

There's an actual CD rip in MP3 and FLAC of the deluxe edition out there now, MUCH better quality.

But sadly, after a couple of listens, I am still not really feeling this album to be honest. It just doesn't feel like a Gorillaz album to me. When it comes to Gorillaz albums, it's at the bottom of my list at the moment. It's Humanz versus The Fall for last place. The debut self titled still holds the top spot for me.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

After repeated listens... I love this album. It feels Gorillaz, but I really wish there were a bit more of their presence on this album. I listened to Plastic Beach today and I forgot how much I fucking love that album (More than Demon Days... yes, I said it). Songs like Rhinestone Eyes, Superfast Jellyfish, Empire Ants... there is so much atmosphere to that album as a whole, it really makes me it back and actually think that the animated band is on a beach somewhere performing these songs.

Again on the new album, I feel that the first half of the album is more appealing to me. Ascension through to Busted and Blue are all top notch for me and my listening ears. I cannot help but feel someone messed up on the tracklist; it just seems so out of order to me for some reason. But how the hell didn't "Ticker Tape" make the official listing?? And only if 2-D was in "Out of Body" a bit more.

[Space Suicide]

I bought the deluxe version at Best Buy yesterday after avoiding the leak (minus the singles) and I am giving my first listen now. I'll come back later with my impressions. Even if the songs are great and they fit I feel there's too many guest vocalists this time around. Busted and Blue is the only song without a guest on the track listing.

[Frozen Beach]

I bought the deluxe version at Best Buy yesterday after avoiding the leak (minus the singles) and I am giving my first listen now. I'll come back later with my impressions. Even if the songs are great and they fit I feel there's too many guest vocalists this time around. Busted and Blue is the only song without a guest on the track listing.

What's weird is even that track has a guest, which is Kelela. Wonder why she's not listed as a guest on that track? Is her voice on that track suppose to be Noodle? That'd be weird cause Roses Gabor, who sings Dare and is thought to be Noodle's singing voice, sings backing on Andromedia.

also, I'm thinking I'm liking the live versions of these tracks better. The ones on the album just feel sterile. This performance on the other hand is top notch.

[neorev]

also, I'm thinking I'm liking the live versions of these tracks better. The ones on the album just feel sterile. This performance on the other hand is top notch.

I agree, the live versions are much better. I think because it sounds like a band performing the tracks. Gorillaz' albums always feel like a group where as this album kinda loses that feel. Feels more like a producer with guests. Having an actual band playing these new songs gives the songs the band feel they need to have that Gorillaz charm.

[acrid avid jam shred]

Humanz is a bit of a mixed bag for me, at the moment. There are some truly awesome tracks on there, like Busted and Blue, Strobelite, Momentz, Hallelujah Money, Submission, and the singles, but the rest are kinda clunkers. Sex Murder Party is really fucking boring, Damon's chorus gives it a bit of intrigue, but that's pretty much it. Charger missed an opportunity to be a raucous, electronic-tinged callback to some of the more punkier songs on the self-titled record, with the awkward, insistent kick drum beat and the kooky, sampled guitar loop not evolving into something with more energy or excitement. However, Damon's vocals have that 2D, zany vibe which is cool. But, I feel like Grace Jones was underutilized. She should've been featured in a full verse or something, instead of popping up through delay-drenched samples.

Out of the 6 deluxe bonus songs, I think Out of Body and Ticker Tape should've been slotted into the main album. Out of Body in particular, is so eccentric in such a great way. Kilo Kish's vocal perfomance is really unique, and suits the vibrancy of Gorillaz
perfectly. I'm hoping that the record will grow on me over time, it's not awful... just underwhelming in spots.

[Henrie_Schnee]

How the hell do you buy this vinyl in germany? No store I asked got it delivered, even my preorder failed.

I get that the music industry sucks and always will suck - but up to this point, at least they managed to accomplish the basics of their business (releasing stuff). So thanks @neorev for pointing out what you pointed out ;-)

[MrLobster]

On my 5th full listen and I'm liking it more and more.

[neorev]

[neorev]

An artist censoring themselves, one of the most disappointing things I read surrounding this album. I believe Damon should have had the balls to not cut Trump references out of the record, especially when he specifically wrote and released the very first single as a dis against him. He went and edited out any mention of him. No wonder this record feels disjointed.
https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/articl...lazs-new-album

[Frozen Beach]

Damon claims he edited the Trump references out because he didn't want to give him any more publicity and he didn't want the tracks to feel dated. But his points don't really make sense considering in almost every interview he's done, he's mentioned Trump, giving him more publicity (plus the lines are sung unedited live)... And projecting your own individuals on the tracks doesn't really work when it's so obvious who it's about.

[neorev]

So since Trump is obviously a huge inspiration behind Humanz, does that mean he exists and is a character within the world of Gorillaz?

[neorev]

So all of the previous Gorillaz albums have been released in 24 bit. I recently got the D-Sides 24 bit version. Below you will see the 24/44 web release versus a 16/44 rip of the Japanese CD. A difference?

Dare (Soulwax Mix) from D-Sides

Top: 24/44 WEB
Bottom: 16/44 Japan CD rip

What do you think?

Personally, before I even brought the tracks into Audacity to compare, I felt the 24 bit sounded a bit quieter and smoother. The CD sounds a bit harsher/sharper to my ears. I compared them while listening on my ATH-M50X headphones.

[neorev]

Gorillaz have been streaming their Demon Dayz Festival.

They just took the stage...
https://www.redbull.tv/live/AP-1RCU2...-dayz-festival

[MrLobster]

new video...

Strobelite:

[bobbie solo]

I'll let someone else handles the obvious jokes here.

[fillow]

There's a dancefloor but I don't see a coffin...

[Mr. Blaileen]

Been on a Gorillaz kick recently..finally got around to listening to Humanz for the first time this week. I love half of it, and the other half is pretty bland to me. It blows my mind that songs like 'The Apprentice' and 'Halfway to the Halfway house' were cut from the original album in favor of songs like 'Carnival' or 'Momentz'.

My favorite of theirs is still 'Plastic Beach', I think.

[implanted_microchip]

New album The Now Now on June 29th

[ImTheWiseJanitor]

New album The Now Now on June 29th

Yeeeessssss!

http://thenownow.tv/

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

I realllyyy hope this album is more focused on less collabs this time around. This is great news!

[implanted_microchip]

I read somewhere that there's only two features on it, one of which is Snoop Dogg, so I'm a lot more hopeful for this than I expected to be. Humanz felt like they waited too long and had a lot of dust to shake off and sort of threw everything at the wall to see what stuck, which led to an overlong front-loaded album that didn't hit as hard as it could have. I'm hoping the fact that this is coming out roughly only a year later means it won't be as bloated or overcooked.

[mtc]

I read somewhere that there's only two features on it, one of which is Snoop Dogg, so I'm a lot more hopeful for this than I expected to be. Humanz felt like they waited too long and had a lot of dust to shake off and sort of threw everything at the wall to see what stuck, which led to an overlong front-loaded album that didn't hit as hard as it could have. I'm hoping the fact that this is coming out roughly only a year later means it won't be as bloated or overcooked.

That teaser is already more exciting than all of Humanz

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

I read somewhere that there's only two features on it, one of which is Snoop Dogg, so I'm a lot more hopeful for this than I expected to be. Humanz felt like they waited too long and had a lot of dust to shake off and sort of threw everything at the wall to see what stuck, which led to an overlong front-loaded album that didn't hit as hard as it could have. I'm hoping the fact that this is coming out roughly only a year later means it won't be as bloated or overcooked.

Agreed. Even the way the track listing worked, it was very uneven and hard to get through at times. What I did was scratch the songs I felt that were out of place and or bloated and made a much smaller playlist of the album which I enjoy much more. Unfortunately, it is easily forgettable. Plastic Beach has made a long impression on me in recent years.

[implanted_microchip]

Plastic Beach is the sweet spot for me of having a lot of great features but giving them room to breathe. That album is sequenced fantastically and its best songs are about as good as anything on Demon Days, even if it’s not as perfect overall. The climate anxiety doom of that album resonates with me a lot as well.

[Harry Seaward]

Pirate Jet is the best track on Plastic Beach - and Plastic Beach has a ton of great shit.

[Space Suicide]

Plastic Beach is my favorite album.

[october_midnight]

Now Now Tracklist:
01. Humility (feat. George Benson)
02. Tranz
03. Hollywood (feat. Snoop Dogg and Jamie Principle)
04. Kansas
05. Sorcererz
06. Idaho
07. Lake Zurich
08. Magic City
09. Fire Flies
10. One Percent
11. Souk Eye

[ImTheWiseJanitor]

I'm getting a major "songs made while we were on tour" vibes similar to The Fall, but that's not a bad thing. Maybe that's the case and I'm just out of the loop on interviews about this album and shit, though. I really like it!

Side note: As a Gorillaz fan that lives in Kansas, I am personally offended that "Kansas" isn't "Kanzaz," but I guuuess I can let that slide...(All joking aside, I suppose "Kanzas" would have worked, but "Kansas" is the better call for sure, heh.)