Now a completely irreversible pastiche of themselves, Gorillaz have come full circle with their dedication to the alternative pop scene. They began with daring remixes for small-timers to come in and show their skills, now they party around with Elton John and Tame Impala. Their latest single Cracker Island, which features Thundercat, is another mark against the new wave of Damon Albarn’s musical project. A techno-pop, autotuned misery box that Albarn has slapped his and Gorillaz’s name on. Their sound so closely tied to the visualisations that accompany it, that lyrical emptiness will not matter one bit to those invested in a story that was spawned over two decades ago. Cracker Island should be the nail in the coffin.
Or should it be? Because considering the low drop of quality that Gorillaz have been unable to shake since The Now Now, they have found something here that, at the very least, has a consistent pop-funk to it. Albarn’s lyrics have nothing more to say, as he constantly echoes in the last seconds of this track, but they can be cast aside anyway. Gorillaz has always been an impressive soundscape band, and Cracker Island at least offers up that. Its jagged techno notes are a bit of an ear assault, but the drums soon mask that. As it turns out, most of the isolated notes and chords found within Cracker Island can be fixed, either with a bar chord or a backing vocal.
It settles in well, the three-and-a-half-minute track will do nothing major for Gorillaz but does hold within it remnants of Thundercat influence. Albarn sings of a forever cult on the eponymous island of false paradise, and works the lyrics about as well as can be. The real issue lies in the lack of message found within, a completely bland endeavour that is saved somewhat by the growing consistency of strong basslines and lighter synth notes. Gorillaz never set the world on fire with their lyrics, but they should have by now. Feel Good Inc. being a pinnacle of their sound and artistry is telling. Likely, their time in the cultural and artistically challenging spotlight was back in 2005. To their credit, it never feels as though the band is attempting to hunt down that sound or trying to re-engage with what made them popular anyway. No, they’ve found a much easier way of hitting the charts than great music. All it takes is an Elton John cameo.
Novel a concept this band first were, they have grown at stratospheric levels. Gorillaz had the appeal of new and exciting sounds that are now rinsed of their last drops of uniqueness. They are now a black hole group. A setlist of artists who were once clattering through with strong and subtle collaborations is now a parody of their former selves. Dare may have featured Shaun Ryder, but it felt far more special than an album almost entirely made up of collaborative pieces as Song Machine Vol. 1 was. Is Albarn out of things to say? Let’s hope Gorillaz get themselves out of this funk and sail far away from Cracker Island, where the truth is autotuned.
