James Ford has pulled out all the stops for Help2. It was a big feat to follow up the War Child charity album, but when you have a rolodex filled with the biggest and best musical stars of the last five years, in part thanks to producing most of their work, it makes assembling an ensemble compilation that much easier. Teasing what’ll come from Help2 has been easy. Arctic Monkeys’ return, solid work from The Last Dinner Party and, at the time of writing, a song Pulp had intended for More but couldn’t quite work out, Begging for Change. Ford has pulled in the likes of English Teacher, Fontaines D.C., and Damon Albarn of Blur for further material. Albarn’s bandmate, Graham Coxon, features elsewhere, but not on Flags. This is a solo opportunity for Albarn, and a rare one at that given his proclivity for group work with either Gorillaz or Blur. Beyond this welcome inclusion, this is, like The Last Dinner Party’s Let’s Do It Again!, an indication of where Albarn is headed musically.
His voice is changing; that much was clear on The Ballad of Darren. Enlisting both Kae Tempest and Grian Chatten is a way around that change in vocal strength. It’s not a downturn or anything like that, just a different sound from Albarn after decades of familiarising ourselves with the tone he set on Blur and Gorillaz albums. Flags is a trio piece with Albarn as lead. Albarn is charmed by the thrills of communal effort. That much is clear from his work over the last twenty-five years, where he has enlisted the help of all-time greats to help with his work. From Tina Weymouth and Lou Reed on Gorillaz albums to Flags, which has Chatten and Tempest pairing with him, but also some subtle choir work from an ensemble including Johnny Marr, Marika Hackman, and Jarvis Cocker. It’s this overlap of instrumental spirit, a sole goal in mind, which guides Flags well. Albarn did much the same with Africa Express, with organising the moving parts of Gorillaz, and even in the new age of Blur.
Flags serves not just as an advertisement for his talents as an organiser always at work but as a musician who is keen to serve the song, rather than it propelling him to new heights. Those explosive, emotional moments which are bound to pour through a song written and delivered for such a powerful reason are handed off to the featured artists. Albarn is keen to orchestrate, rather than administer the work himself. That change-up suits him well. What stays mesmerising for Flags is that, despite the two mega acts Albarn is responsible for fronting, this track sounds uniquely his own. He’s not pulling at Blur or following a Gorillaz line here, but has pieced together a song that feels completely separate from two massive musical forces. That’s no small feat.
A song all about cherishing unity is the perfect message to send. Albarn captures that spirit brilliantly, and it goes beyond what he writes or plays, it’s in the actions in the studio, too. Unity is what prevails in the face of worldwide shortcomings, such is the point of War Child, hoping to pull as many people as they can out of horrors. Albarn has captured not just the emphasis of unity and hope in a hopeless situation, but has also carved out a strong solo song which could be a kick on for further material once the Gorillaz cycle has cooled off. Who knows. It’s a magnificent piece of work from Albarn, and when compared to the rest of his strong solo efforts, one of his best. He captures the hopefulness, the strength which comes through community when facing off against injustice. Albarn brings the purpose of Help2 to life, and magnificently so.
