Review Summary: If this be the end... then so shall it be!
Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s digital quartet push ambitions with their hotly anticipated ‘phase four’ release, packing a massive 27-song long tracklist with an all star featurette which ranges from hip hop heavy weights D.R.A.M. and Danny Brown, to weathered pop veterans Grace Jones and Mavis Staples. They’ve swapped out their distinctly cartoony sound palette with darker and busier electro-heavy synth work not commonly associated with the Gorillaz name. The group has made it their intention to push their project into a new frontier, but at what cost? What ultimately marks the downfall of
Humanz goes beyond age old concerns such as “
does it sound like a Gorillaz record?” and the like. While
Humanz is without doubt the least ‘Gorillaz-y’ record since the group’s debut fifteen years before it, what ultimately betrays the Gorillaz in the end is Damon Albarn’s unfortunate inability to tie his ambitions, the overwhelming guest list, and the group's identity together in a coherent, well-composed release.
There are two forces at play behind the writing of
Humanz: Gorillaz, the band, and ‘your favorite rapper (feat. Damon Albarn)’. Two forces that can’t stay in their lanes and are constantly struggling for control on a track-by-track basis, leading to some of the most confusing songwriting decisions in Damon Albarn’s thirty year long career. By all means, the first five tracks of
Humanz are perfect. They all equally contribute to an easily defined atmosphere and concept that invokes imagery of a post-apocalyptic world and the outer reaches of space, an ideal sanctuary from an Earth needing to be left behind. Vince Staples’ brilliant opener “Ascension” is quick and hectic, quickly rushing by with a jittery drum beat and eerie imagery of police-state brutality and generally dreary environments. Meanwhile “Strobelite” and “Momentz”, featuring Peven Everett and De La Soul respectively, are high energy groove-infused jams, “Strobelite’s” luxurious production and strong vocal performance helping shape the track as a definitive stand out for the record.
While the introduction to
Humanz is a sublime return to grace for Gorillaz after years of confusion and uncertainty for their future, once they deviate from the script and lose any sense of a concept from that point forward, things fall apart. The record begins to sound more producer-inclined than it does as an album made by a band, which could be forgivable if not for the fact that Damon Albarn can’t seem to utilize so many musicians in a logical way. The aforementioned rappers D.R.A.M. and Danny Brown, two vocalists known for their generally goofy performances, find themselves playing out subdued roles on this record. Danny Brown’s verse on “Submission” feels phoned in. It is the furthest from any sense of a concept the record is carrying, lacking any type of character that Danny could pull off when looking at his work with The Avalanches and Busdriver. D.R.A.M. on the other hand is stuck providing backing vocals on “Andromeda”, and while they’re pretty to listen to, it grossly belies his impressive abilities as not only a rapper, but a singer, too.
Humanz’s final stretch finds itself meandering. Some songs, such as “Carnival” sound unfinished, too short for their ideas to properly flesh out. Others, in particular “We Got the Power” (with its obnoxious commercial-like backing) and “Let Me Out” have so much going on that they fail to function as enjoyable songs.Ironically, the one track from the second half that manages to not only fit in with the script set forth by the beginning of the record, but also manages to end on a strong note is “Hallelujah Money”, a song that was controversial and divisive for many upon its initial release. Benjamin Clementine’s preacher-like vocals fit in with Albarn’s limited, subdued production and his performance is just over the top enough to sell a visage of a character delivering a final sermon to a dying crowd in the cold vacuum of space. If not for the right extra tracks from the “We Got the Power” and bonus tracks onward, it would be a perfect closer.
Unfortunately, Damon Albarn has too much on his plate to work with and not enough to make it work.
Humanz as a whole is a bloated, badly written mess that can’t keep consistency beyond the few fleeting moments of brilliance sprinkled across its long track list, leading to too many forgettable moments. While Damon Albarn is confident in the future of Gorillaz, as he has proudly boasted the fact that they have well over 40 tracks hot and ready for release,
Humanz paints an uncertain picture on what the future holds for the band in general, as for the first time in their 20-year career, they’ve taken their first big misstep.
