SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GORILLAZ – THE MOUNTAIN

GORILLAZ
THE MOUNTAIN
KONG

The Mountain is the first Gorillaz album since 2023’s Cracker Island, and their ninth studio album overall. Gorillaz is really the brainchild of Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett and along with friends and like minded musicians, a new Gorillaz album appears every few years or so. The Mountain is a major achievement for Gorillaz for many reasons. It is the first independent release for the group since parting ways with their long-time label Parlophone (Warner Brothers) and this independence does change the overall direction for the band. On this album, Hewlett’s part of The Mountain is probably the most intricate, detailed and complex work he has ever done for Gorillaz.

Lyrically and musically, there is a lot to absorb with The Mountain. It is not a simple matter of listening once or twice, and it is certainly not background music. While it is melodic and very danceable, it is a heavy album focusing on world politics, loss and death. Together Albarn and Hewlett have created an album that invites the listener in to listen and, like a good novel, digest. While there are a number of guests on the album, such as Johnny Marr (who plays on a number of songs), IDLES, Sparks, Anoushka Shankar and Black Thought, to name a few, everyone comes together to create a cohesive and brilliant album. They use artists who have passed on, Mark E. Smith, Dennis Hopper (who seems to be very popular with musicians of late), Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Proof and Tony Allen, helps accentuate the overall message and theme of the album.

The album opens with the title track, “The Mountain”, which features Anoushka Shankar and Dennis Hopper’s voice using the mountain as an allegory is quite stirring. Other songs, such as “The Happy Dictator”, which features Sparks, is a chance to comment on leaders, or rather dictators, of today. Trump is front and centre, and here is the song that addresses the loss of a nation. But, really The Mountain is about mortality. For example, Albarn himself sings on “Casablanca”, “I don’t know anything that feels like this/No I don’t know anything that hits like this.” He sums up the feeling quite well.

Perhaps the most difficult song on the album, but also one of the most important is “The Hardest Thing”. The late Tony Allen gently intone “We are ready (let’s go)” before Albarn sings the line “You know the hardest thing is to say goodbye to someone you love”. Heartbreakingly true and so beautifully articulated. And the album comes to a close with “The Sad God”, in which the listener gets God’s viewpoint. Not only is God disappointed with what has become of the world, but also questioning our self-destructive nature. It is a very powerful song, with a brilliant contribution from Black Thought.

The Mountain is a remarkable achievement for Gorillaz. Albarn and Hewlett have created a work of art with the album, with their ability to look unflinchingly yet not unsympathetically. The Mountain is that rare gem of an album that is personal to the artist, yet the listener can identify with many of the thoughts and emotions. It is also very thought provoking, and the world music aspect makes it even more interesting and crucial. With this mountain, the view is well worth the climb.

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