ALBUM REVIEW: “The Mountain” by Gorillaz
Is it really almost 25 years since the 2001 release of the ground breaking self-titled “Gorillaz” album, and the iconic Clint Eastwood ? Just….. how ? And yet here we are with the release of their nineth album “The Mountain”.
Gorillaz was an interesting concept, a group of musicians making music behind the veil of cartoon character band members. Founded by ex-Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett the concept gave the pair the freedom to explore and experiment with new sounds and techniques, and to indulge in a wide range of influences and styles, and this concept of musical exploration is at the foundation of the new album.
“The Mountain” is a fantastic journey around the world, taking in Latin, Arabic, Eastern influences, cris-crossing genres to deliver something extraordinary. Not just a global journey in a musical sense but also physically, having been recorded in locations such as London, Devon and India. The album is also a who’s who of world music with guest appearances throughout from the likes of Bobby Womack, IDLES, Mark E. Smith, Johnny Marr, Anoushka Shankar, Sparks and Ajay Prasanna, to name but a few !
Opening with the title track The Mountain which features Dennis Hoppers voice intertwined through like a thread, whilst Anoushka Shankar’s sitar wraps itself around other Eastern influences and tones, and yet as it develops it seems to take on a more western folk influence wuit with eastern instrumentation. Simply wonderful.
The 15 tracks cover a wide range of subjects too, from love to loss and grief via political statements, such as in The Happy Dictator featuring Sparks.
Bobby Womack vocals appear on the Hollywood cinematic sounding The Moon Cave giving it a wonderful and distinctly funk vibe. And the Mancunian tones of the late great Fall frontman Mark E. Smith appear on Delirium, an interesting track with a deep dark feel but a dancefloor vibe.
The world music influence is a theme that runs throughout, especially with the beautiful, glittering sitar tones from Anoushka Shankar which appears on a number of tracks including The Mountain, The Plastic Guru and Sweet Prince. Elsewhere the legendary Bolllywood voice of Asha Bhosle appears in The Shadowy Light. On Damascus which features Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey, there’s a simply delightful mix of Eastern tones and sounds with a very catchy dancefloor / hip hop vibe. The result is stunning.
Check out the official video for The Hardest Thing featuring Tony Allen on YouTube below:
Orange County starts with a Mellotron-like keys section and the emotional line “The hardest thing is to say goodbye to someone you love”. A track about grief and lost but it builds and changes into an almost bossanova ‘Casiotone’ beat. The juxtaposition sounds odd, but strangely it works brilliantly.
IDLES Joe talbot makes an appearance on The God of Lying which has that classic Gorillaz sound, and is the perfect backdrop to his laid back vocals. A subdues performance from Joe, more known for his aggressive and harsh vocal style, he delivers a slow laconic style here which is perfect and haunting, and almost threatening, but still retains that classic IDLES vibe.
Casablanca features Johnny Marr and Paul Simonon (Ex-Clash bassist) and is a slow dreamy piece that draws you in with its mellow sensibility.
With all these influences, styles, genres and guest appearances you’d think it may not work well as a whole, but you’d be wrong. Amazingly Albarn pulls it all together somehow, into something united and coherent – everything brought together in musical unity.
“The Mountain” from Gorilaz is a momumental album both in terms of ambition and delivery, a fusion unlikely styles and influences that ironically make great bed fellows. An album to listen to again and again to dive into and identify and enjoy the flavours and nuances. A fantastic 9.0 from LiveWire Music.
“The Mountain” Tracklist
The Mountain
The Moon Cave
The Happy Dictator
The Hardest Thing
Orange County
The God of Lying
The Empty Dream Machine
The Manifesto
The Plastic Guru
Delirium
Damascus
The Shadowy Light
Casablanca
The Sweet Prince
The Sad God
“The Mountain” is out tomorrow, Friday 27th February via Kong and is available to order HERE
And Gorillaz are about to embark on ‘The Mountain’ tour. 11 dates across the UK in March 2026. dates are selling fast with 5 already sold out. Tickets are available on the Gorillaz website HERE.
