CD Review: Plastic Beach [2010]

Band: Gorillaz
Release: 3/2010
Label: Virgin

1. “Orchestral Intro” – C-
2. “Welcome…” – C-
3. “White Flag” – B-
4. “Rhinestone Eyes” – B
5. “Stylo” – C+
6. “Superfast Jellyfish” – B
7. “Empire Ants” – C+
8. “Glitter Freeze” – B-
9. “Some Kind of Nature” – C+
10. “On Melancholy Hill” – B
11. “Broken” – C+
12. “Sweepstakes” – C-
13. “Plastic Beach” – B-
14. “To Binge” – B+
15. “Cloud of Unknowing” – C-
16. “Pirate Jet” – C

Comments: Good beats/average rap. That’s approximately what this record amounts to. This isn’t a traditional rap record…obviously. Lou Reed singing over a hip-hop beat? Fail. So even if “Gorillaz are real,” they are still a pretty laughable band. Getting somewhat big names to feature on tracks doesn’t prove to positively affect the record. The theme of the record is pretty lame, something you would expect from a fictional cartoon band. Miracle Johan did “To Binge” better on his Hawaiian mix released a few years ago. At the end of the day, this is a pretty unspectacular record in the grand scheme of 2010 releases. It will be forgotten. It’s already been forgotten.

Grade: C+ (78)