After their last album, “Demon Days”, being released almost twenty-one years ago on May 24, 2005, the band Gorillaz has finally released a new album, and it might be their best one yet.
On Feb. 27.Gorillaz released their newest album, “The Mountain” long with the fifteen songs they also released an animated short film by the name of “The Mountain, the Moon Cave, and the Sad God.” The album itself has a runtime of approximately one hour and six minutes. The longest song is called “The Manifesto,” running for 7 minutes and 19 seconds. “The Mountain, the Moon Cave, and the Sad God” is a fully hand-drawn eight minute long animation that was created over a timeline of six months. The animation was used as a huge offense against AI use in the art world. Being fully hand-drawn, every imperfection is fully visible and a main view of the video. AI does not have human characteristics such as imperfections, which are an insanely important part of all people. A story is told through the small flaws that make it real and raw.
The album prominently features Indian classical and traditional instruments, including the bansuri, sitar, sarod and tabla. The album blends these with electronic elements, cello, violin, viola, harp, percussion and synths, with contributions from the Demon Strings and The Mountain Choir. With the addition of a more traditional route they still keep their normal funky twist. There are 8 different collaborations on this album including Asha Bhosle, Black Thoughts, IDLES, Johnny Marr, Anoushka Shankar, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey.
Along with normal collaborations the album features posthumous appearances from Dennis Hopper, Bobby Womack, David Jolicoeur (De La Soul), Tony Allen and Mark E. Smith. The choice to add these special appearances ties into the main message behind the music itself. Members of the band, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett both lost their fathers within the span of ten days in 2024. This inspired the ode to grief and exploration on the afterlife, mortality and the emotional journey of loss that the music is about.
As one listens to the album, they are taken on a journey full of intimate story telling. The usual style of the band and their art is high-gloss 3D, but “The Mountain, the Moon Cave, and the Sad God’s” artstyle is based off of classic 1960’s Disney animation, specifically “The Jungle Book” that was released in 1967. There are multiple nods to the movie as the animation follows Noodle, one of their fictional portrayals, on a journey through a jungle. She ends up at a cave with the rest of her band mates where they start to make mystical music.
The different instruments and vocals that are being used do not only sound absolutely amazing, but also add a mystical undertone to the music. It is so easy to get lost in the sounds and fully immerse yourself into the music. The message of grievance is beautifully portrayed through the music. It is raw and emotional, making a very distinct and important connection between the artists, music, and consumers. The music is not just about the connection and meaning, it is just good and nice to listen to no matter the setting. Gorillaz music has always been good, but this album just takes the cake. It really makes you think. “The Mountain, the Moon Cave, and the Sad God” is really nice on the eyes. The message and reason for its existence is such an important thing that everybody should look into at least once. Being hand-drawn it gives it a beautifully rustic aesthetic. The sketched lines are visible through the animation that gives it a soft and nostalgic feeling.
Grief is something that I would not wish on my worst enemy. It is a feeling that is so consuming and desperately horrible. The raw emotion that is shown in this album is something that I will forever hold close to my heart. Everyone should listen to at least one song of this album, and watch the animation.
