gorillaz on fire from monkeys’ heads - new music from the little bro, report card 1

Getting massive amounts of new music at one time can be a blessing or a curse, depending on any number of things: your mood, the amount of stuff going on in your life, the weather, etc. Sometimes I get a fresh batch of tunes and just can’t handle it. I don’t have the time or inclination to explore something new. Or my brain just feels full, and things just seem to be moving too quickly.

But it turns out that coming back to routine after a vacation is a great time to dig into new music. I loaded up from my little brother’s iPod while at Squam and have had way too much fun exploring it all this week. So, to celebrate, and to get back into blogging a bit, I’m gonna grade each album I got from him, and post a mini review and a track up here in a series of posts. Let’s fill this tank.

Gorillaz - Demon Days

Up first is the last Gorillaz album, which I never picked up. I got moderately into the first album the summer it came out. I remember hearing “Clint Eastwood” and thinking that it was unlike anything I had ever heard before… I loved it. I nursed that album during a very low-key summer between college years, and it, along with Beth Orton’s Central Reservation, defined those months spent waking up before dawn to mow a golf course nestled in the Green Mountains of Vermont.

They weren’t bad months. But over time Gorillaz morphed into a very unique entity all their own. Some people went along for the ride, others cashed in their chips and said “thanks for a great album, but you’re not the kind of band I’m gonna invest any time getting really into.” I was of the latter group. They were interesting. Totally unique, over-the-top branded and self-mythologized, and really good. But they were ultimately a side project, after all, and Gorillaz remained relegated to the dusty, neglected corners of my iPod.

Now I’m wishing I had picked up Demon Days when it came out two years ago. I’ll comment on just one track, because it is totally awesome.

“Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head” is a parable about… American politics… or war… or poverty… or… something. It doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that is really, really cool, and grabs me the same way “Clint Eastwood” did years ago. It is primarily a voice-over, and damned if the voice doesn’t sound familiar. I’m sure it’s Billy Crudup or some person like that, but I can’t place the voice. (If you can, or if you know who it is, please do write it in the comments.*)

It is the story of some Hobbit-like people living at the base of a “mountain called Monkey” and their eventual fall at the hands of some shady folk. And it is a spoken word song. Nothing about this description makes the song sound good, I realize. But it is great.

The little bro told me that he likes Demon Days much more than Gorillaz and I’d have to say, even with the limited exposure I’ve had to the album so far, I agree.

“Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head” by Gorillaz

Grade (just for the song on this one): B+

*Postscript: I’ll be damned. It’s Dennis Hopper. What a voice!