Gorillaz - The Mountain

Gorillaz have always veered a little off center. Their music is approachable, yet there’s always something just a little different or whimsical about their tracks. Their appeal is that they’re unafraid to try something new.

The Mountain is more of this approach. There are tracks that sound straight Middle Eastern, others that remind me of Joywave, and others that land right with underground hip-hop featuring the likes of Black Thought and Yasiin Bey. While I always appreciate what Gorillaz are up to, there are always those one or two tracks that keep me from giving them the highest of scores. But that’s the point of risk.

FFO: older Gorillaz albums, Joywave, quirky alternative, underground hip-hop