Potentially Perpetual Pointlessness: Gorillaz (feat. André 3000 & James Murphy)

If it is indeed the end for Mr Albarn’s ever-rotating cast of cartoons, has it all gone flat or is it picture perfect?

I’ve been excited about this track ever since it was first announced that Gorillaz would be collaborating with two mystery figures of reported musical stature for Converse’s ‘Three Artists. One Song’ promotion. Now we know who appears on the track and we’ve been given the opportunity to download it for free (from Converse.com), what’s it like? Let’s get a little bit of background (and an opportunity for me to ramble aimlessly and express a little bit of opinion) first. This song was written and recorded purely to coincide with the release of a limited edition range of Gorillaz themed shoes designed by Jamie Hewlett. I’ll be honest, I was a little concerned that this move would prove to scream “SELL OUT” – especially considering that part of the idea of Gorillaz in the first place was to erase the celebrity-obsessed, egocentric and commercial side of the music industry to a degree. But then I actually began to think about it, and there’s no denying that after going through 3 full studio albums Gorillaz have deviated from their initial ethos. Just count how many different collaborators appear on 2010’s Plastic Beach. Go on. Frankly, the prospect of listening to Damon Alban, André 3000 (of OutKast fame) and James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) is a tantalising one to say the least. For anybody hoping for more of a return to the style of their eponymous debut album from 2001, or even a departure from the current style into an area fresh, new and green, you’ll be left feeling disappointed. DoYaThing would very much feel at home on Plastic Beach. This shouldn’t be a problem though, least not for me, because I bloody loved that record.

The song gets into things pretty promptly, with only a very small introduction (if you can call it that) which is basically a high pitched synth followed by an almost lightly mechanical sounding beeping and scattered beat. Parping synths soon follow (which I am sure come from the same sound-bank as the ones used in Doncamatic feat. Daley) before you soon find that Damon Albarn sounds as great as ever with his slightly altered voice as the persona of 2D, the blue haired and paranoid lead singer. He deals with the verses whereas James Murphy takes centre-stage for the chorus with a falsetto funk-fest tinged with a sense of happy delusion. It’s not the most tuneful erm…tune you’ll ever here, but thus far it’s pretty cool. What really makes this song tick is the introduction of none other than André Benjamin (3000). He’s given the space and freedom to take the last two and a half minutes of the song by the reigns and do something kickass. He offers both a bizarre second chorus of sorts, which by the way is catchy as hell. It’s his marathon of a rap that really shines though; in which he goes on and on and on and on (not that I’m complaining in any way) to such an extent that he manages to squeeze the words ‘juicyfruit’, ‘onomatopoeia’ ‘astronaut ass’ and ‘nigga’ (and ‘fuck’, naturally) x 100. I may be exaggerating a litte, oh, and I’m quoting, bitch - I ain’t no racist. The version currently available for download though is the radio edit, and so you won’t be able to hear the rudiness until you listen to the extended 13 minute version, which I’ll get onto in a minute… André really does go hell to the leather with it, free-styling at an impressively breakneck pace. To be honest the only negative point that immediately springs to mind regarding this section is the fact that it’s probably going to be a fair while before we see another OutKast album… Big shame. I hate to ramble though, so let’s see if I can come to a reasonably concise conclusion. This song is great, and I genuinely believe it’s one of the best songs to have come from Damon Albarn’s marvellously inventive ‘toon project. Its structure is interesting, it’s accessible but at the same time oddly not…(I love it when I don’t make sense) and having quality such as the likes of James Murphy and André 3000 is just downright impressive. Whatever the collective ‘thing’ of Albarn, Murphy and Benjamin is – they’re certainly doing it. You owe it to yourself to give this song a listen and maybe a cheeky little (FREE) download if you like what you hear. Maybe take a look at the range of Gorillaz themed Converse too, because they’re pretty damn sexy. Oh, and about that extended version… It’s the shit. That’s all I’ll say.