The group commented on the criticism present in Cracker Island, its most recent album – and detailed the ‘electrifying’ partnership with MC Bin Laden: “how to put your finger on a fun take”
“It’s about the marginalized, the misunderstood, the forgotten.” That’s how the gorillazdefines the single “Skinny Ape”, one of the tracks from his most recent album, Cracker Island (2023). It’s also like the gorillaz defines the current work of the group:
“The songs say WE SEE YOU, even if no one else is looking. This is Gorillaz in 2023”, defines the group, in conversation with Rolling Stone Brazil.
Launched in February this year, Cracker Island is the eighth studio album by Gorillaz – which here narrates a new chapter of their dystopia, now as pastors of an apocalyptic cult, The Last Cult. Beyond the concept, however, it is a pop treatise on a hyper world addicted to unreal connections. In common, the critical look without irony of the group that appears in parables, in the lyrics and outside of them:
“[O disco fala sobre] false hopes, the drug of the trickle economy, new gold, old stuff in wrapping paper, self-medication, emancipation… all in the same basket. You understand me?”
In practice, the result is one of the most solid albums in the history of Gorillaz – even mentioned as a successor to the acclaimed plastic beach, from 2010, one of the group’s successes. The inspiration came from a period in California, which put the members in touch with the idiosyncrasies of a ‘perpetual reinvention bubble’, as they define the American state:
“It’s like someone drilled a hole in reality where every truth is a lie and vice versa.”
Participations and MC Bin Laden
Throughout its 22-year career, Gorillaz was marked by the various participations in its songs, which here appear more restrained. Far from saying that they are few – they are not, and they appear in 10 of the 15 tracks. Here, however, the feats, which became a Gorillaz trademark, appear more concise and assertive. Stevie Nicks takes his optimism and lightness amidst the chaos in “Oil”; Beck confuses his vocals with those of Damon Albarn in “Possession Island”; and even Bad Bunny adds nuance to the album with his Spanish-language reggaeton on “Tormenta”.
But it’s in “Controllah” that one of the most unusual feats on the record appears – with the Brazilian funk of MC Bin Laden. On the track, Bin Laden sings in Portuguese with the fast beat of Gorillaz, in one of the most energetic moments of the album, and which perhaps most resonates with the band at the beginning of their career.
“Bin Laden was fast, inspiring and electrifying, like putting your finger on a fun take while pressing a button with the “don’t press” sign. Or the brain-frozen feeling of really good ice cream. That’s what the track sounds like for me.”
Check out the full interview with Gorillaz below:
Rolling Stone Brasil: You started the releases with “Skinny Ape” and “Possession Island”, two touching, melancholic tracks. What do they say about your new album and Gorillaz in 2023?
Gorillaz: you know the painting Nighthawks, by Edward Hopper? See, it’s about the marginalized, the misunderstood, the forgotten. That’s what “Skinny Ape” is about, man he looks up to the stars but he’s in the gutters.
The songs say WE SEE YOU, even if no one else is looking. That’s Gorillaz in 2023.
We are ultimate cult shepherds looking for lost sheep and it looks like we’ve found another one. Welcome!
Rolling Stone Brasil: “New Gold”, on the other hand, feels like an ironic chronicle of our times – something we’ve always come to expect from Gorillaz. What inspired the lyrics to this song?
Gorillaz: Yeah, that’s kind of it – but no irony, that’s right.
False hopes, the drug of the drip economy, new gold, old stuff in wrapping paper, self-medication, emancipation… all in the same basket. You understand me?
Rolling Stone Brasil: Cracker Island it is the result of an actual period that the Gorillaz spent in California. How did those states – or maybe the United States – influence the record as a whole?
Gorillaz: It’s like someone opened a hole in reality where every truth is a lie and vice versa. Hollywoodland before anything else. California was that place, that bubble of perpetual reinvention. I’m talking about the Truman Show, but you’re stuck outside… welcome to the Hotel California, where you can check in but never check out, check it out!
Rolling Stone Brasil: The last album also came with really special guest appearances – Beck, Stevie nicks, Adeleye Omotayo… just amazing names! How did working with each of them contribute to the final result of the album?
Gorillaz: Bringing guests here is what it’s always been – opening minds, breaking hearts, sonically, in a beautiful way. “Silent Running” featuring Ade desperately deserves a listen. Stevie wants to fill the pit of despair with love. And Beck is alone on an island in a sea of people who have everything but love.
Rolling Stone Brazil: Your show in Brazil was one of the best last year. In your opinion, why are your songs so well accepted here?
Gorillaz: Incredible people in an incredible country, the lungs of the world. If Brazil is happy, the world breathes better.
Rolling Stone Brasil: During your visit to Brazil, you recorded with MC Bin Laden. This surprised even bin Laden fans. What drew your attention to Brazilian funk and how does the genre relate to Gorillaz? And how was the recording process?
Gorillaz: I’m a fan of George Duke and [Tom] Jobim. Brazilian Lova Affair it was one of the first albums that stuck with me. But I also have African ancestry. I am aware of the short distance across the Atlantic from West Africa to Bahia, Brazil. Its that in certain places in South America Yoruba is spoken like in Nigeria. That’s what inspires me, the music and history of a people out of date through time. And the music is what survives.
Bin Laden was fast, inspiring and electrifying, like putting your finger in a fun socket while pressing a button with the “don’t press” sign. Or the brain-frozen feeling of really good ice cream. That’s how the track sounds to me.
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Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
