Gorillaz
Damon Albarn Signs to Transgressive Records, Preps New Album
Damon Albarn, frontman of Blur and Gorillaz, has signed to Transgressive Records as a solo artist. Upon his signing, the label announced on Instagram that he’s putting the finishing touches are being put on his upcoming album solo album, which will be a continuation of his 2014 solo debut, Everyday Robots. On Transgessive Record’s official site, Toby L of the label states, “We have had the great pleasure of collaborating with Damon over the years via the incredible Africa Express project, which has introduced many gifted artists to the Transgressive world.” Speaking of Albarn’s new music he added, “Truly prolific, his latest solo work is amongst the finest of his career. We really couldn’t be more honoured to welcome Damon and his phenomenal team at Eleven Management into the Transgressive...
Beck, Gorillaz, Nick Cave, Pavement and More Slated for Barcelona’s Primavera Sound Festival 2022
While 2021 festivals are coming fast and furious, festival fans have something to look forward to in 2022, thanks to Beck, Gorillaz, Nick Cave, The Strokes, Pavement and more slated for the jam-packed Primavera Sound Festival. The two-day fest in Barcelona will also see Massive Attack, Tame Impala, the National and Tyler, The Creator on the first weekend. The second will see some acts repeating, but joined by such luminaries as Lorde, Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Interpol. But wait, there’s more. Primavera also nabbed such cool names as Bauhaus, Bikini Kill, Einstürzende Neubáuten, Kacey Musgraves, Earl Sweatshirt, Jawbox, Beach House, Charli XCX, Mavis Staples, Sharon Van Etten, Dinosaur Jr., slowthai, girl in red, and IDLES. Jumping on th...
SPIN’s 2020 Holiday Gift Guide
COVID-19 brought the concert industry to a screeching halt in 2020. But all that disposable income music fans generally spend on concert tickets and tour merch has been redirected to the retail front: supporting artists and labels by shopping online during quarantine. And this holiday season brings an overwhelming amount of worthy box sets, books, vinyl and cultural ephemera. After many hours rummaging, scrolling, clicking and sampling, we’ve rounded up this holiday gift guide — consider it the sonic equivalent to a PS5 or Great Green Egg grill for the rabid music fan in your life. The Secret DJ – Book Two (Velocity Press) One-time pop star and acclaimed Mixmag columnist the Secret DJ continues to chronicle the last 30-plus years of dance music’s evolution as a superst...
Damon Albarn Suggests Gorillaz are Working on New Music With Paul McCartney of The Beatles
Gorillaz just released their collaboration-heavy long form project Song Machine Season One: Strange Timez late last month, but in a recent podcast interview, co-founder Damon Albarn suggested there’s even more new content from the group waiting in the wings. During an appearance on KINK, Albarn suggested the animated band behind hits “Feel Good Inc.” and “Clint Eastwood” has a recording with The Beatles‘ Paul McCartney that could see its way onto a future Gorillaz record. “I have a recording of Paul and myself that I could use for a Gorillaz track,” Albarn said. “It could easily fit on a Gorillaz album.” Albarn hinted it’s perhaps too early to say the group has a track with the legendary Beatle, imp...
Beck Joins Gorillaz on Their Latest Song Machine Track
Gorillaz have released their latest Song Machine offering. This time, they have teamed up with Beck on the track, “The Valley of the Pagans.” [embedded content] From the top of the track, you’ll immediately hear Beck’s flair on the melody. Unfortunately, we don’t get Beck in animated form. Instead, we see him on a video call singing his verse the chorus as the Gorillaz speed through Los Angeles as if on a high-speed chase in Grand Theft Auto style, speeding by such landmarks at the Griffith Observatory. Gorillaz kicked off the Song Machine project in January with “Momentary Bliss” with slowthai and Slaves. Since the launch of the project, they have released “Désolé,” pener” target=”_blank”>“Aires,” which they performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, “How Far,” “Friday 13th,” “PAC-MAN,” “Strange...
Damon Albarn Says Live Music is a ‘Prescription’ for COVID-19 Pandemic Stress
With all the social restrictions and now, a month-long lockdown in England to prevent COVID-19 cases from rising further, Damon Albarn has opened up about how the ongoing pandemic has not only hurt the live music industry but also the overall well-being of people. “It’s a medical emergency but an existential one as well,” Albarn told Sky News over the weekend. “You’ve got to allow music to continue… We are trying to preserve everyone’s health at the moment so passionately, we mustn’t ignore live music in that prescription.” He added, “If people are willing to perform, they should be allowed to, no one should be forced to do anything but if people are willing then somehow we can make it work so everyone can feel comfortable and participate.” And while he understands that these restrictions ...
Damon Albarn Says Gorillaz Movie Is in the Works
It’s been a busy year for Gorillaz. The group steadily dropped new music over the course of the year, culminating with the release of Song Machine last Friday. Now, Damon Albarn says there’s even more on the way. In an interview with Radio.com as part of their New Arrival series, Albarn said that there’s another edition of Song Machine on the way and there will be a feature film attached to it. “Well, we are supposed to be making a film while we’re doing season two. We signed contracts, we’ve begun scripts and stuff. Making an animated film that’s kind of abstract is quite a big risk for a movie studio because they’re very expensive. If you’re telling a slightly obtuse story that only sometimes makes any sense, it’s quite difficult. That’s what we’ve discovere...
Gorillaz and Beck Share Performance Inside Animal Crossing
In honor of their recently released album, Gorillaz shared a new performance from inside Animal Crossing. For the virtual band’s latest outing, they recruited Beck and entered the world of the relaxing video game sensation that helped us through the early days of the pandemic. The two acts took the stage as the musical guest for Gary Whitta‘s talk show, Animal Talking, held entirely inside the game. For their adorable presentation, they chose their collaborative single “The Valley Of The Pagans.” In addition to the music, earlier in the show, Gorillaz creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett took part in an interview with Whitta and spoke about what it’s like being a part of a virtual band. The interview starts at 48:35 and the performance follows at the 1...
Gorillaz Release Latest Single From “Song Machine” Project Featuring Elton John and 6LACK
Back in January, Gorillaz announced their extensive “Song Machine” project, which features a series of collaborative singles dubbed “episodes.” Last month, they revealed the tracklist, which boasts a slew high-profile features such as Beck, ScHoolboy Q, and many more. With their latest release, they’ve enlisted the legendary Elton John as well as hip-hop artist 6LACK for “The Pink Phantom.” “The Pink Phantom” follows the trend that the “Song Machine” releases have been following since the first one, as it retains a laid-back, trippy feel and lets the features shine. The iconic John belts passionate, lovelorn lyrics while 6LACK handles perfectly crafted verses in-between. Much like the ...
Gorillaz Announce Virtual “Song Machine Live” Broadcast, First Performance in Two Years
There is perhaps no group more fitting to perform a digital concert in the COVID-19 era than Gorillaz, the enigmatic virtual band and brainchild of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. To further build the hype surrounding their Song Machine series, Gorillaz have announced a trio of shows called “Song Machine Live,” marking the iconic group’s first performance in two years. The shows are scheduled for December 12th and 13th, 2020 and will be streamed live via LIVENow. Gorillaz virtuoso Hewlett is set to offer up his fabled animation in tandem with a live performance from frontman Albarn, who will be joined by guitarist Noodle, bassist Murdoc Niccals, and drummer Russel. The band will be performing songs from their forthcoming “Song Machine Season One: Strange T...
Gorillaz to Play First Show in Over Two Years
Last week, Gorillaz announced the release of their compilation album, Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez, featuring a number of rock greats, including the Cure’s Robert Smith, Peter Hook, Beck, Elton John, 6lack, ScHoolboy Q and many more. They’re going to return to the stage now as well, performing for the first time since a Mexico City show in October 2018. The ticketed shows will take place Dec. 12 and 13 across various time zones. The group, which includes guitarist Noodle, bassist Murdoc Niccals, drummer Russel and frontman 2D, will be joined by Damon Albarn and the full Gorillaz live band. A group of yet-to-be-announced guest artists will perform as well. Gorillaz will be performing Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez in its entirety, along with other cuts from t...
Gorillaz Reveal Feature-Filled Tracklist for “Song Machine” Project with Elton John, Beck, More
Blur frontman Damon Albarn and illustrator Jamie Hewlett‘s eclectic animated brainchild Gorillaz have been dominating airwaves for two decades. With timeless classics like “Clint Eastwood” and “Feel Good Inc.,” the Gorillaz name has become associated with subverting expectations and wowing with ever-changing style and monumental features. Gorillaz have now announced a new project (not to be referred to as an album), Song Machine Season One: Strange Timez, which is chock full of incredible features and set to expand on the already iconic Gorillaz legacy. The tracklist boasts some truly legendary names featured on this next batch of Gorillaz tunes, including Elton John, Beck, ScHoolboy Q, The Cure‘s Robert Smith, Skepta, an...
