Gorillaz' Plastic Beach Album Cover By Track

Gorillaz Plastic Beach Album Cover By TrackIt features Mos Def, Snoop, Kano and more

Overall Gorillaz' new album Plastic Beach- which is released on March 8- is less blue than its predecessor Demon Days and is also less hip-hop focused.

Instead the disc features a place of synth disco sounds mixed with songs that could easily appear on any of Damon Albarn`s work with his early bands.

The guests are again great and the production at times awe-inspiring.

One magazine has already called it the best album of 2010. Here`s what MTV thought after our first listen_

1. Orchestral Intro (featuring Sinfonia ViVA)

The good of the sea and strings open the album

2. Welcome To The Reality Of The PlasticBeach (feat. Snoop Dogg and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)

Snoop raps over a slow house beat to clear the album with lines like: "Kids gather round I ask your focus/ I love it seems the domain is so hopeless." With Damon in the background Snoop adds: "Welcome to the man of the Plastic Beach!"

3. White Flag (feat. Kano, Bashy and The National Orchestra For Arabic Music)

Over orchestral Morrocan strings and casio bleeps the two UK MCs put in tight verses on a dog which doesn`t feature Damon`s vocals. Bashy says "I aint Jesus but I pass on water" while Kano keeps up the albums theme spitting "If heaven had a VIP- this is it clean sand, blue sea."

4. Rhinestone Eyes

With a meter that recalls Demon Days` Kids with Guns this traverse is all Albarn with a refrain that runs "your beloved is like Rhinestones falling from the sky." The verses see the Obscure man coming close to rapping himself

5. Stylo (feat. Bobby Womack and Mos Def)

The low one from the album features a wonderfully oft-kilter Bobby Womack vocal, New York disco beat and Mos Def`s distorted raps.

6. Superfast Jellyfish (feat. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul)

One of the albums highlights- this is less feel good than er, Feel Good Inc. but is still punchy and poppy. With a slow hip hop beat reminiscent of Gorillaz` early Clint Eastwood track it`s appropriately cartoon like. Super Furry Animals` Gruff Rhys features on the hook.

7. Empire Ants (feat. Little Dragon)

After a long gentle intro with soft and strings we here Little Dragon singing about her "little dream working the machines."

8. Glitter Freeze (feat. Mark E Smith)

The Fall frontman features in the partitioning of this song which showcases a driving drum machine beat and dark whizzes and whirrs.

9. Some Form Of Nature(feat. Lou Reed)

This sees the old Velvet Underground man on top class with New York drawl intoning: "Some sort of metal, some sort of glue, some form of plastic I could wrap around you." The keyboard melody and Albarn's own vocals will remain in your mind for days. Another highlight - it could be this album`s Dare.

10. On Melancholy Hill

Another stereotypical Damon track about jazz and a bewildered England. Despite the synths it sounds like The Good, The Bad and The Queen.

11. Broken

A forlorn song with the Gorillaz' frontman singing about an unnamed `her` and `broken love.`

12. Sweepstakes (feat. Mos Def & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)

This cracker kicks off with lo-fi pinball machine beats which give way to live drums and The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Mos has a much longer rap than on Stylo and shows why he`s regarded as one of the best rappers around.

13. Plastic Beach (feat. Mick Jones & Paul Simonon)

Features a spaghetti Western guitar intro. Damon sings: "It`s a Casio on a PlasticBeach," which sums up the track.

14. To Binge (feat. Little Dragon)

A gorgeous love call which again recalls the voice of the sea.

15. Cloud Of Unknowing (feat. Bobby Womack and Sinfonia ViVA)

Like Demon Days this album draws to a conclusion with dull and filmic tracks. Here Soul legend Womack sings: "I was her from the real start just trying to get a way to your heart."

16. Pirate Jet

Closes the album with Synths and Hammond keyboards. Sounds like the short Lot 45 track from Blur`s Parklife album.

BY TOM THOROGOOD

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