Gorillaz: Song Machine Season One: Strange Timez review – playful and potent collaboration

(Parlophone)
Damon Albarn is the melodic anchor to this pioneering album that balances idea with fun

The Now Now (2018) was a type of Gorillaz albums that distributed with the hip hop-led collaborations that have typically defined this band of ink and flesh. Visitors are in full effect, though, on its follow-up: what’s billed as Season One of the band’s Track Machine idea, compiling the tracks Gorillaz have released month-to-month by way of their YouTube channel since January, plus additional helpings.

Every little thing that has ever been partaking about Gorillaz is present in spades right here. Playfulness and conceptual ambition are all anchored by Damon Albarn’s melodic melancholy and his side-eye at the suboptimal state of issues. His Bowie fixation waxes arduous on unreleased tracks – corresponding to The Lost Chord – as properly these already within the public domain (Aries).