FEATURE:
Charles Darwin’s Final Diary Entry
Damon Albarn: The Ever-Evolving Icon
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WHETHER he is working in Mali…
or performing music with The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians; there is no denying the curiosity and worldliness of Damon Albarn is endless! I remember encountering (through the speakers) the Blur frontman when the band’s first album, Leisure, came out in 1991. That record, whilst not universally well-received and adored, did show the songwriter has a unique edge and an immediate talent. In terms of Blur lineage; one can see the music develop and become more ambitious. From Parklife (1994) and its commentaries on everyday life and ordinary people, through to the more American sounds-driven eponymous album (1997); the diverse and variegated/Morrocan-influenced sounds of Think Tank (2003) – Albarn has been at the centre and orchestrated the band’s finest moments. As a lyricist, he can switch from that keen observer and working-class poet who beautifully articulates Britishness and conversations that happen over garden fences. He can score sweeping and affecting songs (This Is a Low, Parklife) or straight-up Punk punches (Chinese Bombs, Blur). If the band are past their best days, or on a long hiatus, you cannot deny the legacy he left. Whether tussling with the Gallagher brothers in the 1990s – in print form, rather than physical – when Britain’s two biggest bands were vying for regency and respect; making some of the best music of the 1990s or amazing critics with his versatility – nobody can talent the innate and peerless talent of Albarn!
One of the reasons I am so blown away by Damon Albarn is his endless capacity for creativity and passion. He recently conducted an interview with Matt Everitt and was subjected to some good-natured ribbing. More than one source has playfully teased Albarn about his astonishing work-rate: the fact musicians feel bad in comparison and are made to look bad! Albarn retorted with humility and explained how he is only in the studio Monday-through-Friday and works normal office hours. The man spends his weekends doing what he wants and does not slavishly spend time in the studio when there is no need. That, if anything, makes the productivity all the more extraordinary and impressive! I guess the disciplined routine and lack of burn-out means Albarn has the energy to do what he wants and produce stunning work. Blur’s debut album was released in 1991 and, since then, there has barely been a year when the songwriter has been dormant. You can hear that inquisitive and busy mind literally going all around the world and picking up new sounds. He has worked with Syrian musicians and spent a lot of time in Africa. He has assimilated Asian elements into music and explored the very marrow of Britishness. Just shy of a South American odyssey or some Australian magic; Albarn has conquered every continent and collaborated with a host of musicians.
PHOTO CREDIT: Aaron Richter
Blur’s work has inspired countless bands and defined why British music, in the 1990s, was so revered and respected. As a solo artist, he released his debut in 2014 and gained a lot of love from critics. It is amazing when you realise Albarn is part of four different music outlets. He works on solo stuff and Blur’s material; he is part of The Good, The Bad & The Queen and is one of the animated figures from Gorillaz. Albarn worked with African musicians back in 2013 (the album, Maison Des Jeunes, was part of the Africa Express project) and has recorded on various soundtracks, too. He composed the music for the 2015 musical, Wonder.land – an Alice in Wonderland-style project - and continues to work endlessly. He revealed to Everitt, during their talk, there will be another record from The Good, The Bad & The Queen; a further Gorillaz album, The Now Now, and, who knows...maybe another Albarn solo album?! I am not sure whether Blur can follow 2015’s The Magic Whip but who knows when it comes to Damon Albarn – a new record might already be in the can! Jack White, in his career, has worked in four different guises – a solo artist, one-half of The White Stripes; The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather – and recorded slightly less music than Albarn. Both are tremendous innovators and, if you had to look at pure quality and who has made the biggest impact on music…you’d have to give the edge to Albarn.
There are a few other musicians who shift between projects but few have the chameleon-like skill of Albarn and take from such a wide and broad palette. I love the sonic shifts and beautiful moments on Think Tank; I admire Albarn’s hook-up with The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians; his early work amazed the senses and now, at fifty, it seems a perfect time to commend the songwriter and see how far he has come. I can honestly see him recording music into his eighties! The man loves what he does and is always at the forefront of the musical consciousness. Recently, he revealed he turned down a collaboration with Prince (he wasn’t allowed to smoke in the studio - the nerve!) and reacted to Arctic Monkeys’ latest record; he has opinions regarding Brexit and was keen to offer his thoughts on the royal wedding – he is an everyman who understands what is best for the nation and has that political heartbeat. Albarn is a humanitarian and someone who wants what is best for the world. This year will see more material from Albarn and lots of new, exciting offerings. He has, with a sly wink, promised next year will be quieter and he may only release the one album – such a lazy bastard! In addition to passing fifty and gearing up for the next phase in his career; the reason I wanted to highlight Damon Albarn is how he approaches music and the variation he offers.
PHOTO CREDIT: Nathaniel Welch/NY Times/Redux
There have been interviews where that question has been raised: Will Blur record another album?! Albarn knows there are three other people to consider when it comes to studio time – he is easy-going and can make a Blur album when he wishes. I have respected and followed the work of Damon Albarn since Blur’s first single and, being fifteen years younger than him, do not feel that different to him. Albarn has a few more grey hairs but, in essence, has no plans to slow down. It is his infectious desire to convey himself through music that gets to me. So many modern musicians get trapped in a rut and can get rather downtrodden. The industry is hard and people putting in insane hours! Maybe Albarn, if he was coming into music now, would face the same hurdles as everyone else. It might not be easy to stick to a five-day week and have that sort of casual attitude to recording. I think Albarn’s endeavour and versatility should give guidance to people out there. When artists collaborate, it tends to be quite limited and, if they stretch their compositional wings, it is never as far-reaching and fascinating as it could be! Again, maybe Albarn has that cache and access to resources newer musicians do not. I feel it is the way he (Albarn) approaches music and thinks about the world that should be taken to heart.
He is a composer whose ear is to the ground and keen to expose those artists that do not get the credit they deserve. Working with a Syrian orchestra, in these charged times, could have been seen as a bold and risky manoeuvre. To Damon Albarn, it was part of his job and nothing was going to stop him! To me, the Londoner has not changed his perspective on the world and let fame change him at all. Many of Albarn’s peers have lost sight of where they came from and why they got into music to begin with. Excess, wealth and popularity go to their head and they start to lose what made them special. Even if he is not as floppy-haired and youthful as the man who sung She’s So High (Leisure, 1991); there is evidence to suggest the maestro has many more years left in him. From a Bugman to the leader of Gorillaz – the man is constantly evolving, growing and changing musical forms. Not everything he has touched is golden – one or two so-so Blur albums; Gorillaz have had some average reviews along the way – but even a semi-promising Damon Albarn creation is far stronger than most of the music out there! Like the aforementioned Jack White, it is that unwillingness to disconnect from music and be ‘ordinary’ that drives the genius forward. Not willing to stick with one style and voice; switching faces and getting involved with music’s full spectrum means the creative juices keep flowing and the possibilities are endless.
Maybe we will see a Damon Albarn novel or short film along the way; there could be another solo record or he might go back into musical/theastre territory – an operatic piece or a commentary on modern Britain. It seems, in 2018, we are crying out for the sort of Blur observations that slayed critics back in the 1990s. We have few songwriters who can represent the voice of the average citizen with such wit, intelligence and pathos. Albarn is an evergreen influencer whose energy and talent is stunning to say the very least. Maybe his claims of a five-day studio lifestyle are true – I suspect he nips in there at the weekends occasionally – and he gets plenty of time to blow off steam. We have seen various lifecycles and reformations come from Damon Albarn. Even at the age of fifty, one suspects there will be more extraordinary records and movements from a musician who barely seems to tire and age! Keep your eyes out for new material from Gorillaz, The Good, The Bad & The Queen and, I believe, Africa Express. You never know what the man is up to and what an album of his will possess. It may have a vivacious and shimmering electronic fizz or some African-tinged orchestrations; it might be a guitar-laced rave-up or an acoustic number that looks at our interaction with machinery. Albarn’s mind is always working and the breadth of work he has given us is nothing short of phenomenal. So many of his contemporaries have faded and dropped off the radar but, if anything, Albarn is more focused and driven than ever. At a time when we need leaders to come through and inspire the new generation; witnessing Damon Albarn plot, plan and tease is…
PHOTO CREDIT: Gilbert Blecken (1993)
SUCH a wonderful thing to see.
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ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images