FEATURE:
Freedom Days
IMAGE CREDIT: Gorillaz
comes along and makes music more interesting and less routine. We are living at a time, as I say often, where the digital rules and social media is the way we promote music. Campaigns seem very samey, and you get the cycle happening time and time again. To be fair to artists, they need to do things this way because it is the best method to market and get the most engagement and focus. When it comes to recording music, do we need to be slavish to the studio and the usual process!? This may sound random, but the animated band, Gorillaz, have unveiled something unique. They are recording songs in their Kong Studios, and letting people more into the recording process. They are also working with a range of different collaborators, and it is a very different way of doing an album. This Rolling Stone article explains more:
“Gorillaz will launch a new music and cartoon series, “Song Machine,” Thursday with a new track, “Momentary Bliss,” featuring British MC Slowthai and the punk duo Slaves.
“Song Machine” will find Gorillaz moving forward outside the constraints of a typical album cycle. Per a press release, the series will find the animated outfit teaming with an “ever-evolving roster” of collaborators, with episodes coming together in the band’s Kong Studios. The series won’t have a set schedule, with Gorillaz promising the “spontaneous delivery of episodes throughout the year.”
Tuesday, Gorillaz shared the “Song Machine” theme music, while today they dropped “Machine Bitez #1,” a short skit featuring members 2D, Murdoc and Russel.
In a “statement,” Gorillaz drummer Russel said, “‘Song Machine’ is a whole new way of doing what we do. Gorillaz breaking the mould ‘cos the mould got old. World is moving faster than a supercharged particle, so we’ve gotta stay ready to drop. We don’t even know who’s stepping through the studio next. ‘Song Machine’ feeds on the unknown, runs on pure chaos. So whatever the hell’s coming, we’re primed and ready to produce like there’s no tomorrow. Y’know, just in case.”
Gorillaz — the long-time project of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett — released their most recent album, The Now Now, in 2018. The previous year, they dropped Humanz, which at the time marked their first LP since 2010’s The Fall. Last December, the band released a new documentary, Reject False Icons, which chronicled the prolific three-year period that produced The Now Now and Humanz”.
There are few more hard-working bands than Gorillaz and, when it comes to Damon Albarn, he is always looking at ways to push music forward and doing something new. I am interested to see how this song cycle pans out, and what we get. I like the fact we might get a new song out of the blue, and one is not going to know in advance who it is. So often, we get so much warning online regarding albums/songs, and they are mercilessly teased online. It can get predictable and rather dull. Most smaller artists cannot afford to do what Gorillaz are doing, but I wonder whether there are ways to change the way albums are recorded.
PHOTO CREDIT: @jesmanfabio/Unsplash
I have seen examples where artists have recorded an album live and streamed it at the same time. That is pretty exciting, and it means one can literally see an album being recorded. Maybe the whole process of writing, releasing, and marketing music means musicians are loathed to break from the usual course. I think Gorillaz’s new tact/idea will spark interest in others. I like the idea of songs sort of springing up, and we can actually see what is happening from the studio. Perhaps artists feel like cameras in a studio would be too intrusive, considering social media makes us feel exposed and vulnerable. I think there is something to be said for changing up things and thinking outside the box. Maybe artists could find a new way to market songs but, actually, I love the recording process and seeing the nuts and bolts of a track. We hear songs on streaming services or vinyl (or other formats), but few of us can appreciate how a song is created and recorded. At a time when we are short of attention spans, I do actually think something more immersive and forensic would interest people. I find myself skimming through tracks and being interested; I might listen a few more times, but the fascination fades. Maybe it is just me, but I am always intrigued when an artist goes beyond what we expect. (The risk doesn’t always pay off, mind). In the case of Gorillaz, I was finding myself turning away from their music because it was sort of blending in too much – maybe that is me being fickle.
PHOTO CREDIT: @dpmb87/Unsplash
Now that they have an incentive and new way of releasing an album, I am re-invested and look forward to what comes next – and the track they made with Slaves and slowthai is pretty good! I can appreciate how demanding music is, and how little time artists get to actually create and release their music. I am not suggesting people go too much out of their way regarding releases and promotion. Anything that lets the listener know more about the creative process benefits both the listener and musician. Also, anything that can surprise people in 2020 is pretty necessary. I think there is a mass of music out there, and a way of making it more real or differentiating it from the herd is always impressive and welcomed. I shall leave things there, but I think it is cool Gorillaz have sort of opened up their world more to fans – even if they are animated -; they have this album campaign that is kind of unpredictable and unconventional. It is another bold step from a simian band who are…
IMAGE CREDIT: Gorillaz
PRETTY damn evolved!