Lest we forget the influence the band Blur have had on the British indie scene since the 1990’s. Seen as the South of England’s answer to Oasis, Britpop poster children Blur enjoyed widespread success until their disbandment in 2003. However, Blur have since reformed for a handful of festival appearances and single releases.
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Some time around 1998, Blur front-man Damon Albarn created a fictional, virtual band of cartoon characters otherwise known as Gorillaz. Opting for a more experimental, hip hop style, Gorillaz again received mainstream success especially in the United States. Albarn and fellow founder Jamie Hewlett have both stated that the Gorillaz project will continue into the future. So between Blur and Gorillaz what reason does Damon Albarn have to release solo material? Well, Albarn has been quick to dismiss the term ‘solo’, in a recent interview he’d said he supposed you “could call it a solo record” but it sounded “very lonely”. He’d opted instead to simply refer to it as material released under his name.
This material released under Albarn’s name better known as Everyday Robots opens with it’s title track, which in turn opens with a sample from Lord Buckley’s 1960 album Best Of Buckley. The music starts, consisting of nothing more than a very lonely sounding piano played over the top of a glitchy, heavily processed drum beat. The opening lyric of “we are everyday robots on our phones, in the process of going home” echoes what is believed to be the general concept behind the whole album. “Everyday Robots” is seen as a snapshot of the constant metaphorical struggle between nature and technology. The music follows the concept very well, the instruments combine to make a very hollow sound and creates the right amount of space for Albarn’s lofty, ghost-like vocals. “Hostiles” is much of the same, aside from the replacement of the piano with a gently repeated guitar melody. Albarn’s vocals never reach second gear throughout the track and it leaves you wanting more, willing him to portray some of the anguish he’s trying to get across with his lyrics. Luckily some of the sadness is lifted with “Mr. Tembo”. It’s a upbeat little tune, described by Albarn as a song about an orphaned baby elephant he’d met in Tanzania. Inspiration truly comes from all angles of life. Indeed, the Swahili word for elephant is ‘Tembo’.
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On “The Selfish Giant”, Albarn’s haunting vocals are echoed by a guest appearance from Bat For Lashes’ Natasha Khan. Her weightless repetition of Albarn’s lyrics somehow makes them emptier. The song also features the poignant lyric of “It’s hard to be a lover when the TV’s on” which seems to follow Albarn’s intended ideology behind Everyday Robots. The album’s second guest appearance comes from legendary English musician and producer Brian Eno, who contributes vocals on two tracks – The seven minute “You & Me” and the album’s closing track “Heavy Seas Of Love”.
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Many of the songs on Everyday Robots carry a vibe of isolation which at times is almost crushing. Albarn’s vocal style truly fits the means and the empty collective of instruments does little to make you feel whole again. it isn’t empty for the sake of being empty though, indeed some of the tracks are heavily layered, most notably “Hollow Ponds”. At parts during the track you’d be mistaken for thinking David Bowie had rocked up to the studio and sang in Albarn’s place. The song saunters along into a clutter of sound and space before leading into the instrumental “Seven High”, a track predominantly consisting of a piano and a heavily distorted drum beat. It does nothing to alleviate the hollow feeling of the album, instead making you feel what I can only describe as getting punched on fresh bruises.
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Everyday Robots is hands down Damon Albarn’s most personal work to date. He deserves praise for attempting to reach new depths in his songwriting and provide angles rarely seen in his previous work. It’s an album that’ll certainly surprise his fans and it has to be said the surprise is a pleasant one. The concept of human emotion and feelings against a backdrop of technology, wires and LCD screens is an interesting one and Albarn does extremely well to convey this throughout the album. Everyday Robots isn’t the gung-ho rock expedition of Blur or the good time summer vibe of Gorillaz. It is however an absolute joy to listen to, ironically speaking. In the words of Damon Albarn himself, “If you’re lonely, press play.”
Rating: 4/5
www.damonalbarnmusic.com
David writes great things here as well.