It starts off with the sound of a flowing river and birds singing along. Immediately, you're drawn into a peaceful landscape. Then bells ring, darkness takes over and deep strings and a pipe organ start to overcome the sound of nature. That's how we begin getting in the mood from track one on this new project composed by Damon Albarn, music for an opera under the name of Dr. Dee. Yup, you read well, O-PE-RA.
Despite this project has been knocking around for about five years, it's been released only a couple of weeks ago. It was already been acclaimed by the critics and premiered on 2011. Listen to it in its entirety below.
It might be surprising to hear Blur's frontman composing a piece of such complexness, but it isn't such an eye-opener if you go back on Mr. Albarn's career. He's one of the most complex and multifaceted artists of our times... That's why it is very hard to summarize his vast career, here you have some examples
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Blur
On The Universal we can appreciate how the orchestration was present on Albarn's music even in the Blur days, featuring strings and horns in addition to the band's standard instruments. Also the art behind this single has a clear homage to Stanley Kubrick, the cover is inspired by 2001 A Space Odyssey and the video clip features all Blur members dressed like Alex's gang from A Clockwork Orange, which is pretty cool.
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On The Universal we can appreciate how the orchestration was present on Albarn's music even in the Blur days, featuring strings and horns in addition to the band's standard instruments. Also the art behind this single has a clear homage to Stanley Kubrick, the cover is inspired by 2001 A Space Odyssey and the video clip features all Blur members dressed like Alex's gang from A Clockwork Orange, which is pretty cool.
This song brings mixed feelings while you listen, makes you feel "everything will be ok", even though society has gone nuts in this futuristic Orwellian nightmare.
The Universal
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This is a project involving Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett. On their first album, 5/4 is a perfect example on how music appearing to be simple and child-oriented could be finally a complex piece involving a rithm mostly used by jazz musicians. I personally love the "swing" this song carries, filled with energy.
Gorillaz last album The Fall was entirely produced on Albarn's iPad during the Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour in 2010. Revolving Doors is its first single. Considering the song was recorded during the tour, you get Albarn's feelings on how he is just going from one place to the other, without really being in either place...
5/4
Revolving Doors
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This is a concept album released as an homage to modern life in London. It was recorded by Albarn in adition to Paul Simonon (The Clash), Simon Tong (The Verve) and Nigerian drummer Tony Allen. As this special group didn't have a name, the public named them after the album. This piece is one of my Albarn favorites, and the song I chose to show you has a cool story. Damon Albarn wrote it after a night out, recorded it on Goldhawk Road and left the tape to Marianne Faithfull, she changed the lyrics and released the song... After years, Albarn showed it in this album's sessions and they decided to include it. The song feeling is very nostalgic and somehow mysterious, makes you wonder what was going on Albarn's head when he came up with it.
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Albarn assembled a 25-member Chinese orchestra featuring lutes, wood percussion and finger symbols, and mixed them with contemporary western elements like drum machines, brass and computer-generated noise. The music is for a Musical adaptation of an old Chinese novel called Journey To The West. There isn't much to the lyrics here, everything is sung in Chinese making it very hard to understand for us westerners. For the story to make sense, you might find more revealing to see the actual Musical. Some of the songs are strong enough to stand on their own without the support of visuals. Heavenly Peach Banquet is a beautiful, haunting and delicate vocal placed over plucked synthesizer sounds.
Our today's protagonist also acts as a world music ringleader with the mesmerizing music from Mali. Damon traveled throughout this country and recorded the source material at various venues, from small bars to village streets. Then, he brought the recordings into a professional studio, adding percussion, keyboards, guitars and effects to a majority of the tracks, and the result is a thoroughly chilled album. Here you can listen to Le Mogon, one of those tunes where beats and keyboards mingle effortlessly with the exotic instruments and chanting choirs. Check it out!
Le Mogon
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If you wan't to raise your knowledge on Albarn and his projects, you can also check out his solo album Democrazy along with his collaboration with Tony Allen and Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) called Rocket Juice and The Moon, also his latest Gorillaz collaboration with Andre 3000 (OutKast) and James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) called Do Ya Thing.
You'll be "Albarnized" in no time!
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