Gorillaz evolved from a novel pop-culture conceit on the part of its creators -- Damon Albarn of Blur and his cartoonist pal Jamie Hewlett -- into a rather visionary multimedia pop project on 2005's excellent sophomore album Demon Days, and the pair still seem deliriously aware of the creative possibilities afforded them by pulling the strings behind a "virtual band" on the follow-up.

Plastic Beach, released in March of 2020, plays like a logical extension of the globally minded pop/hip-hop mashup-ery of its predecessor. It's a little vaguer with the hooks, perhaps, between instant keepers like the self-descriptive "On Melancholy Hill" and "Superfast Jellyfish" but the hooks are indeed there if you put in the time and, once again, it's testament to the purity of the multifaceted Gorillaz vision that the impressive guest list -- which includes Lou Reed, Mos Def, De La Soul, Bobby Womack, Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals, Little Dragon, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of the Clash, late Fall frontman Mark E. Smith and the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music -- just kinda falls into that vision and plays along with the concept rather than showboating within it. Gorillaz coulda been just a gimmick, but the work speaks for itself.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Orchestral Intro
2. Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach
3. White Flag
4. Rhinestone Eyes
5. Stylo
6. Superfast Jellyfish
7. Empire Ants
8. Glitter Freeze
9. Some Kind of Nature
10. On Melancholy Hill
11. Broken
12. Sweepstakes
13. Plastic Beach
14. To Binge
15. Cloud of Unknowing
16. Pirate Jet