Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

It's been far too long since the last Gorrilaz record, of course it's not like we've been deprived, in between LP's Damon Albarn has brought us the gorgeous gloom of The Good, The Bad & The Queen and of course the small matter of the Blur reunion. Yet as good as these excursions were, they simply can't feel as revolutionary and thrilling as a Gorrilaz record. Gorrilaz are afterall Damon Albarn's definitively 21st Century outfit. He remains Britpop's one remaining pioneer willing to push sonic boundaries, always looking forward, only glancing back on occasion. So now we must ask ourselves; what does Stylo tell us of the future?

Well not too much, it's definitely distinct from Feel Good Inc. or Dare, the pace is more leisurely, the hooks less obvious, the sounds more subversive. Damon may have promised a pop revolution, but it seems that rather than offering slick hooks and shiny dance beats, he's offered us dark affecting soul. Teaming up with Bobby Womack of Womack to Womack fame, the Gorrilaz unleash a soft subtly groovy piece that remains soothingly understated until Womack's urgent and raspy croon grabs you with a sense of sheer urgency. Musically it sounds like John Carpenter sound tracking the old Streets Of Rage video games while a Womack makes a desperate cry for societies last shred of moral decency. Now that was a bit melodramatic but at times this track can garner a remarkable intensity, by contrasting a burbling low key beat, with Albarn and Mos Def's hushed performances against the brazen epicness of Womack chorus. In affect the Gorrilaz have created a dank dark but irresistibly sexy underbelly for an inglorious electronic city (I can't wait to see how they visualize this track in video form). The production is as sleak and sharp as ever, and it really does feel like Gorrilaz have created a world unto themselves. This isn't an obvious hit in any sense of the word, it's remarkably respectful to it's audience, and in a crazy kind of way by mining the sounds and imagery of the past the Gorrilaz have created another track that sounds positively futuristic. An absolute triumph of understatement and soul.