The Good, The Bad & The Queen

So every time Damon Albarn has a jam session with someone, is it gonna show up on the list?

Pretty good, but for the life of me, I will not remember this.

Rancid. Has to be one of the worst 'supergroup' experiments that ever came to light. Damon Albarn has the most grey, most boring, most featureless singing voice imaginable.

10/10 I FCUKING LOVE DAMON ALBARN

That was a delightful surprise. Exceptional musicianship, great performances, and out-of-this-world production. The only reason this doesn't get a full-5 score is because several of the songs feel like they're... stuck. They build tension and feel like they're heading to a climactic bridge or something... but never quite get anywhere. They just fizzle and stop. They're great songs. But they don't go anywhere. I really did enjoy the hell out of this. I just wish the band hadn't been content to just let these songs circle the hole without ever sinking the putt.

Man this album is boring. I forgot I was even listening to it at one point, I had to double check it was still playing because my brain had tuned it out as white noise. I only 'came to' because of how shit The Bunting Song is. There's really not much to say about this, it's not offensive or bad necessarily, it's just boring as fuck. I constantly kept looking at the track list hoping I was close to the end. Go listen to the Gorillaz instead.

I had never heard of this band so as soon as I heard Damon albarns voice I guessed that it was another one of his projects just like the gorillaz or blur or something but apparently it’s the 2000s art rock version of blues traveler, which is pretty cool. I had the same reaction to this as I normally do to Frank Sinatra/big band stuff in that I thought it was totally fun and pleasant all around even though nothing really stuck out to me. The first track and Herculean were my favs.

English super group, huh? Feels less than that. Certainly something from 2007. It didn’t really stick with me kinda in one ear out the other. Cool cover though!

Amazing album. I love Blur, the Clash and other associated acts. Only makes sense i would love this album. Going in regular ritation

Didn't have to listen to this to give it a 5. Probably one of Damon Albarn's top 3 albums of any of his projects. I love this! The atmosphere; the British 80's come to life. The instrumentations (the bass playing by Simonon), the song writing, lyrics and melodies and the production are great!

I would call this psychedelic prog folk dub. Too psychedelic for my taste, but it's good (if you can stand Damon Albarn's singing). Favorite song: Herculean

Coming off from one of his most commercially and critically successful albums, Gorillaz’s Demon Days, it’s surprising that Damon Albarn would go in a more Baroque-esque direction on his next album but it ends up working remarkably well Favourite tracks: History Song, Northern Whale, Kingdom of Doom, Herculean, Nature Springs, Three Changes

This was a lot of fun. I marked it for further listening later on. Did they call the queen ugly? Feels like they called the queen ugly. Best track: Kingdom of Doom

Damon Albarn is extremely overrated. 4/10

If this wasn’t made by a supergroup of legends who play better on their worst days than 99% of the global population, no one would say this album is well made, memorable, or noteworthy. Too British and too bland for me to care.

This is fascinating, it sounds equally like it could have come out yesterday and as if it couldn’t have come out any time other than 2007. It’s the echoes of Burial’s Untrue that really sell it for me, but there’s an element of folkiness that I also really enjoy. It’s a mix that I don’t think should work, but it’s just kinda fun, mostly because I think Damon Albarn sounds like he’s having fun, experimenting with stuff that he couldn’t get away with in either Blur or Gorillaz. I think I might have to give this a five. The excellent closing track is clinching it for me

I actually loved this album. The sound of this group kind of reminds me of other bands I listen to so it was very enjoyable.

Absolutely amazing album, one of my favorites. I remember listening to this album while traveling around the UK. Will forever be a 5/5 for me.

Amazing lineup of musicians but I found it boring until the last tune, which I liked a lot. Should have been a single instead of an album.

Fuck England. Your music is too highly represented on this website.

If you like artists that wear their influences on their sleeves, but have zero interest in exploring their influences at all, Damon Albarn might be the guy for you.

Just posted phenomenal. These songs are moody and interesting. Of course, it’s all anchored by an all time rhythm section.

Reminiscent of the trippy '60s psych rock and the inventive '70s art rock. This album is a melancholic, dreamy, modern rock masterpiece.

The Good, The Good & The Good

how is this so good 9/10

better than Gorillaz

Dunno how I originally stumbled across this but I've been a fan for like 15+ years now. Love hearing the Gorrilaz guy do something a bit different.

Really like this album, and it is holding up well. Each member of the band brings something special to the ensemble, and there's a pleasing amount of space in the mix where you can hear and appreciate each individual part as well as the whole. I first hear this when it came out, was already a fan of Damon Albarn & Danger Mouse, who produced it, and it led me to becoming a big fan especially of Tony Allen as well - his drumming really stands out and is a defining feature of their sound.

Better than Blur for being quieter, moodier, less reaching after cleverness, and considerably less impressed with itself. And for DA's obvious decision to make a Radiohead record. Musically it's interesting, vocally pretty flat, and not especially dynamic, with a vaguely ominous feel throughout (hello Danger Mouse). Feels decidedly non-AfroBeat-y given the drummer. Glad to have heard. Not especially likely to hear again though wouldn't rule it out completely.

Really liked this, it's going into my regular playlist.

Reading back through my Damon Albarn related reviews: - I dislike Blur, finding them mostly unremarkable. - Gorrilaz was better, but still lacked something special. - He laughably thought grunge was a passing fad. So my expectations were low coming into this album. Thankfully I’m committed to the process because this album is something special. The music is really good and I like his voice a lot.

This album is full of stupid songs, which tracks with the past productions of the lead singer of Blur. whinge whinge whinge

This to me sounds like an alternate route the Clash could have taken after Sandinista, an anachronistic mix of dub and folk. It’s a distinct and cohesive piece throughout, loose but complex. It aged well, perhaps because we still don’t have anything else that sounds like this, perhaps because it manages to add a beauty to a dreary malaise. (I love the production, which gives an almost tactile feeling to the instruments.) Favorite tracks were ‘History Song’ and ‘Three Changes’.

I really enjoyed this one and the rest of their catalogue. Nice vibe.

Damon Albarn is a very under rated songwriter and performer. Easy five stars for this wee gem.

Damon Albarn i högform. Bästa tipset hittills

10/10

Good.

Damon Alban with a Clash bassline, what could go wrong!

I had never heard of this before, it was AWESOME!!!

Solid album. The rhythm section is tight. This album sounds like some highly skilled musicians having fun. No bite of the commercial apple has been taken. Another good discovery from the generator.

Well, I wouldn't have known that this is a super group, didn't recognize the names of any of the musicians and although I do know their bands, I don't think any of those bands are amazing (although they do all have a couple of good tracks). Nonetheless, this was a good album. Musicianship was great, songwriting was tight and effective. Not even much more to say about it. Just a good album at the top of its genre's game. Enjoyed this one a lot.

Catchy, fun, and unique. You can hear the similarities to the members’ other bands, but they come together to create their own new thing. If I had to explain them briefly I would say an analog version of the Gorillaz.

Damon alborn again baby

Top Three Songs: 1) Three Changes 2) Kingdom of Doom 3) Behind the Sun Bottom Three Songs: 1) ‘80s Life 2) Herculean 3) Nature Springs

9/10. Very unique sounds while keeping a steady rhythm on each track, made for a very interesting listen through. Added History Song, 80s Life, Kingdom of Doom, Behind the Sun, Nature Springs and the title track to the playlist.

I remember reading a long time ago that Damon Albarn had another band as well as Blur and Gorillaz, but for some reason I just never got around to listening to The Good, The Bad & The Queen until now. It sounds closer to the slower Gorillaz songs to my ear that it does to Blur. I wish I could have a Damon on standby to sing to me - his voice is just so delightfully imperfect and human. This album as a whole was exactly what I wanted it to be. It’s hard to find anything I didn’t live about it.

How could it not be great? The king of drummers, a bass player with attitude and riffs aplenty, a guitarist happy to play his part without overstepping, and a vocalist and lyricist who barely writes a duffer. Oh, and one of the great producers of the era! One of the defining supergroups - such a shame they shone so briefly.

Gorrilaz singer chill vibes

great!

Loved it.

Ya decía yo que la voz me sonaba ...

Vraiment une belle surprise, dans sa subtilité et ses thèmes, des arrangements mélodieux sans être trop doux.

obviously

2007 - Similar to Gorillaz - Art Rock; Alternative Rock

If there is one excellent side effect of the BritPop fetish this list has, it is more exposure to this excellent album. I've loved it for so many years. It is so hypnotic between the keys and the amazing rhythm section (RIP Tony Allen). Very happy to have listened to it once again this morning.

It is a good music.

Ya decía yo que la voz me sonaba ...

Very cool!

Brilliant album. Another masterpiece by Damon

Good oul Damon

Not bad

Takes a couple listens to enjoy. Also knowing Damon Albern is in this band helps.

Another lost album from the early years. My elder siblings must've told me about this album, since it brought forth distant memories of listening to it long ago. Quite a special experience. The harmony and production on this album reminds me of Demon Days which is an album that also holds a special place in my heart

I didn't want to like this album because it was absurdly British from the first word that was spoken. But I got to vibing with it and really enjoyed it.

Good stuff. I liked some songs better than others (favorites were Herculean and the title track), but on the whole, this kinda thing is just right up my alley.

Really good, most of the songs I liked other than a few which were a bit boring, highlights were history song, 80s life and the title track at the end with the nice vocal part and the 4 minute or so outro which was cool. Alien fart ahh bass on northern whale though. 7.5/10

I'm learning I like whatever Albarn does. Enjoyed this.

Between Gorillaz and Blur

Easily one's favorite Albarn project. Spiky, sour and here and there discordant, one is fully down with the inclusion of Tony Allen and Danger Mouse. Who cares that it's a concept album? That's just Albarn always overdetermining things when it's satisfying enough as straightforwardly cool modern rock (to use the old term). Funny how cool music played skillfully and with commitment works on its own terms – and overcome downsides like DA's flat/annoying voice – without cartoon characters or trying to take the piss (or troll, to use the current term) on every single track. Starts strong and ends strong, too, always a bonus.

I had never heard this album. Had never heard of this band to be honest. Lovely sound. Excellent. Smooth drip of serene distanced dissatisfaction.

Seems like there's usually something low-pressure about super groups. Like you can tell it's just for the fun of it. Low stakes. Lots of nice sounds in here. Looped it all day.

Standard enjoyable fare from Mr Alburn, nothing that exciting. Was expecting more when this was released as had the mighty Paul Simmons but hey ho.

everything i saw ab this record before hearing it screamed Most Br*tish Album Of All Time in a slightly intimidating way lol but the actual experience is a defiantly low-key and handmade-feeling pop-ish record with a lot of subtle tasteful appeals. i didnt dig into the lyrics but they seem quite ambitious...could definitely understand falling into them, esp with the cozy-yet-cold sound of the record wrapping around u. one of those production jobs where it sounds like theres a protective layer between u and the music...slightly uncanny but very easy on the senses. kind of impressive how even with lonesome/folky/historical leanings, the aesthetic of this record shoots right beyond pastoral into the vividly urban. bryter layter is still prob the loneliest City Album ever made but its cool that theres more records with a comparable effect out there!

The first half is really good, but the second half is not quite so strong. Wikipedia calls this art rock, and that might be the best descriptor since nothing else really fits. The production is pretty great and most of the songwriting is, as well.

This is great, I guess I just like Damon Albarn.

8/10

Actually good.

Uma incrível surpresa. Não conhecia a banda e me trouxe diversas sensações. Uma mistura de banda muito agradável de ouvir!

Awesome! Thanks albumgenerator!

Lovely!

4/5, good strong album but didnt really stand out to me

Good sound and good performances but not feeling grabbed by the song writing on a first listen. Glad to learn of this though, seems like a cool project.

Always happy to hear Damon Albarn

I really enjoyed it. It was a pleasant surprise.great voice and loved the 80’s experience. Didn’t give 5 because some pieces didn’t totally take off.

Radiohead and Gorillaz had one baby and it grew up with good insurance and was able to attend therapy and find a decent SSRI to mitigate its tough times. Nice album.

Definitely a mood on this. I've always really liked it. Very British and glum.

It took me a few songs to get into it, and I didn't realize at first who the lead singer was (just listened to it blind.) Since I'm a fairly big fan of Blur, it wasn't really surprising to me that I ended up liking this album quite a bit by the end and found myself putting it back on again shortly after. There's something here that is very compelling and I will revisit.

We won't make another record, and we didn't properly name the band, because a name is for a marriage. cool ethos for a super group. Northern Whale is a solid song. the drums on Three Changes are solidly wonky.

Danger Mouse.

this was an interesting listen, i didn’t know this was damon albarn’s 3rd band, he kept the quality in it as its was in the demon days era and i heared a lot of the african undertones

Will listen again.

Grows on me with multiple listens. Last 3 tracks are the best. Interesting choice for the list.

Decent album, but I'm not at all sure that this is a "must listen". Could have been any other Albarn side project, but maybe they're all on the list and I just haven't gotten to them yet. Bass lines get this from 3 to 4.

I *feel* like I've not only heard of this band before, but also that I might even own this album, yet I'm not entirely sure that's the case. Regardless, I really enjoyed it, especially the Gorillaz vibe (courtesy of Damon Albarn's presence and primary role in the project, but also with at least a couple of the other Gorillaz members participating). I liked nearly all of the songs, but particularly "History song", "Northern whale", "Nature springs" and "Three changes". It doesn't quite have the variety of, say, Gorillaz' "Demon Days" or "Plastic Beach", but the semi-concept-album approach of London life is intriguing, although at times a bit monochromatic. I also liked discovering that the collection actually has a number of Damon-Albarn-involved albums, mainly with a number of "Blur" albums; he's a really interesting artist/musican (to me, at least), and it's a nice counter-balance to the overweighted number of more classic artists and bands (although I'm not sure about having 3 different Blur albums, frankly, and bummed that there's only the one Gorillaz (debut) album).

Enjoyed this album. The first song, The History Song, is distinctive and sounds like the opening song for an edgy detective show a la The Handsome Family in True Detective, though more rock, less folk. The rest is a nice collection of well-done pleasant buzz-type songs.

I really enjoyed this! I had never heard of this Damon Albarn side project, but it’s like a mellow Gorillaz

fun. did not know this supergroup existed!

Enjoyed this one pretty well. It contained less Freddie Mercury than I originally expected. Favorite tracks: "Kingdom of Doom" and "Nature Springs."

One of these albums that is perfectly well made but that I would not have included in this list.