Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Kinda bland. This might have hit different if I’d heard it when it was first released.
Purchased this when first came out and listened to it on repeat for ages and then completely forgot about it until now. Have been listening to it a a lot of past 3 days - really like the atmosphere and musicianship and blending of rock/indie/dub/folk. Only negative is Damon's vocals which lack emotional heft for me. On cusp of 4/5 but think will just nudge it to 5. Fav song The Bunting Song.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen Great album, I remember buying it when it came out and enjoyed it, but haven’t revisited recently, and didn’t even know they made a second album. I love the percussion, drums and bass. As you would expect Paul Simonon and Tony Allen are superb, Simonon’s bass is dense and deep, but with some softness, and Tony Allen’s slightly jazzy shuffle and swing is fantastic. He’s less heralded perhaps, but some of Simon Tong’s guitar is also excellent, at times slightly psychedelic and spacey like the Verve, but never too showy, it’s always embellishing the music. And it’s interesting that a lot of the piano and organ evokes Parklife and the Great Escape, but whereas there was an exuberance to those albums, this has a much wearier feel, like there’s a few more miles on the clock. It also stands slightly apart from its contemporaries in the late 2000s, it’s influences are more folk and dub, with a bit of spacey rock, and its sounds less dated than a lot of music from that period. Despite the slightly downbeat themes and atmospheres it still has a degree of life and an emotional weight that other albums in those years are perhaps missing. The first half of the record is particularly strong, History Song, 80s Life, Northern Whale are all great, and Kingdom of Doom and Herculean are absolutely superb. Herculean has a great, catchy melody and I love how it builds to a slightly frenetic close. The Bunting Song is also excellent, another great forlorn melody and melancholy feel, but with added electronic beeps and noises. It perhaps does stick too closely to the formula after that, not that any of the remaining songs aren’t very good, they are, but they tend to retreat into more hypnotic, repeating grooves, which are great, but it could perhaps do with a little more contrast and perhaps less restraint, although the fantastic title track does build on it’s evocative, doleful melody, building to a brilliant, expansive crescendo. Despite the fact it stays largely within its own furrow this is a great album, melancholy and plaintive, but with some superb melodies, and some utterly fantastic playing. A high 4. 👑👑👑👑 Playlist submission: The Good, The Bad and the Queen.
There is some later Blur, some Everyday Robots just a hint of Gorillaz (that synth bass on 'Northern Whale'). Albarn's voice has taken on a marvelous timbre in later years and would be good to hear some of these live with that matured tone. Simonon, Allen and Tong are integral to build spacious dub, jazz and frenetic shuffle and subtle atmosphere respectively. I love the references to Tilbury docks, the Goldhawk Road and so on - this doesn't try to be anything but of these sceptred isles. A compact yet winding set of tales of the Old Smoke and all its intrigue.
Yes i love this album :)
I think it's hard not to like Damon Albarn's album, doesn't matter what's the band. The Good, The Bad and The Queen seems like a transitioning pieve between Blur and Gorillaz, although much closer in the style to the former, with a lot of chiller and melancholic melodies. Great album, love it, excellent songwriting skills.
Didn’t do much for me tbh. A little too overly Brit for my taste. I really enjoyed a few tracks like “history song”, “nature springs”, and the title track. Others felt like little oddities that didn’t make it to gorillaz albums. Not a very dynamic album as a whole.
This album was just generally boring. No part of the music stood out. It was kind of just a wall of droning instrumentals and vocals, signifying nothing. It wasn't actively bad, but it made me feel literally nothing but impatience for it to be over.
Entry of the bass line on "History Song" was awesome. Rest of the album was disappointing.
This had its moments but by god I can’t remember them
113/1089 - Well I liked London Calling and the first two Gorillaz albums but I wasn't a fan of this. Kind of all over the place; middle part seemed better than the beginning and end.
Great bassist.
Meh
Damon Albarn verkar ha hur många hobbygrupper som helst. Denna funkar väl.
Слушать можно, но песни слишком однообразные. 5,5 из 10.
I have to agree with the majority. Albarn sucks.
Albarn plus others. Loved by hipsters & the music press at the time. Not that good.
Clocked Damon Albarn from a mile away when he did the mic effect. Good album.
Remember this 'supergroup' existing but not sure I ever listened to anything but them. Did not know this included Fela Kuti's drummer! Thought it was really good, pretty understated for the most part but the constituent parts of the band came together really well. Last track was the best and I'm struggling to remember any other standouts, checking back herculean was quite good, almost a bit radioheady. Can't think it'll grow to be a favourite but would like to listen to some tracks every now and then.
Didn't mind it, but it does have all the hallmarks of a vanity project/supergroup. Lots of ideas without a lot of coherence, and a few stinkers. History Song and Three Changes were solid. Damon's voice is boring.
I don't think I've ever heard of this one of Albarns projects..... If I had,I had completely forgotten it.... Which is probably telling because even though I did think this was pretty good, it's pretty bland too Nothing really stuck out and nothing offended. That's a 3
Overall Solid, I liked the first track alot.
4 sterne
Just very average. Not bad but just not interesting in any way. 2/5 Won't listen again
This was decent. 3/5
The sum is somehow less than the parts. I like everyone involved with this album, but it feels like a bunch of b-sides. Not bad, just not memorable.
The vocals are a bit less polished than I'd like without leaning into aesthetic sensibilities that make that work
Really like the vibes and the songs Fav song - The Good, The Bad And The Queen 5/5
I was maybe a little too excited about this one. It was good, but I expected a little more from a supergroup of this caliber. That may be my fault for not tempering expectations. I still enjoyed it.
Good oul Damon
The last song was fun, but overall meh. 2.8.
I remember being excited for this album to be released and then disappointed how mid it sounds Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 2/5
I don't think I'm a fan of Damon Albarn. I liked what I heard here a lot more than any Blur record I've heard, and Gorillaz remains to be explored, but I haven't yet discovered what qualities make Albarn so adored.
It's not bad, but I didn't like it
damon albarn!? was expect this to another boring non-gorillaz damon albarn off-shoot band but its actually cool.
#676. Listened and wasn't impressed. Next.
ok, não vejo como pode ter sido influente
dear mr dimery you should totally add plastic beach instead of this. that would be really mega awesomely-sauce. yours in spirit, me
No thanks. 1/5
I like lots of the the music that Damon has produced especially blur, but I found this dull and his voice always too deep in the mix. I think it could have been very good if more care taken over the production
Not bad
Glad I gave this one a 2nd listen, first impression was it was bland and boring. 2nd listen found plenty of interesting things to latch on to, mostly thanks to Paul Simonon and the drummer. Still overall kind of a disappointment from what could have been with this group. 3 - will probably listen again
Fav: The Good, The Bad & The Queen Least Fav: History Song Gets the worst of it out the way and locks in towards the end. Outside of a few near production choices I felt it was kinda bland and not nearly as interesting as a supergroup of such high quality musicians should realistically be expected to do
Takes a couple listens to enjoy. Also knowing Damon Albern is in this band helps.
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that, while I had heard this album’s name before (and knew nothing of it aside from that it exists), I thought it was a Queen album. Having no idea what to expect, I generally enjoyed it - it feels more similar to The Gorillaz than Blur, which I’m happy with. Favorites: History Song, Northern Whale, A Soldier’s Tale 3.5
Jesus Christ, he really did write the same song 11 times and concluded by playing one more. ⭐⭐
Ugh I’m trying but I just do not care about this for some reason
The Good: Duh, an album named after the band… The Bad: That the band stole my concept… The Ugly: Do I have to spell it out? What can I say about this album? I had never ever heard of these guys before, and when I clicked the “Wikipedia” button and started seeing the bands Blur and Gorrilazzzz show up, my heart sank, as I am fan of neither. So color me happily surprised with this mellow album, that is easy on the ears, and a great filler of space when you are just doing some work. Sonically, I guess, just fine… just nothing special either. 3*
Perfectly fine but after a while it got a bit samey
Truly, the best thing about this album is the cover-art. So many great musicians in a band, such a forgettable experience. I've known this album since its release, and I really did give it a good couple of listens over the last day, but nothing sticks or stands out.
Pretty vanilla, meanders pleasantly until the last track which is awful.
I don't get the fetish for Damon Albarn on this list. He's everywhere and his music is just boring 90% of the time. Sometimes he makes a really good song like a couple on the 2nd half of this album, but fuck me is most of this boring as hell. This album sounds like listening to Radiohead at a really low volume and you can't tell what song it is
Good not great seems like these dudes are just trying to cash in on damon albarns genius and ride his silky smooth voice to the bank.
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
Just a little boring
3/5
Its ok nothing special.
a lot of Damon Albarn wailing over not very engaging backing
Das Album ist ein faszinierendes Projekt, das mit seiner melancholischen Atmosphäre und britischer Nostalgie überzeugt. Die Band um Damon Albarn liefert ein Album, das musikalisch vielschichtig ist, aber auch bewusst Grenzen überschreitet. Songs wie "History Song" und "Herculean" mit ihrer düsteren Eleganz beeindrucken, fehlt es einigen Tracks an Dynamik und Wiedererkennungswert Die Mischung aus Dub, Rock und britischem Songwriting ist einzigartig, doch das Album bleibt insgesamt eher zurückhaltend und könnte mehr Höhepunkte vertragen. Wer sich auf die ruhige, nachdenkliche Stimmung einlassen kann, findet hier jedoch einige musikalische Perlen und Vorsicht der Schluss-Song im Ska Stil verlangt dem Hörer seh viel ab
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.
Not listened before - not a must listen Favourite tracks: Herculean, title track
I’m not sure what to say about this album. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have the vocabulary to fully explain why something doesn’t work. It’s much easier to describe why something is good as opposed to finding fault with it. So here’s the positives, this band is a super group you might have never heard of before but it features the lead singer from The Gorillaz. Which is great cause he brings a great vocal performance. But that’s where the positives drop off. I actually spent two days listening to this cause I disliked it so much on first listen I thought I should give it one more chance in case maybe I was just in a bad mood for listening to new music. However I found the music to be grating and sonically I didn’t find the it original or interesting. I didn’t think this album was garbage. But I genuinely never plan to listen to it again.
Just ok.
It's like being edged for 43 minutes and it's over.
im bored
One long, wandering spacy song. Relaxing and melancholy, disjointed,
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’.
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
"Supergroup" my arse!
Never heard of this but it was OK.
Kinda cool, but also kinda meh
I went into this with an open mind, actually hoping to like it. Alas, there's something about Damon Albarn projects that's just really boring to me. Granted, there are a few really great Gorillaz tracks, some good Blur, but all in all, it's boooring.
Some more average British music.
It's like a more boring version of a gorillaz album. Seeing as gorrilaz is essentially a supergroup, I really struggle to tell the difference between that and this.... Except that this is mind numbing and there is no rapping
I'm learning I like whatever Albarn does. Enjoyed this.
Between Gorillaz and Blur
Not even that bad but I can’t for the life of me imagine what could possibly be considered essential about this album
I really enjoyed this one and the rest of their catalogue. Nice vibe.
Yet another datapoint that 1001 is too many 💤💤 This sounds like average 90’s music, and that’s not a hoot take. I saw the genre was alternative, and I got really excited. It was a fairly short album, so there’s that.
Damon Albarn is a very under rated songwriter and performer. Easy five stars for this wee gem.
It was average, so being generous with a 3. Just nothing too exciting on this album.
It lacked something. I’m not sure if it was vibes but there was something not present
Meh. I was really expecting more. I don't really get why this was on the list, it's just another meh brit album that was totally mid and I will forget I ever listened to in about 20 minutes.
so apart from Albarn being the frontman for Massive Attack, Gorillaz, & Blur......there's not really anything interesting or memorable about this album. ok background music in a hipster coffee shop or something but that's about it. why is it on the list??
Mostly forgettable
sounds like late era radiohead
It's one of those albums that make you wonder why they exist. What is this exactly? On the scale of Britpop this seems to be the opposite end of The Verve which I listened to a few days ago. The Verve combined all the good things about Britpop and left out the bad. It seems like I now know where these leftovers went. Did the band actually enjoy this? And why does a so-called "superband" make such dull music? Questions I will never know the answer to, and I don't really mind. This is a 1 or 2 for me but I'll round up just because of Simonon's melodic and syncopated bass lines which I like. My next album is going to be #200, I hope it will be a good one.
Ovaj album mi je bio dosadan po izlasku i dosadan mi je i sad iako je lipo produciran
Damon Albarn i högform. Bästa tipset hittills
3.5
Mostly the 2nd one...
Too slow for my liking. Found it kind of boring. Did not hold my attention in anyway.
Fine as background music but not particularly compelling.
#517. Sounds exactly like what you'd expect Albarn's even further to the side side project would sound like. 3/5: fine
I loved the build and crescendo of the final track The rest was a bit lacklustre, largely because Damon Albarn lacks impact in his vocals (something that often happens when he’s not painting with broad strokes)
Jaa, näen kyllä vision ja kuulen sellaista suureellisuutta kuin brittipopbändeillä kuten Gorillaz on. Mutta tää ei päästä mua sisään? Liian liukas pinta, voin koskettaa vain sitä.
Ai vielä tasapaksumpaa kuin Gorillaz? Mutta kirjoitin "biisejä Lontoosta"! Palkkasin The Clashin basistin! Rekrytoin Fela Kutin rumpalin! Juu.
The good, the bad, the forgettable
This was a little too one note for my taste. I'd think "wow this is a long song" before realizing that actually 3 songs had passed since I was last paying attention. Not terrible, but very boring and not particularly groundbreaking in any way. The musicians involved in this project definitely deserve to have albums on this list, but this doesn't need to be there.
laid-back, Blur-lite
I’ve had a bad stretch. Not even all “bad” albums. Just all forgettable stuff that makes you question if there is any good music or if you’ve lost your touch. I think it’s the albums.
This album had some highs and lows for me. It mostly didn't do much for me, but there was the occasional track that really caught my attention, so overall it's one I'd like to revisit later. I didn't realize it was a bit of a British super group until after listening either; makes sense why I kept thinking the singer sounded like the guy from Blur, lol. 3.2/5
I didn't care for this one. It's not bad, but it's just nothing for me. 2/5
Diet 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.
Damon Albarn seems to be a musician of endless versatility. Whether it's the superior Brit Pop of Blur, the dance floor infectiousness of Gorillaz or this project which melds all kinds of stylings, British music hall, Jamaican music hall, rock steady groove electro pop of this quiet little project. It surely helps to have sidemen the likes of Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen. As well as Danger Mouse's knob turning talents though here I do think the mastering is a little bit hot. But the songs are all very well constructed and held my interest throughout the entire 42 minutes. 3.5 stars
This is very weird. It's quite lazy but the style really reminds me of gorrilaz and I love them. I dunno where I sit with this as I think there were quite a few good tracks but also some that just felt unfinished....
Oh man, this can't help but feel like a missed opportunity. Tony Allen, RIP, remains the greatest drummer across time and genre. (If you can't see this, you are to be pitied). But he's not even on all the songs. Like benching dumb Tom Brady (not the best analogy - Bo Jackson? Joe Montana?) at the Super Bowl. When he is its tasteful yet pretty busy drumming. Damon is starting to experiment in his late blur boring soft shit phase. The bass and guitar are nice, the bass kinda feels like the Clash guy is reusing the same tricks though. Now and again it comes together and its real cool, but man if Albarn had been in rocking blur or grooving gorillaz mode this could have been incredible.
This was cute.
Made by a super group? More like super boring. Honestly it's just ok - none of these songs jumped out at me and I'd hardly say this is an album you have to listen to before ya die. Just bad singing all around and stuff that puts you to sleep. 4/10.
Didn't want to rate anything this low, but it's awful. I like music from each of these musicians biggest bands, but this supergroup will never be on my Playlist. Not one redeeming song.
liked this when it came out, but never thought to play it since and sounds a bit more like a side note in the blur-i-verse now
I had never heard this album. Had never heard of this band to be honest. Lovely sound. Excellent. Smooth drip of serene distanced dissatisfaction.
This sort of washed over me with one thing and another. I'd probably need to listen again to be sure, but it just didn't seem very interesting I'm afraid.
Does the title of this album/ band title mean that the queen is neither good nor bad? She's... neutral? She needs to be acknowledged, but not ascribed any sort of feelings either way? Well what a coincidence, that's exactly how I feel about this album. I don't really dislike this, but there isn's a single song that resonates with me.
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.
meh
10/10
It's certainly full of atmospheric textures with all the woozy sounds floating in and out. But the songs aren't particularly memorable (and don't go anywhere) and the vocals are dull and lifeless. Once again, you have to question is this really in the top tier of all the albums ever made?
Had this on whilst I got my head down for some no interruption work. It was good background music but nothing stood out for me
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.
Good when I listened but it just didn't hold my attention, I kept drifting off.
On paper, it has the makings of a fantastic album, but I'm having a second listen now, as I completely failed to have any kind of opinion after the first listen. It isn't very interesting is it?
Just another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex I like the idea of supergroups doing interesting things. While this was interesting in places, I found it overall boring.
ganska svårbedömt men det får landa i en trea. det är tilltalande men det finns ingenting som tar det över gränsen till en fyra.
Dan - never knew Damon Albarn was in yet another group. Nice enough listen, requiring another play through.
A supergroup isn’t really super if they don’t have any good ideas.
Good.
3/5
Very interesting, never heard of this before, but listened to it twice
Dont see what all the fuss is about.
Damon Alban with a Clash bassline, what could go wrong!
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!
I think as a concept it's quite good but the songs (all Albarns) are a bit dull. It is after all a solo project essentially...
prima relaxed
I can't stand Damon's whinny voice, or the whistling, or the sheer blandness of this. The tracks seemed to blur into each other due to the lack of any real change in tempo. Jangly keyboards and strange hooting sounds in the mix did nothing for me I'm afraid. It's a sad 2 stars from me, for something I didn't enjoy and won't ever listen to again hopefully.
Enjoyed this
A nice brot pop sound by some legends of the genre. Sounded like the recaptured the magic of the 90s Brit pop in this one
This album is a peak 3. Meaning it is perfectly average, pleasant background music. There are no songs that stood out to me as better or worse than all the rest, and there were no songs that made me feeling much of anything at all. My review was going to be something along the lines of "boring version of the Gorillaz", until I finally figured out that it's actually the same singer. The fact that it's a "super group" also exains their relative obscurity. Super groups are pretty much always much less than the sum of their parts, and this album is no exception. TGTBATQ will follow the KG nets, the KD nets, the Malone Lakers, the Westbrook rockets, the Shaq suns, and many other super groups into distant history (unremembered).
For such a legendary lineup, this is unfortunately boring standard brit rock. The only influence I hear here is from Damon Albarn. The rest of the band might as well be studio musicians.
Found it serviceable but after a couple listens only a few songs stood out as particularly memorable. Always nice to hear from Mr. Albarn though.
Huh. I liked the sound of this immediately, and thought it was strange I’d never heard of the band or album. Wait a minute…is that Damon Albarn? Ohhhhhh ok. It’s another Albarn side project with Danger Mouse on the boards. Everything makes sense now. Perfectly catchy, sounds great on my stereo. Unfortunately not a lot to distinguish it from the million other rock star-DM collabs but I’ll keep listening and see if it pops.
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.
Never heard of these guys but the singer sounds very familiar. I didn't think this was bad, but I felt like it was building to something that never came until the last song, some energy and an upbeat sound. Having said that, the last song was my favorite off the album. This isn't something I would seek out again, but I listened a few times and thought it was decent. The singers voice, I know it from some where. I'm sure Luke will let me know if he reads my review. I'll start the year with a positive and score this a 3
3 Never heard of this band, but apparently it's a supergroup made up of various British rock icons, including Damon Albarn of Blur/Gorillaz, Paul Simonon of The Clash, and Simon Tong of The Verve. The drummer, Tony Allen, is also apparently pretty famous within the context of the Afrobeat, but I can’t say I’m familiar with the name or any of his work. So, knowing that, I went into this album with some pretty high expectations, but it ultimately just boils down to a second-rate Gorillaz album - this isn’t so much a culmination of musical greats as it is a Damon Albarn side project with some buddies. Like, why go out of your way to recruit someone like Paul Simonon when half of these tracks don’t even sound like they feature bass on them? That to say, this isn’t bad. I thought this provided a decent listen overall, but there wasn’t much that stood out to me. The highlights are the opening and closing tracks, History Song and The Good, The Bad and the Queen, respectively, but most everything in between ran together. The biggest standout beyond those was probably 80s Life, but that’s mostly just because I’m pretty sure it borrows the chord progression of Can’t Help Falling in Love - it’s all I could hear when I was listening to the song. If you’re a bigger Gorillaz fan than myself, I can see how you would like this. If you find them mostly okay like I do, you’ll probably find this mostly okay as well. Either way, while it’s a fun project on paper, this is far from the best any of these guys have to offer.
This is great, I guess I just like Damon Albarn.
Considering the lineup, it's a little disappointing, just sounds like an ok Gorillaz album. There are worse things to be though Will I listen to again: 10%
8/10
Actually good.
I'm split on this one. It has good songs, but there's always something that's stopping me from fully enjoying them
It took about 4-5 songs before I realized that it was the singer from Gorillaz Shocked me, innit
Uma incrível surpresa. Não conhecia a banda e me trouxe diversas sensações. Uma mistura de banda muito agradável de ouvir!
I never heard of this band so I assumed it would be kind of off the wall music since it came out in my younger music loving years. After listening and being fairly underwhelmed I did research and realized this was a super group singing about modern London. Super groups to me are typically a let down, so that explains my feelings on this one. Too many people with too many cool ideas get together and instead of pushing each other they created some watered down generic album. Maybe if I'd been to London this would have been better but nope it's just blah
I didn't dislike this, the songs were interesting, but nothing particularly grabbed me and it was kind of depressing. Not something I'd return to again.
Il y a un mot qui, dans le monde du rock, me fait à la fois saliver d'envie et trembler de peur : "supergroupe". Sur le papier, c'est la promesse d'un fantasme. Imaginez un peu l'affiche en 2007 : au chant et aux claviers, Damon Albarn, le parrain de la Britpop avec Blur, fraîchement réinventé en génie mondial avec Gorillaz. À la basse, le flegme et la dégaine incarnés, la légende punk Paul Simonon de The Clash. À la guitare, l'architecte des cathédrales soniques de The Verve, Simon Tong. Et à la batterie, excusez du peu, le coeur battant de l'Afrobeat, le maestro Tony Allen, batteur du grand Fela Kuti. Rien qu'avec ce line-up, on était en droit d'attendre l'album du siècle. Un truc qui allait redéfinir les frontières de la musique. Et puis le disque est arrivé. Et le résultat est... compliqué. Ce premier album de The Good, The Bad & The Queen n'est pas le monstre de rock hybride qu'on aurait pu imaginer. Au contraire, c'est un disque sur la pointe des pieds, une collection de chansons profondément mélancoliques, une déambulation fantomatique dans un Londres gris et pluvieux. On nous l'avait vendu comme un "Parklife 2" centré sur l'Ouest londonien, mais on est à des années-lumière de l'énergie et de la satire de l'album de Blur. Ici, c'est la gueule de bois après la fête, la nostalgie d'un monde qui s'efface. Une ambiance feutrée, presque ouatée. Il faut reconnaître une chose : le son est une pure merveille. Le producteur Danger Mouse, alors au sommet de son art, a fait un travail d'orfèvre. Il a su créer un écrin sonore aéré, inventif, subtilement teinté de dub et de soul. Et surtout, il a compris que le véritable trésor de ce groupe, c'était sa section rythmique. L'alchimie entre la basse reggae/dub de Simonon et le groove hypnotique et complexe de Tony Allen est un miracle. Écouter ces deux-là jouer ensemble est un plaisir en soi, c'est souple, c'est élégant, c'est d'une musicalité folle. Mais… sur cette rythmique de rêve, il se passe finalement assez peu de choses. Le disque tourne un peu en rond et ne décolle jamais vraiment. On a l'impression d'assister à une jam session de luxe, où des musiciens de génie installent un groove sublime sur lequel Damon Albarn vient poser de jolies mélodies tristes qui, malheureusement, peinent à se transformer en grandes chansons. L'ambiance est là, indéniablement, mais les morceaux, pris un par un, donnent l'impression de se ressembler un peu tous. Ils partagent la même langueur, la même dynamique contenue. C'est un album qui ne crie jamais, qui ne s'énerve jamais, il reste dans une sorte de flottement permanent. C'est un disque d'atmosphère, un parfait compagnon pour un dimanche après-midi pluvieux. Il est plaisant à réécouter, oui, parce que le son est riche et que le groove est imparable. Mais il manque les pics, les moments de fureur ou d'extase qui transforment un bon disque en un classique inoubliable. On attend l'explosion, l'étincelle qui va mettre le feu aux poudres, mais elle ne vient jamais. C'est pour cela que la note de 3 sur 5 me semble juste. C'est la note d'un album plus réussi en tant que "projet" ou "concept" qu'en tant que collection de titres forts. C'est la réunion de quatre immenses talents qui ont produit un disque agréable. C'est un peu décevant, mais c'est déjà pas si mal. Il faut l'écouter, ne serait-ce que pour le plaisir d'entendre Simonon et Allen jouer ensemble. Mais il faut se faire à l'idée : ce n'est pas le chef-d'oeuvre qu'on était en droit d'espérer.
Bluresque vibe, but the attempt at writing about London doesn’t have the same grunt and power that Blur had in the 90s. Still enjoyable.
not too bad not really what im into though
I find it a pretty solid album, easy to listen to, with some enjoyable moments, but it's very much forgettable.
Was an alright noise. Like the ones where you sit in a cafe and you hear the noise from people talking shit. Good for working
Awesome! Thanks albumgenerator!
Not so special although the first song became quite catchy after I've listed to it for the 4th time
Lovely!
I barely remember this even if I listened to it less than 24h ago...
4/5, good strong album but didnt really stand out to me
Day 2 and another British band. I found the album to be mellow, melancholy, monotone, chill, good as background music while working, reading, studying, driving or sleeping.
Not bad, but forgettable.
I had never heard of this before, it was AWESOME!!!
Good, Bad and so so.
Despite being a supergroup with a pretty all-star lineup, this project is definitely not what I was expecting. I don’t really know what I was expecting… but it wasn’t this. I know this album was praised, and maybe I just don’t “get it” but I don’t think it’s for me. There just isn’t anything on here that makes me want to come back. Maybe I need to give it another chance. But for now, “meh” at best.
I didn't like this album. The music was too simplistic, and the lyrics were not very captivating.
This album just kinda played in the background, and I never really thought about it. I barely noticed it was over. Pleasant overall, but like a lot of material from so-called super groups, it just didn't hit the sweet spot for me. 3/5
Well....yeah. It's Damon Albarn, so the critics love it. To me, there's a whiff o Emperor New Clothes about this. I'm nit saying I dislike it, but it does fill me with inertia.
It’s fine, too bland for my taste both the music and the singer.
I like damon albarn, but this whole album is pretty forgettable. I cant put my finger on any tracks that stand out, and the whole thing just kind of sounded the same. Still, not bad to listen to I guess. 3/5
This just was sleazy and boring and mopey and gosh way too long. I don’t recognize why it should be on this list.
Mostly subdued and melodic; recognizably Albarn in voice and in style. Your mileage may vary but it's immediately listenable, which comes across as faint praise for sure.... It's nice but my critique is that at times (most times?) this is sounding like a very well-crafted demo. Occasionally giving me hints of Pete Townshend's Scoop projects in terms of only being somewhere between 50-75% there. i.e. not finished. Maybe some of that is related to the distinct lack of harmonies or bg vocals in most songs. If I had to sum it up, it almost feels reserved, like it wants (needs?) to really explode at some point or points and rarely if ever does. That's not necessarily a bad thing in itself but also prevents it from reaching any memorable bar you look for in classic or favorite albums. In the end it's not bad, just....not fully cooked? A few more minutes in the oven could have been a lovely and memorable cake. 6/10 3 stars
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.
No está mal, pero me aburrió
Always happy to hear Damon Albarn
I’ll agree with 1/3 of the album title.
Weird.
Alright album, nothing stand out for me tbh.
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.
Slow and impactful music. Not something I will listen to often but certainly an album that has its time and mood. When that feeling comes I think these songs become great.
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.
Good odd. Coming back for seconds
This was quite nice and chilled rock / Indy 6/10
Having never heard of this project before 1001, I was super excited to listen to it. But it was ultimately a disappointment to me. I wanted choruses, maybe an uptempo song or two. This was just a bit flat. Couldn't get into it.
Meh
Wasn't aware of this group, but liked this.
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.
Jammy rock music, quite forgettable. Stand-out: Behind the Sun
Of all the Damon Albarn projects I’ve listened to, this is the most middling.
Too maudlin for my tastes, Damon Albarn is always better when he's got a sense of humour about his subject material...
Not bad, I feel like I've heard some of these before. I don't think that I would go out of my way to hear this again even though it's not bad. Some creative singing and music but not enough to really hook me.
Kingdom of Doom on top. Ganske bra.. litt gorillaz??
Damon has a ton of music and I genuinely like 90% of his life’s work. This is somehow one of his only projects I really don’t get anything out of. Genuinely I think there are 15 of his albums I’d put on here over this one (granted a lot of those are on here). I hate to give this a low score because I love Damon but I really don’t get why this was added Rating: 2.1
If this was the singer trying their best, then I don't want to hear them on an off day.
I get that this dude does some cool shit, with Gorillaz mostly, but not everything he does is list-worthy. This album is not bad by any means, but I wouldn't include it on the list.
You can hear the influence from Gorillaz on this track, but less from Blur and the Clash, which both have members in this rock group. I was not expecting anything of the sort when I first saw the album having never heard of the band. I was pleasantly surprised by tracks such as "Northern Whale" and "Behind the Sun"
Lots of Damon Albarn on this list. Pretty boring sadly, I get a bit tired of damon's meandering voice. It feels a bit like an album of filler gorillaz tracks. 2.5/3
3.5 deserves a second listen.
As a Blur fan, this is pretty familiar to me but I gave it a few goes through anyway. And to be honest, I feel the same way I do about it now as I did when it first came out nearly 20 years ago. Yes, it's interesting and packed with some good ideas, fun instrumentation and experiments with layers and tempos. And it's all well executed and high quality, musically. But I just don't find myself particularly grabbed or excited by it. Sorry, Damon.
Pleasant background music. 5/10
Definitely a mood on this. I've always really liked it. Very British and glum.
Politiken Plus
Ehhh It's not the sum of it's parts.
About half of this record is really good and showcases Albarn‘a talent. The other part becomes a bit repetitive and (I hate to say) boring.
Fine. Maybe if I was a bigger fan of any part of this super group.
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.
Some fine Moments
Meh.
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.
Strangely feels out of a different time than 2007... like early 80's post punk crossed with the Beatles but all mixed and recording in a teenager's garage.
I really don‘t understand, what this music wants to accomplish. So depressingly empty.
Nothing great. Nothing bad.
I liked it a lot, not particularly original but good
Imagine if Gorillaz was a mid-2000s alt rock band (think Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse) but take the dancing out of it. It's working overly hard at profundity, I think. It's okay... I mean, what do you do when you've reached that level of success? It's cool to take musical risks like this as the alternative is either more of the same or quitting altogether. At some points this album feels like it's going too hard for a contemporary sound, for example, shades of Radiohead on The Bunting Song. Hearing Simonon is the highlight for me, though, but it's altogether too laid bake and a little monotonous.
mid
Just so underwhelming. Albarn's vocals are such an acquired taste, and the backing felt way too light really, there was no heft to it at all. There were some decent moments, and it's by no means bad, but considering it's something of a super group, it didn't do it for me.
Didn't get it, don't see what the fuss is about.
3.5/5
The Decent, The Mediocre and The Boring
The Enjoyable, The Tolerable & The Listenable.
The average, the decent and the mid
Yeah pretty decent, no NY. Took me a couple minutes to realised it was Damon Alburn!
Come one man, why is this on here? Is it because one the guys is Damon Albarn, and they think he shits gold?Honestly can't see why this is on here? Sub par, demolike shite songs. Dont waste your time
Nice album, different but not a bad listen.
I was intrigued by this album but in the end, Kind of disappointed how forgettable this is.
Lol! I listened to the first track and thought "they're copying the Gorillaz!" Then I realised it IS the Gorillaz (in a way). Pleasant Damon-like tracks......
2.5
Interesting moments, but forgettable
I never really got around to listening to this one despite liking most of Damon Albarns output. What put me off is I saw him on George Strombolompolus’ show and Damon was so pretentious I just had no interest in this. This was fine. It was so low energy though.
Danger Mouse.
Fine, but not incredible. The music lacks any real spontaneity or "punch" that I would've expected from a post-2000 album on this list. Heavy use of acoustic guitar and strings, which normally impresses me to at least a 3-star rating – but not this time. The vocal is enunciated kind of lazily, making the melodies both difficult to sing along to and difficult to remember – two sins every songwriter learns to avoid during day 1 of the course. And the singer's vocal quality is like a heavily discounted Richard Wright of Pink Floyd (who himself isn't exactly known for his singing). I liked the part on The Good, The Bad & The Queen where The Good, The Bad & The Queen played The Good, The Bad & The Queen. (Although, the fact that such a sentence is grammatically correct makes one question whether this band's name is all they had going for them. It's not even that great of a name. Even the band's Spotify description admits that.) 2/5 Key tracks: History Song, Herculean
Meh
British rock critics will slurp up any sludge that Damon Albarn pisses out in front of them.
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
I guess I liked it? It was occasionally interesting, mostly just fine. Not exactly one of Albarn's bigger achievements.
Not good, not bad, sounds nothing like Queen, more like a watered down Gorillaz.
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.
A big shrug
It just sounds like Damon. Not bad but not great.
I've never heard of them, but they seem sad and pretty which kinda matches my mood. I guess this is british music? but I don't really understand the lyrics except that its got a gorillaz sound. basic becky sleepy. 3 stars. Not horrible but not memorable.
I'm rating it now even though there's still a couple songs left because holy shit this is boring. Why is everything Damon Albarn does so lifeless outside of a few bangers with Blur. You've got Tony Allen on the drums man, do something!
Another Albarn side project. Would be more into it if I was interested in England, or London.
I spotted the singer’s voice right away; I had to read about the other members. Not bad, but not mind-blowing either.
Pretty good sound
Not bad for some mellow alt
Listened to it high and liked it more than when I did earlier so tbd
So you’re telling me this wasn’t the same song 12 times in a row? There being a founding member of the Clash in this group is probably the only thing keeping me from being even more critical about it. Ultimately, there are a couple catchy tunes, but I have a feeling the band had more fun making this record than I had listening to it. 3/5 Highlights: 80’s Life Three Changes Green Fields
Not bad, just a bit boring and atmospheric. Not really something I'd expect from a supergroup like this. Half the songs felt like they were crying out for a drum track but were drowning in reverb, echo, and atmosphere instead.
Lidt specielt 00’er rock, damon albarn, produceret af Danger Mouse
Worth a relisten
Really liked this, it's going into my regular playlist.
This is supposed to be an album by a super group? Super bad maybe. Just an awful album. 2/10. +1 for some interesting work by the rhythm section so round up to a "2"
Like a pack of Gorillaz b-sides that weren't good for an album for that particular super group. Whilst there is nothing wrong with the album, there is nothing of worth here: bland, insepid, and inoffensive
Not in my edition of the book. 2007. 2 stars. Sounds like a Blur album. Great if you like Blur, which I don't. Well done but no standout tracks. Is it me or does Damon Albarn always sound like he has a bad sinus infection?
Will listen again.
It was neat. It could use some repeated listens to really figure this one out. I liked Green Fields.
Unmemorable, bland, and only the last two or three tracks save it from being a two-star album for me, so I'll grudgingly give it a three.
okay but not rememberal and somewhat bland
It's fine. Not essential listening at all. Demon Days or Plastic Beach should be here if they really felt that another Albarn project had to make the list.
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.
Grows on me with multiple listens. Last 3 tracks are the best. Interesting choice for the list.
Dull
It’s ok. Not enough to push me to 4 today.
Damn, I had no idea this Albarn project even existed. Great album, great discovery.
A sort of concept album about London in some vague time - the concept itself is fairly vague. It has flashes of brilliance seeing as Damon Albarn is writing it but again, it feels like an album that I didn't have to hear before I died - there isn't anything particularly interesting or spectacular about it. Best Tracks: History Song; Herculean; The Good, The Bad and The Queen
I was hopeful this wouldn't be some self-indulgent British wankfest of over-inflated egos mashing their individual sounds together with little to no cohesion, but oh well maybe next time.
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.
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.
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 didn't enjoy the singing nor the music. Every song was around the same slow cadence. Not for me despite my love of a good concept album. 2/5.
Britpop with real musicians
Forgetful.
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.
Didn't really like this. Lots of winey singing.
I really enjoyed this! I had never heard of this Damon Albarn side project, but it’s like a mellow Gorillaz
Blur goes Radiohead, ends up sounding like generic landfill indie. Interesting concept, lots of very talented people involved, but I don't think it meshes together all that well, and absolutely doesn't deserve a spot on this list. Still, enjoyable enough.
Without knowing that much about Damon Albarn, besides Blur, or the band, The Good, The Bad...I was pleasantly surprised I enjoyed it. It wasn't an earth-shattering experience or something I'll heavily-rotate on my streaming playlists, but it was something I took notice and listened to it a couple of times, so that means something, right?
3.5
After the smash hit both critically and financially that was the pair-up of Damon Albarn and Danger Mouse on Demon Days, you'd think another album with the two plus a slew of other characters would only be a knock out of the park, but the album leaves a lot to be desired, and quite frankly wastes the listener's time on every song. None of it is bad, but it all has the exact same setup of starting a song quiet, building it up over the course of the track, only to end the song before it actually goes anywhere. This doesn't matter whether the song is two minutes or seven, you will always be disappointed, and I'm just gonna come out and say I entirely blame Simon Tong. No clue how much he had at play in this album, but it reeks of Verve-isms, with boring track after boring track that only leave the listener waiting for something more, which never comes, as if the whole band is scared to get too loud and wake their parents who are just in the other room. Its inoffensive, but that wraps around and makes it aggravating, because you just sit there ingesting it waiting for something, anything to happen. I don't entirely blame Danger Mouse, as when the production itself is good, its good, but it could just use another voice somewhere teaching the lot here how songs have to end, not just stop. I will give it credit and say it sounds nothing like Albarn's other two major projects, but I'm also just gonna say there's a reason those are still famous today while this faded into obscurity on the 1001 Albums list, with very little other accolades to hold it up.
This was very boring and forgettable. The only time I felt engaged was during the instrumental part at the end of the last song.
was ok. some nice tunes but nothing to bring me back to it
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.
I think I enjoyed this more when it came out, but it is still a pretty decent album. Nature Springs is by far my favourite track, featuring Tony Allen's afrobeat drumming style.
I can't fully get into this. Not sure why.
Boring!
Not good. Not bad. Not Queen.
london bridge is falling down
Pretty fun. I've listened to this before. It's not a killer album but it is enjoyable. Nothing really grabs out and gets you but the playing is solid.
I thought I would have heard about this, but it apparently completely passed me by. It's quite subdued in general, and there's no real hooky elements to it, but it has a nice enough vibe. I quite like some of the quirkier elements of the production. It's not bad. It's ok. I won't be revisiting any of the songs or the album as a whole though.
Tälläset supergroupit on vähän outoja, mutta kai tää menee positiivisen puolelle. 3/5
Ihan okei homma, vähän pettymys kokoonpanon ajatellen.
It'sjust OK. Damon Albarn irks me and I'm not sure wht. Either it's bis whiney vocal style or his superclious facial expressions - either way, I'm not a fan. This album is just average.