The Good the Bad & The Queen - Good the Bad & The Queen
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Free Music Notes for Good the Bad & The Queen
Free Music Review: An exceptional album ...
Hit: 5 Stars
I will begin by emphasizing that this album is not like Blur or the Gorillaz. Having said that, if you are an individual that knows good music when you hear it, you will appreciate and love this album.
For starters, whats not to like about a collaboration between Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon and Danger Mouse?
Damon Albarn - Lead Vocals & Keyboards
Paul Simonon - Bass
Simon Tong - Guitar
Tony Allen - Drums
Danger Mouse - Producer
This album is a lot different then what I had expected. One reviewer classified this album as "electropop-rock-folk." I would almost say I agree with that statement, however it also feels a little like contemporary rock on top of all that. Regardless of what genre you would classify this as, it certainly pushes genre boundaries and adds new elements to the mix. Albarn & Danger Mouse are truly innovators. Considering Danger Mouse is mostly a hip-hop producer, I found it odd that he would undertake this album. However his addition to the album can be felt ... and it more then likely would not be the same without him.
The overall feeling I get from the album is very reflective and thoughtful. It is a beautiful and inspiring melancholy, if thats possible. Imagine your Jerry Maguire leaving the office after you just got fired. Instead of listening to 'Free Falling' on your ride home, your thinking about everything .... and listening to this cd.
The album has 12 songs, most of them are exceptional. There are a few on there you tend to skip over when you listen to it once again, however its pretty much all great music.
If you plan on purchasing a la carte, then consider these songs (in order)
Track 2 - 80's Life (This song is amazing ... makes you feel like your a kid going to the bus stop)
Track 5 - Herculean (the "star" single that has been promoted on iTunes ... a little Gorillaz feeling)
Track 11 - Green Fields (This song stands out from the feeling of the overall album)
Other great songs:
Track 1 - History Song (good way to begin the album ... dark piano on the end)
Track 4 - Kingdom of Doom
Track 8 - Nature Springs (has a little Pink Floyd the Wall Feeling to it)
Track 12 - The Good, The Bad & The Queen (nice way to end the album)
The album came with a cd insert of some interesting doodles, as well as lyrics for all 12 songs. The one thing I do not like about this album is that there are only 12 songs!!! I didn't want the cd to end.
Enjoy.
Rusty Rothwell
Louisville, KY
Free Music Review: Really....a super group
Hit: 5 Stars
Anyone who has the balls to go back out on the frontlines after their primary claim to fame has bitten the dust deserves a little attention. Over the last few years, we gave the nod to Billy Corgan as he punished us through solo takes on his melancholy and Bee Gee covers, smirked at Chris Cornell as he fused Soundgarden vocals with Rage Against The Machine rhythms in the form of Audioslave, and put up a self conscious devil horn when STP and GNR combined into the glitz and glam of Velvet Revolver.
Then, you've got Damon Albarn. Forever known to a majority of the uneducated as the man who made "Woo Hoo" a staple phrase of alt-rock radio rotation with his band Blur, he moved into unsettled waters a few years later with the cartoon pseudonyms of the Gorillaz. And not only did we pay attention, but we ate it up. So now what? Well, you combine five heavy hitters in the music industry (representation from Blur, the Clash, Fela Kuti, the Verve, plus production from the 21st century's Butch Vig (Danger Mouse)) and write an apocalyptic album about one of the oldest cities in Western Europe.
But the beauty of this album, and the reason you should buy it, is that unlike many bands or albums that defy categorization, this particular group flexes very little of its past employment experience as it trudges through an atmospheric and foggy haze in search of how to best define London. Yes, Albarn's inarticulate warbling is there (think Thom Yorke without goosebumps), as is some dub reggae influence from the bass of Clash member Paul Simonon (who clearly wanted no upper range in his tone), polyrhythms from Tony Allen, and pristine guitar inflection from Simon Tong. But the overall effect is greater than the sum of its parts. Mix all of the above the studio wizardry of Danger Mouse, and you end up with a lamenting and yearning cycle of tunes that is as close to a concept album as you can get this day in age without appearing self-indulgent.
The bleakness of it all is best heard in tracks such as "Herculean", "Three Changes", and "Kingdom of Doom." Gloomy though it is, the album somehow manages not to drown in its own sorrow. Rather, you can sit there comfortably, knowing that Damon Albarn succeeded in a big way by bringing together a panel of veteran performers that manages to literally become a super group without tagging them a "supergroup."
Free Music Review: A trip down the city
Hit: 5 Stars
Let's being by saying that this album DOES NOT sound like Blur, Gorillaz, The Clash or The Verve. If you are expecting at least one song to sound like any of the aforementioned, you will be greatly disappointed. That said it is also fair to mention that the talent from those three band members come together in an interesting fusion of skill and concept.
Damon Albarn has said The Good, the bad and the queen is not the name of the band but of the album, and his four piece orchestra is much more difficult to explain that what journalists or even reviewers would like to narrow them down to. And that could well be why this record results so rich in concept and so ethereal in execution.
The somber and at times extremely claustrophobic sound serves to transport the listener to different aspects of London. Just as the lyrics cannot be constricted to either pop or punk, there is a certain mood that prevails all along the album, and it maye be (dare to say) formulated as an electropop-rock-folk allusion to the background of each of the players.
"Kingdom of doom", "Northern Whale" and "80's life" are the standout tracks, but it is in "Herculean" that they summon up all that feeling of overwhelm and almost despair one gets to know while listening to this.
Closing track, which happens to have the same name as the album, is a prolonged exectuion that quite doesn't fit with the rest of tracks but treats us to the showcase of wild drums, exquisite guitars and the omnipresent, yet vague vocals that we have come to indulge in.
If you find this review confusing then you have a leading point to listen to this record. I did not approach it thinking it would remind me of Blur or Verve, but in a way it strives to get past that, and in my opinion it takes it to another level that even they might be wonder about. Call it an acquired taste, The Good, the bad and the queen is an album to savor more than once and discover along with your own secrets.
Free Music Review: a grower.
Hit: 5 Stars
this album is definitely a grower. at first listen, the album sets a very dark tone throughout but never really gets exciting. you're either going to love it at first listen or skip through some tracks and set it aside. judging from the title of this review, it obviously grew on me.
damon albarn never seizes to amaze me. its odd how im attending a music school and no one seems to know him. everyone here loves the gorillaz, some like blur, no one knows the guy. he's just known as, "that guy." no wonder albarn dislikes america. it's a shame.
the good, the bad, and the queen's debut album which features members from blur/gorillaz (albarn), the clash (simonon), the verve (tong), and a afro beat pioneer (allen). the songs on this album like i posted before are dark and are based upon the negative aspects of the world. damon has said that lyrically, this will be the following to parklife. some songs even about his distaste for war. it's not blur nor is it the gorillaz. its not the clash, its not the verve. musically tho, you can tell how each individual brings something to the table. it's hard to tell what tony allen is doing on this album. that's probably the biggest downfall of this album, there's not enough tony allen, not enough drum work. it seems like almost everything that mr. albarn puts out, doesn't have much drum work or beats that are just too dull.
either way, this album is definitely worth listening to. the only flaw was that there wasn't much drum work. it wasn't good at first listen, but there would be times when tunes from the album just came up in my head. then i just couldn't stop listening. the best way to fully appreciate this album, is to listen to it without expecting to hear the clash, blur, gorillaz, or the verve.
highlights include: 80s life, history song, behind the sun, tgtb&tq.
Free Music Review: One of Albarn's Best
Hit: 5 Stars
I was destined to buy this album, whether it was good or not. Since I discovered Blur back in High School, I've followed Damon Albarn from project to project, thoroughly enjoying every album he's released. The Good, the Bad & the Queen was the next stop on what has been a very interesting and exhilarating musical journey.
Blur and Gorillaz are all about immediacy. There are brilliant layers in the music if you should listen some more, but you'll still get a lot out of the first listen. TGTB&TQ are not. These are songs which require a patient ear, and a few listens before everything starts to sink in. There's an air of melancholy that permeates the whole piece, a uniquely British air. And the music is quietly superb. It does take a number of listens, but the layers are unbelievable, and the final impact of the songs is astounding.
Whenever you're hearing an album for the first few times, there's a high that can often make it seem better than it truly is. For a while, I listened to this album so much that it had worn out its welcome. My opinion of it lessened with each subsequent listen, so I put it away. I pulled it out just recently for the first time in almost eight months, and it blew me away. I had forgotten how truly, truly great it is. One of Albarn's finest accomplishments, and with a catalog like his own, that's truly impressive.