Sunbathing on the Plastic Beach

Look out guys it's a music review, yes I know it's crazy but we all need a change of pace every now and then. First I want to point out that I know very little about music. Sure I listen to it all the time, have a nice collection of CDs and play guitar when it comes to talking about it technically... well I'm pretty much lost at sea.

One of the main reasons I am reviewing this album is that this band is pretty different from my usual taste in music but since the first time I heard a song by them way back in the day I have been hooked. I have no idea what it is but... anyway we are focusing on their new album so lets dig in to...

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

When I first heard this was being released I have no shame in saying I got excited. Very rarely do I get excited about new bands albums. There are about three bands that I will go out and buy the album as soon as it came out and I was surprised this album turned out to be one of them. This review layout might be similar to ones you've seen in the past, broken down track by track. Lets get started...

1. Orchestral Intro

This track is fairly obvious what its all about. The intro, simple enough surprisingly slips well in to...

2. Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach

Okay instantly this song stood out for me but I think that's mainly because Snoop Dogg was a guest vocalist. His voice and style, in my opinion, is very unique and after the strings of the intro the thick beat and bass combined with the almost jazz like horns really stirs you up for the rest of the album.

3. White Flag

This song to me seemed slightly standard. That might seem odd if you have ever heard it but for the Gorillaz it felt like a slight disappointment, almost like they forgot to finish it.

4. Rhinestone Eyes

When this song started I thought that maybe the singer was bored. But as the song progressed and slowly built up it almost felt like a bizarre drug induced love song. This song definitely made me feel like I was listening to a Gorillaz album.

5. Stylo

This is the first single of this album and part of me feels like it was an odd choice compared to the rest of the album. However the electric bass line and the addition of Bobby Womack's amazing vocals, sadly I've never heard of him before this album and he's in it twice, make this song a staple of the already astounding Gorillaz track list.

6. Superstar Jellyfish

Firstly, this is the best song title of the whole album. Secondly, the intro and verse vocals by De La Soul and Gruff Rhys are hilarious and just musically pleasing at the same time. It all fits so well together and then you throw in an outstanding chorus and you make my favorite track from the first half of the album.

7. Empire Ants

8. Glitter Freeze

I'm going to quickly go over these tracks because they both feel a little bit like generic album fillers. They are interesting to listen to but not enough to make them really stand out amongst the other tracks. More like background music during an interlude while you wait for the next half of the album.

9. Some Kind of Nature

This song is hard to describe for me. It's easily my favorite track on the album and I'm not sure why. It might be the simple beat and looping riff. It might be the way the way that Lou Reed's voice seems to bounce so well off Damon Albarn's. Either way I found that this track instantly grabbed me, drilled in to my head and claimed to be my favorite. Closely followed by...

10. On Melancholy Hill

For a title describing a sad piece of land it's surprisingly upbeat. The lyrics, chirpy electric beeps and a nicely paced drums make this track a fantastic way to follow up from the track before it. It's almost a shame the album couldn't keep this standard in the next few tracks.

11. Broken

12. Sweepstakes

13. Plastic Beach

14. To Binge

15. Cloud of Unknowing

I didn't want to just breeze over all these tracks but like before these seem like album filler.s I can tell they aren't but after hearing some of the great tracks that came before it I just feel like we are sliding down the slope to the end of the album. Even the odd beats of Sweepstake, which always end up in my head, or the return of Bobby Womack in Cloud of Unknowing really made my ears perk up.

16. Pirate Jet

Just when I thought the album was over this track came flying out of left field and really made me happy I bought this album. This track seems so odd and different to the tracks before it I was worried I'd some how changed CD without realizing it. The choice of instruments and the way the different sounds come together in to what sounds like a mess at first quickly slip in to an easily recognizable beat will have anyone nodding along. Once again Damon Albarn's vocals really make the song complete. I guess it helps that I also happen to be a big fan of Blur, Damon Albarn's previous band from those who don't know. An amazing way to end the album.

Conclusion

It's right to see what Damon Albarn meant when he stated this was the most commercial / pop record he has made. Some tracks feel generic while others are pushing speakers to their limit. Sadly I think when compared to the previous albums from the Gorillaz there may be a slight disappointment amongst fans and not the first to get from new comers.

Must Hear

Some Kind of Nature

On Melancholy Hill

Plastic Beach

Listen to before this

Gorillaz - Gorillaz

Listen to after this

Demon Days - Gorillaz

Hope my first music review was a success and you all enjoyed it and helped some people with their thoughts on the album.

Thanks for Reading

EpicFlyFire

Are Gamers Really That Lonely?

Okay what the hell happened to co-op play in video games? And before anyone talks about online play they can stop right there. I'm talking about sitting in the same room, two controllers, split-screen CO-OP!

The amount of times if been looking with friends at latest game releases think to myself, which game will be good for us to get and play together, only to see that little symbol on the back of the cover.... 1 Player. Oh sure they say co-op but that is only online. I understand that online play is a great step in gaming and that it is making games worth a lot more if you can battle / race / adventure / or in some why challenge each other no matter how far away you may be but.... what if we are in the same room? Surely games today can handle a simple request like that? Right?

Wrong. I am sick of looking at new releases, discovering the great features they have only to discover that if I own it and take it round to a friends house to play we can't enjoy it because it's only single player offline. One game in particular that I have noticed this with is...

(Verses Marines...)

...

I was looking forward to playing this multiplayer with a friend. There is a specific game mode in which you get to play as a group of marines trying to battle against wave after wave of aliens and see how long you can survive. This sounds like so much fun, specifically as my friend and I both love this type of game mode, which we have previously played in Gears of War (Horde) and Halo: ODST (Firefight). However I pick up the game and what do I find? That those modes, in fact all the multiplayer modes, and only available when playing online.

What does it take for developers to have a split-screen co-op mode in video games these days? I know there is a great list of games in the last year or so that have offline co-op such as Halo, Gears of War, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Resident Evil 5, Left for Dead but.... I hear great things about these new releases and am just disappointed that I have to sit at home alone in my room just to play them with a friend.

I think what makes this worse is how online works with modern consoles; Xbox 360 doesn't have a built in wireless adaptor and you have to pay a monthly fee to play online (come on Microsoft get it together!), the Playstation 3 apparently has some difficulty sometimes when trying to get games set up with others online, can't say i've experienced this much myself as I haven't played much on the PS3 and even then not many times online - but hey atleast it's built in wireless and no fees - and the Nintendo Wii... sure it can get online and it has some fantastic multiplayer games but since its been marketed as a fashion accessory not many people I know have one anymore.

I can understand that maybe some developers make games look so good and run so well that they can't cope with adding multiplayer for fear of frame rate issues or the console may overheat and explode but it pains me when I see a list of get games coming out in the future only to know that I can't play them in the company of some good friends. It doesn't help that video game companies are so willingly to screw over gamers to get more money these days, like charging £60 for a wireless internet adaptor (Xbox 360) or making you play with the Gameboy Advance as controllers, meaning if you want full co-op you need to first make sure everyone has a Gameboy Advance and then you need four specific cables to connect it to the console... Thanks Nintendo for that great idea for games like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles and Legend of Zelda: Four Swords... Great move... You do realize that is the big reason those games weren't as popular as they should have been, right?

I hope when you read this you agree with me. This is an issue that has been plaguing my mind for a while now. I can kick and scream all I want but I know eventually I'll have to settle with just sitting alone as I play with a friend instead of making a good night in with it, which quite frankly makes me feel a little like the gaming companies are now just assuming all it's customers are sad loners with no social life except when they are blowing peoples heads off or leveling their wizard online... For an industry that insists on growing they are treating their audience the same way they did make in the 80s.

Thanks for Reading

EpicFlyFire