Gorillaz scale new heights and vibes on 'The Mountain.'

Phot by me, from a long-ago Gorillaz tour.

I’ve been a fan of Gorillaz since the days of digging through the bins at Virgin or Tower in 2001 to get the first CD singles the band released. Back then they were often cheekily described by the music press as Damon Albarn’s attempt at a new millennial Archies. This was obviously an overly simplistic view given the band is still going strong 25 years later, but while the earlier albums seemed to have poppier singles and more cohesive themes, the last couple releases have played more like worldly dance parties or collected vibes. And their latest release The Mountain definitely falls into the vibes over “potential hits” camp. And I think that’s OK! Albarn clearly relishes his role as a bandleader unrestricted by any single genre, and has enjoyed slathering on the guest artists and co-contributors to his songs under the Gorillaz moniker. I might miss some of the quirkier sounds that turned into hits, but I’ll take the consistently rewarding sound baths we’ve gotten in recent years and happily submerge myself in them.

It did pop into my head during Gorillaz’s first appearance on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago that most Gorillaz fans probably don’t know who Albarn is, even as the group grows only more popular with each release. And I did wonder how many sharp-eyed folks unfamiliar with the people in the band saw the promo clips for that episode featuring Alban and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett, and then wondered why Hewlett wasn't on stage for the live sets. That made me giggle a little.

Lollapa-yawn.

I do not envy folks that have had to cover the Lollapalooza lineup announcement over the last couple of years. I attended and/or covered the festival through pretty much every iteration from 1991 until 2019—so I do have fond feelings for Lollapalooza. And once upon a time the lineup announcement really was a fun thing to cover, with everyone jockeying to get their unique take on it out first and drive the conversation. Believe it or not, for a while the bill was actually deep, varied, and filled with quality acts.

These days most media sites basically rehash the press release and print the lineup verbatim on the day it's released. But the folks I feel sorry for are the ones who feel they need to put a positive spin on it, or treat the unveiling as if there is anything of actual interest to see there, which wouldn’t be an issue if the lineups were not so consistently underwhelming these days. If you see a superlative in a headline about a Lollapalooza lineup announcement, it’s a good sign that person (or their publication) is more interested in ensuring their access than they are about actually writing honestly about the music.

And on the fan end of the spectrum, every year I do see some old Lolla-heads trying to point out the handful of interesting acts on the undercard as some sort of defense, but once Lollapalooza expanded to 4 days there is simply not enough quality music on that bill to fill all that time. And telling me there’s one or two interesting acts each day doesn’t seem to support the price of even a single-day ticket, much less one that covers the full extended weekend.

I'm not gonna harsh anyone's mellow who just wants an excuse to party for 4 days in the middle of the summer in downtown Chicago, but let's stop pretending Lollapalooza has any kind of real cultural cache, or even the faintest ties to the underground of interesting musical acts from whence it sprung.

Upon realizing one has not been forgotten.

Since the pandemic and my withdrawal from much of the social activities I participated in, I have at times started to feel like a forgotten person. I spent a long time being a reasonably prominent voice in both the real and digital worlds, but am also aware that maintaining that kind of role means you can never slow down. And I have most certainly slowed down.

Over the weekend I quietly facilitated a nice thing on Threads while trying to remain in the background, only to discover my name mentioned numerous times by a wide variety of people as the Thread went a little viral (in a very positive sense). And I admit, it felt good. It reminded me that there is still a large group of people who do remember me, and seem to do so in a positive sense. 

I don't need to be talked about constantly or even frequently, but it's nice to know I'm remembered fondly. And apparently still have a little bit of pull, to this day.

Bandcamp Friday means another Quick Spins review roundup!

It's Bandcamp Friday which means I reviewed 6 brand new or recent albums for you to check out (and give the artists 100% of your money today if you dig any of them). Head on over to Third Coast Review and read (and listen) all about it!

Don't waste your time, join the professionals!

I recently upgraded my copy of Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains from DVD to the new 4K version (and boy oh boy it's a beaut of an upgrade—highly recommended). However, I continue to lament that there has never been an official soundtrack released for the film. I guess one was planned for around the time the movie was first issued on DVD, but that was never officially released. So while there are reportedly some digital versions of that planned release out there, I have yet to find any of them myself. Why don't we have an official soundtrack for a movie that starred (among others) Diane Lane, Laura Dern, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Ray Winston? No clue.

In general it's not an insurmountable tragedy since most of the songs from the film ended up being released by the bands that performed them. But the two songs I want most, the two actually "performed" by The Fabulous Stains, were never released into the wild beyond the versions grafted onto celluloid film. But since no official version of their songs exist, the below will have to do...for now. (Hey Mondo, this seems like a project that'd be perfect for you!)

Below is the glossy version of The Stains covering The Looters' (who were actually The Professionals in real life) "Join The Professionals." People are split on whether or not this was really neesarry to graft onto the tail end of the movie over the credits (to imply The Stains went on to a "happier ending" as MTV darlings) but I think we can all agree it's a sprightly little version of this ditty.

And while there is no "official" version of The Fabulous Stains' "Waste Of Time," YACHT did record a dancefloor-friendly cover of the tune back in 2009 (?!) so for now it's the best I have to offer you on that front.