A Journey
As a long-time Gorillaz fan, I was very excited for their latest album, The Mountain. After their last release, Cracker Island in 2023, I thought fans would have to wait at least five years for another release. I was happily surprised when The Mountain release was announced.
Much like past albums, The Mountain combines global influence with distinctly American ideals and commentary. Accompanied by an incredible short film, the album takes listeners on a spiritual journey about grief, identity, and how those things interact with the world around us.
Progression
Gorillaz is the king of album progression, taking listeners on a journey. The first song, "The Mountain," is mostly instrumental, with indistinct talking at the end. It reminds me a lot of "Plastic Beach." The very next song, “The Moon Cave,” picks us up. It’s striking how disconnected the lyrics seem from the song's instrumentals. The lyrics echo insecurity, asking, “Why am I taking so long? Why is my voice not strong now?” with the instrumentals chugging the song along almost by force. Fictional singer 2D’s vocals sound strained, like he is trying to smile and move forward, but the world holds him back. More reminiscent of "Plastic Beach," the great Bobby Womack drops in with bars that drip with confidence and energy, juxtaposing 2D’s.
Breakdown
I knew “The Happy Dictator” was going to be one of my favorite songs on the album when it was released as a single a few months before the album's release. It has the political charge and timely appeal that I loved in records like Humanz, but flips that on its head and tells the story of someone who is brainwashed by the current regime. Despite the distinct Hindi influence, this album still comments on the goings on in America, and this song is the perfect example. It romanticizes being under the spell of a dictator’s regime, without making it seem too appealing. This sort of ignorance described is bliss, but something about the song just feels off. It sounds like a cultist’s anthem, complete with the rhythmic chanting, “Oh what a happy land we live in.” The instrumentals get stranger and the lyrics more distorted in the second verse, showing more obviously the corruption that is truly taking place.
After an experience like “The Happy Dictator,” Gorillaz has no problem bringing the listener right back to reality. “The Hardest Thing” reminds the audience of the pain experienced during the ebbing and flowing of our lives. The song serves as a tribute to Tony Allen, who passed away in 2020, making his appearance in the song that much more chilling. The first time I listened to this song, I got goosebumps. As someone who has a particular interest in songs about grief, this song and the following, “Orange County,” are easily tied for my favorite song on the album. Separating the two would be a disservice to the message they are trying to portray, and the hopeful tone that “Orange County” makes out of this experience with grief is just as important as the grief itself. “Orange County” is about not only experiencing joy despite grief, but joy because of grief. Contributor Kara Jackson puts this perfectly in the lyrics, “Every face you forgot, Father’s Jaw, They suspend the clock, another start, get another chance to love.” When you lose someone or something in your life, it gives you a brand new outlook on all those memories and all the people and things remaining in your life. These two songs tell us that grief is sad, yes, but “not your enemy.” “The God of Lying” brings listeners perfectly out of this thought, asking, “Are you dying for an answer for what they call good grief?” It explores how hard coping with grief in the midst of what seems like the world falling apart around you can truly be.
Transitioning to the second half of the album perfectly, “The Empty Dream Machine” and “The Manifesto” remind listeners what they came for: a pure, uninterrupted Gorillaz masterpiece. Both songs tap into a sound that is so unique to this album, but also so inherently on brand with the Gorillaz sound fans have come to know and love. 2D’s surrealist vocals are paired with an incredible rap feature and soul influence. This combines for a pair of songs that have been stuck in my head on repeat since the release of the album.
“Delirium” comes at the right place in the album. The album would start to drag on for me without its upbeat nature to keep me engaged. It’s just enough to get me in the mood for “Damascus.” Yasiin Bey, formerly Mos Def, is a Gorillaz classic and has perfect verses on this track. It’s always a joy to see his genius on a track, and he has so much chemistry with Omar Souleyman in a way I haven’t heard in a multi-language song before. Souleyman is speaking Arabic while Bey speaks English, but it sounds like they are talking to each other, with neither addressing the other directly. And not only are the two people speaking to each other in different languages, but the two cultures almost talk to each other in this song. Both people describe an unattainable person, Bey acting as the person, Souleyman acting as a yearning lover. The lyrics “لو إنك زبون حجازي, يِحرِم عليّي ملبوسك,” roughly translate to “Even if you were a Hijazi Zaboon, It would be forbidden for me to wear you.” A Zaboon is a garment in the Hijazi region of Saudi Arabia, worn for special occasions like weddings. Here, Souleyman is placing this person at a high status. He is saying he is not worthy of the occasion of this person’s presence. In response to this, Bey says, “See me navigate the waves in the light and the black, Stars in the heavens and a breeze on my back,” oozing ego and self-confidence.
“The Shadowy Light” continues this theme a little, but is weaker than “Damascus.” Asha Bholse just repeats a long chorus, while 2D takes on religious themes in the verses. They don’t feel like they relate very much, which makes it one of the weaker songs on the album for me, which is a shame because I love Bholse’s voice and was excited to see her feature. Instrumentally, however, it makes up for it. It has such an amazing melody that I’ve found myself humming it a lot these past few weeks. It feels like a breath of fresh air and a perfect song to start winding down the album. “The Sweet Prince” and “Sad God” continue this melancholy, reflective vibe. I appreciate when an album gives you the space to reflect on the journey you just went on, and I think the final three songs on this album do just that. Lyrically, they sum up the overarching themes of grief, uncertainty, and coping. Instrumentally, they reuse some of the same melodies and sounds the viewer heard throughout the whole album.
Global and American Features
Gorillaz has always been famous for their many features and musical guests, from Snoop Dogg on Plastic Beach to Beck on Song Machine. The Mountain is no different, with Asha Bholse, famous for her work in Bollywood, and soul legend Bobby Womack.
The features on The Mountain do a wonderful job of introducing listeners to artists that they may not be familiar with. Gorillaz is not only inherently inspired by American culture, but they are also historically most popular in America, according to an article from Chartmasters. This makes the sheer amount of global influence in this album package some of these artists in the Gorillaz sound that American audiences may already be used to. As a long-time Gorillaz fan, some of my other favorite artists were introduced to me through the features in their songs, such as Little Dragon and De La Soul. Since the release of this album, I’ve been really enjoying IDLES and Trueno.
Listening to a lot of the features outside of Gorillaz, it’s clear how the features and collaborators really mesh with the sound of the band. IDLES, for example, is one of many post-punk artists Gorillaz has collaborated with, but their album progression stands out as following a really similar format to Gorillaz.
Final Thoughts
From beginning to end, The Mountain takes listeners on a wonderful, global journey through grief, belonging, and identity while running alongside their iconic sound and imagery. Blending a global sound with commentary on the American political climate results in a masterful attempt at reminding their most popular audience base how much more there is to learn.
Sources: Chartmasters
