The Good, the Bad and the Queen
With Danger Mouse - the man with the musical Midas touch - overseeing proceedings, Albarn has ensured that this new project certainly looks good on paper.
Does Damon Albarn ever stop? Not content with his mid-90s war on the Gallagher brothers and teaming up with Gnarls Barkley man Danger Mouse for the ever-popular Gorillaz, Albarn's gone and formed a supergroup to end all supergroups. Raking in ex-Clash hooligan Paul Simonon on bass, Verve guitarist Simon Tong and Africa 70 drummer Tony Allen on drum duty, along with Danger Mouse - the man with the musical Midas touch - overseeing proceedings, Albarn has ensured that this new project certainly looks good on paper. So, are The Good, The Bad And The Queen more than just semi-retired musicians wanting to experiment?
The self-titled album kicks off with 'History Song', an eerie, tension-building track which sets the tone nicely for the rest of the album. Ambling and balanced in both tempo and structure and dominated by disjointed chords and rhythms, the song warns us that this band is serious. You won't catch them smashing up television studio sets or making the fashionistas dance down the front at their gigs. This band is grown-up.
For The Good, The Bad and The Queen, though, grown-up works. 'Three Changes', for example, is one hundred percent ace. In an album sometimes lacking a bit of punch, it's the star track. Fairground noises at the start make way for a wonderfully ramshackle drum delivery from Allen, while Albarn gives a surprisingly ballsy vocal performance. With lyrics such as "not gonna be a victim" making somewhat of a statement, it's no wonder this is so full of life. 'Eighties Life' sounds less perm-era electro-pop, as the name would suggest, more fifties prom music, with a "ba, ba, ba" vocal refrain showing the band at their most catchy. Single 'Kingdom Of Doom' is another more radio-friendly track, sharing similar pop sensibilities, and 'Behind The Sun' is a real delight. A song bursting with nostalgia, it features haunting violin parts soaring over glorious piano arpeggios. Accompanied by poetic lyrics such as "into the dawn… to the place we played when we were young on the cool breeze", it makes the halfway point of the album a joy to behold. Bit different from 'Parklife', then.
The album's drawback is that it lacks sufficient spark in much-needed areas. Many of the songs meander by without note ('Bunting Song' is particularly forgettable), while 'Soldier's Tale' is just plain depressing. By the time our experience with The Good, The Bad And The Queen is up and the last track plays out, you may feel a little deflated.
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