Every Gorillaz Album...Ranked!

One benefit to forcing yourself to listen through the deepest darkest moments of an artist's career is the knowledge you gain of what songs really are your favourites, which ones have been falsely upgraded via the rose gold sheen of nostalgia and the songs that completely fail to stick the landing. This post isn't about the songs specifically, at least not so much as it is about all six Gorillaz albums ranked from worst to best, in my personal opinion. To preface, Gorillaz is an artist I've grown up hearing and loving, although it's not until I became a teenager that I was compelled to check out their entire catalogue. In this ranking I'll only be counting their official studio album releases, and not the D or G sides compilations. Right, without further ado... let's go!

6

"The Fall"

25th December 2010

The only Gorillaz album I'd consider to be truly bad, The Fall is a short collection of songs Damon made with GarageBand whilst touring Plastic Beach, an album released less than a year before. It's clear that more time was needed to perfect these tracks, and they just aren't up to the same high standard of mixing and production that every album of theirs has exhibited before and after. Sure, there's something to be said for the sonic experimentation in terms of the beats and synths, but the purpose seems to have been to take down the scale and grandeur of a typical Gorillaz project and that's exactly where this thing fails. Outside of three good songs I find this to be one of their blandest and most tedious listens.

4/10

Best Tracks: Revolving Doors; Hillbilly Man; The Snake in Dallas
Worst Tracks: Little Pink Plastic Bags; The Speak It Mountains; Bobby in Phoenix; Seattle Yodel

5

"The Now Now"

29th June 2018

This is Gorillaz shortest album to date at the acute length of 41 minutes. It is also by far the group's most forgettable and mediocre, a consistently bland array of far too many ballads and almost nothing that sticks the landing two years on since the release. There was a time when I considered the lead single "Humility" to be something of a bop, as was there a time when I held closing track "Souk Eye" in such high regard I would have placed it above even "DARE" as one of my favourite songs by them; sadly, literally every song has faded for me over time to the point where honestly nothing remotely stands out from the crowd. This might be better than The Fall on paper, but I'd much rather listen to that album for the highlights it has over this.

5/10

Best Tracks: Tranz; Souk Eye
Worst Tracks: Idaho; Magic City; Fire Flies

4

"Humanz"

27th April 2017

Far and away Gorillaz most hated project to date, Humanz definitely failed to live up to the hype for their return and would sadly be a continuation of the mediocrity of The Fall from almost 7 years before... or was it? Certainly this is an overlong and underwhelming listen as a whole, but if you're going to tell me that this album has nothing to offer then I'm afraid I have to disagree with you. From the fast paced "Ascension"'s wit and charm courtesy of Vince Staples to the commanding presence of the almost ghostly Grace Jones on "Charger", this is far from a record that fails at every hurdle. Yes, it's a different style for a group that previously had their feet deep in synthpop, trip-hop and indie rock, but to criticise Gorillaz simply for a change of style is like criticising a zebra for being both black and white - it's very much a part of their nature, and wanting them to only go back to their roots is like asking that same zebra to devolve back into a sort of donkey. Maybe you prefer the donkey to the zebra, in this case I certainly prefer Gorillaz' older music to their new, but discrediting the good qualities of Gorillaz' new music without giving it a chance is ignorant.

6/10

Best Tracks: Ascension; Momentz; Charger; Let Me Out; She's My Collar
Worst Tracks: Busted and Blue; all the interludes

3

"Gorillaz"
26th March 2001

The self titled debut album from Gorillaz was a landmark from the moment it was released, and instantly the most impressive thing Damon Albarn had been a part of at the time. A collection of dusty trip-hop tracks with spoonfuls of punk, hip-hop, soul and rock thrown in for good measure, it was impressively eclectic and a spectacular showcase of the sort of genre blending that only rose to prevalence over a decade later. It's a perfect embodiment of the 90s, 00s and 2010s as decades, and that's part of the reason it still sounds so fresh to this day. If you want Gorillaz in their most fundamental form, this is it.

8.5/10

Best Tracks: Tomorrow Comes Today; New Genius (Brother); Clint Eastwood; Man Research (Clapper); Sound Check (Gravity); Double Bass; 19-2000
Worst Tracks: Slow Country

2

"Plastic Beach"

3rd March 2010

Like with Humanz, Plastic Beach is an incredibly long album. Unlike Humanz, it doesn't waste your time as every single song has something to offer. This is probably Gorillaz' weirdest album, channelling their experimentation through a much more synth driven sound and including the most features at that point in their career, almost every song boasting an intriguing performance from guest artists including Snoop Dogg, Little Dragon, Mos Def and Lou Reed! It was probably the last time that the storyline behind our favourite virtual band played a core part in the themes and direction, before Jamie Hewlett's position in the "band" became something of a visually exclusive one, and I think it's all the better for that. Not only is it a wonderfully weird album, but it manages to strike the balance and achieve a great consistency too.

9/10

Best Tracks: Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach; Rhinestone Eyes; Stylo; Superfast Jellyfish; Empire Ants; Glitter Freeze; On Melancholy Hill; Plastic Beach

Worst Tracks: Cloud of Unknowing

1

"Demon Days"

11th May 2005

What is there to say? This is their most consistent album in terms of the execution of themes, production quality, experimental payoffs and just the overall quality of songs. Whilst every Gorillaz album is, strictly speaking, a concept album, it is here on Demon Days that the concept is most fully realised and curiously explored. The band's creative and commercial peak? The album with the most standout tracks? The album with strongest ties to the ongoing storyline? This album is all these things and so much more, a progressive and impressive amalgamation of all the genres Gorillaz had and would blend together operating at the highest level. Damon's attention to detail is phenomenal, the guest stars are tastefully scattered through the tracklist so as to improve the songs they're on but not so much that they overshadow the virtual band themself. This is quintessentially Gorillaz, and just plain quintessential.

10/10

Best Tracks: Last Living Souls; Kids With Guns; O Green World; Dirty Harry; Feel Good Inc.; El Mañana; Every Planet We Reach Is Dead; November Has Come; All Alone; DARE; Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head
Worst Tracks: Don't Get Lost in Heaven

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