Albums I Adore (and Why You Should Too!) : Merrie Land

Damon Albarn is in love with England. England is a place that's been on this man's mind in one way or another since he started working on music. Of course, there was his work with Blur, and how he turned his group from capitalizing on the dying British music trend that was Madchester into being the leaders of an entirely new movement with Britpop. Much of his work during the early and mid 90's was the epitome of Britishness, with shoutouts to the Portobello Road Market or Primrose Hill. Above all else, Modern Life is Rubbish and Parklife were painting a vivid, colorful vision of London, one where despite its problems, living there wasn't so bad. With time, however, Damon's music had started to drift away from Britain in a sense. Later Blur records were much more influenced by American rock than British music and in particular British culture. This went doubly so for Gorillaz. While that group has had its share of British guests, many of them had come from all over the globe, from America to Syria. Even Damon himself had considered Gorillaz more of an American band, with how much more the concept and music had resonated with global audiences than with ones back home in England. With Gorillaz and other projects like Africa Express, Albarn had been looking internationally. One group of his, however, had Damon going back to his roots in a way.

2006 brought with it the rise of The Good, the Bad and the Queen. Damon Albarn brought with him drummer Tony Allen, guitarist Simon Tong and bassist Paul Simonon for a 12-song cycle taking a melancholy look at a post-Iraq War London released at the start of 2007. The quartet went toured throughout 2007, with the odd show in 2008 and 2011. These shows wouldn't be the last time that some of their members teamed up either. Damon roped in Paul and Simon to work on the next Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach, with Paul also acting as bassist for the expansive world tour supporting the record and Simon subbing in for Jeff Wootton on guitar for a few dates. Damon and Tony had also launched another group that was called Rocket Juice and the Moon after the cover art for the album they made together (not unlike how The Good, the Bad and the Queen got their name.) Damon guested on the track Go Back on Tony's 2014 album and Tony in return showed up on Damon's solo tour that same year. Nothing seemed to materialize of any new material from the unnamed supergroup, however. This changed when in 2017 Damon let it slip about the band coming back together again for the release of a second album. Damon certainly seemed excited to tour the record and touted it as "the greatest thing... [he] ever made..." I was certainly hyped with this announcement. I adored this group's debut outing, as one could probably tell from the post I made reviewing the first record. It's still the best album I've ever listened to! My only concern going into the release was about the production. Danger Mouse left a huge mark on the first album, and with that became one of my favorite parts of it. When Damon announced that it was Tony Visconti stepping into the producer role this time, I was very intrigued in how this would affect the album's sound and direction. If you couldn't tell from the title of this post, this decision still turned out to be a great one. 11 years on from the first record, this band is back in action and as great as they have ever been, rebounding like they never even split apart and ready to tackle Britain post-Brexit referendum.

1. Introduction -  "I see what we do as The Good, the Bad and the Queen as cinematic," according to Paul Simonon in an interview. It makes total sense with that in mind to start off this record with a movie clip from an adaptation of The Canterbury Tales, but this intro also has another purpose. It makes the album feel like a journey, one that travels throughout British history and a more personal journey sorting out a person's emotions at a changing country. This works as the perfect mood-setter for our trip through Merrie Land.

2. Merrie Land - This title track was also the album's lead single and from the first listen I was floored with what I heard. The first thing that I took away from this song was just how dense it was, both in meanings and in the way Damon had sung his lyrics. There is lots of powerful symbolism and imagery here, like "the horses, the foxes, the sheep and the cows, bow down on their knees. To the fanfare of progress it's always the same, we cheer on the clowns as they roll into town and their faces look tired and sad to me..." It's so beautiful and striking but I think what makes lyrics like these work, not just on this track but on the rest of the record, is how they're delivered. Damon Albarn tries out something a little different with his vocals on this record where it's much more stream-of-conciousness, almost like spoken word at times (which we'll really get to hear towards the end of the record.) It was a style he picked up from Lou Reed after meeting up with him to record for Plastic Beach. Just this change really helps make this album stand out from not just this band's first record but anything else Damon has recorded yet. It's a style I really wouldn't mind hearing again (maybe on a new Gorillaz album?) The song gets strung together by a really nice lowrey organ performance by Damon that makes this track move along nicely. I adore the instrumental break where Demon Strings comes further into the mix, it's one of the most powerful moments on the record and brings chills down my spine every time I hear it (this feeling will be pretty common throughout the record.) You know, it really says something when a song this incredible is still somehow one of the lesser cuts from this album.

3. Gun to the Head - Of the three songs that have a recorder on the record, this track utilizes it the best. The recorders at the beginning feel like they're starting up some ancient royal ritual (like a ritual union?) This is also the first track where this record begins to take a turn for the weird. Here, nightingales plead to keep their homes and unicorn heads are but one of the landmarks. Merrie Land at points begins to feel less and less real and more like some bizarre fever dream powered by illusions of what life used to be, like it ever was that at all. This song also harkens back to a Damon style of old, with the music-hall influences of early Blur records back in full force alongside a chorus that feels like the shotgun marriage of a Parklife track with the future Britain faces now. "We don't care, cause we're all, animal lovers! We like to share our lives with them!" That first part sounds straight out of the 90's until you reach "when everything else that keeps us together conspiring to tear us apart" and you feel like you were ripped out of the colorful image of Blur's London, the Merrie Land as it were, and given a nice dose of reality. That hook really makes this song infectious!

4. Nineteen Seventeen - One of the things I love about this album is that Tony Allen gets some more to do on this record. He doesn't get shafted for a drum machine like he was at times on the first album and makes his presence known on every track (except for Ribbons.) My favorite drumming of his is on this track, especially during the impressive intro and gets the track really bouncing! "I see myself looking backwards in time today..." It feels like a lot of this record is moving in and out through different times in history at a dizzying pace. If the last song brought us back to the time of vaudeville theater, it feels perfect to slot this song in right after, themed after a time where vaudeville was at its heights. 1917 also was near the end of the first world war, when the U.S. had waged war on Austria-Hungary. Damon uses some pretty powerful imagery to invoke that time as well, noticing "a thousand white crosses in a cemetery." This whole track feels like I'm on a flying swing at an old carnival, trying not to look down on the chaos and destruction of war.  The outro is really awesome too. There aren't as many long outro jams like there were on the first album, but when they show up they are grand. Those sounds of what seem like bombs falling are seriously perfect for the song's subject matter.

5. The Great Fire - If you love the weird, creepy vibes that the early Gorillaz phases gave off, you'll love this one. It's spooky and haunted, being the most atmospheric song on the album. It's like a haunted Halloween tram ride through England passing by the violence of a people torn apart from each other. The dubby beat and synths help to paint this dark picture. My favorite part is when the synths and drums kick in by the way, on the "rapturous waves" part. All the spooky background vocals really fit too, like you can feel ghosts swarming all around you even if you can't quite see them, making them all the more terrifying.  Lyrically, it's not as tight as the other songs on here, but I love them for what they are. The narrative they create is one less straightforward than on other tracks, where it feels more akin to the almost nonsense lyricism of quite a few Gorillaz tracks while still being intense. "Sticky brown Chinese, coke and a dummy, metal detector, blue skies, joyous waves, alcoholism disguised with a balloon or two on Preston station!" This one could also be seen as another travel through time, moving backwards from World War I into the Great Fire of London back in 1666, explaining the "Cubs make fire on the edge of the golf course" line.

6. Lady Boston -  "[There was] this beautiful sound filling all the hallways and the Gothic stairways and the nooks and crannies of the castle." That quote was from Damon Albarn, on the recording of Lady Boston with the song's choir. I could just cut off my discussion about this song here, because it's too perfectly said and resonates so closely to what I feel listening to the track. A bit of backstory might help before diving in too deep. During the recording of Merrie Land, Damon rung up an old friend of his, Gruff Rhys (whose debut album I have talked about before,) and it was Rhys who hooked Damon up with the Cor y Penrhyn male choir featured in this song. It was recorded in the Penrhyn Castle in Wales, and Damon saw a painting on the walls and named the song after finding a person in that painting that seemed somewhat different from the rest, only having the name Lady Boston to go off of. The song became the amalgamation of all of Damon's thoughts around that time, thinking about the painting and the castle and its history of Welsh quarrymen and being built off of Jamaican slave plantations. What resulted from this is what's by far the best song on the album. It feels like the next natural evolution of the Blur ballads of old, like I'm flashing back to "Best Days" or "Out of Time" in this journey through British history. "Cut to the seagull, the quarryman, the castle, the barnacles, the cliff edge, the joy." Such a perfect and creative use of imagery. Tony Visconti's recorder sounds really nice on here too, a bit unexpected when I first heard it but it's so welcome. Speaking of parts I adore, the "I'm on the back of you" refrain is so marvelous, and gives way to what is not just the best part of the song but the best part of the album and one of the musical highlights of Damon's entire career, the outro. Throughout the song, there's this gorgeous Cor y Penrhyn choir behind Damon. That alone sounds great as is, but in the outro the band cuts off entirely and keeps the choir on, singing "Dwy wrth dy gefen, dwi wth dy gefen di." That translates to "I'm on your back, I feel sorry for you." That final moment is simply magical. A true moment of togetherness in these troubled times. Is this Damon Albarn's best ballad? I would say so.

7. Drifters and Trawlers -"I've done enough today, sweet lord I've done enough today." I thought on first listen that this was supposed to be the lighthearted track working as a bit of relief after the big centerpiece of the record and a fun way to start off side B. It sounds very breezy, with rollicking guitars and what could seriously be one of my favorite parts of the album, the impressive penny whistle playing from Gerry Diver. It's like I'm on this old shipping boat sailing on by towards Plastic Beach while the seagulls swarm around me. It seems to have the makings of a great summer jam, but the lyrics are certainly a different matter. While they are very catchy, there's an overwhelming sadness to them driven home by Damon's tired vocals.

8. The Truce of Twilight - This song is Merrie Land at its most mystical. Lions and unicorns sleeping by shop doors! It's a story of fortune tellers and idols and waterslides! I especially like the horned ooser symbolism thrown in there too. Not only does this add to the tracks dark mysticism, but it also helps complete the narrative the song tries to weave. The horned ooser refers to the Dorset Ooser of 19th century English folklore, a wooden head that became associated with morality and humiliating those who acted immoral into behaving a certain way. The ooser could be the symbol for the fear that people have for going against the ways of old and looking dead eyed at the future in the process, like in the lines "glassy eyed demography" and "they're not dreaming just looking to midnight." The glassy eyed demography line also speaks to the divide between the so-called "Merrie Land" and facing reality, as if people have been too busy at this carnival taking in old British culture and thinking of how good it could be to go back to the ways of old (that may not have existed at all in the ways that they are thinking about them) instead of seeing what's really going on in the UK right now and trying to start up a conversation about it.

9. Ribbons - Listening to Ribbons, my mind drifts back in time to the beautiful A Soldier's Tale or the sadly overlooked Everyday Robots B-side Electric Fences. This songs channels all the best aspects of Damon's softer tracks. It's soothing with powerful vocals, the best Demon Strings performance on the album and some of the best lyricism I've ever heard from one of his projects. I can't even say I have a favorite line from this, there's so many to choose from. "I am the maypole, dancing with the sun," "I am the arrow stinging in your side. I will never let you go," it's all so rich with imagery and emotion! If I had to choose one, I would choose "I am the murder, falling out the sky. I wear my ribbons black until I die." The vocals on that part are the best on the album, fitting for such a powerful lyric.

10. Last Man to Leave - Everything has gone to shit. I know that this idea has been used plenty a time throughout Damon's discography, from the apocalyptic Demon Days to the emotional nightmares stored throughout 13, but few songs in his repertoire convey this kind of doom as bluntly as this. This song is in the eyes of a man who's gone insane, swinging in and out of consciousness struggling to hold on and pleading for dear life. Everything sounds disoriented, from Damon switching between a falsetto and a normal speak-singing voice to the powerful lyrics. My favorite little detail is the guitar plucking from Simon when Damon pleads "DON'T LEAVE ME NOW!" It's the coolest guitar work on the album for how it contributes to these drunken sounding cries to make this sound like a stage play that's falling apart at the seams, just like the country Damon loves.  I especially love "We like the bed that we made to lie in much better, thank you!" I saw this as the people of The Truce of Twilight responding to pleas for conversation and understanding before splitting apart from the European Union, refusing to leave Merrie Land and connect with others. "What will you do?" Damon asks as the curtains close and the scene fades to black. But as everything seems like it's falling to pieces, could there be a light at the end of the tunnel, a hope for a brighter future for Britain even with the stroppy little island of mixed up people being split apart?

11. The Poison Tree - Maybe not. "I didn’t want to include The Poison Tree on the album. I wanted to end it with a very punk song. But we realized that The Poison Tree was taking us by surprise, it sounds like a last waltz: everybody goes home and wakes up the next morning screaming “What have I done?” Had things gone to Damon's original plan, I don't think I would have minded having a punk song to close things off. Having a powerful, uplifting happy ending like the first record or like on Humanz could have been pulled off well. But in an album with quite a few surprises under its belt, this kind of an ending is a welcome one. That's not to say that Albarn hasn't ended albums on more sorrowful terms before, the last two Blur records come to mind here. It just came as a bit of a shock for me to close things off for what could be Damon's last record for quite a while on such a tattered mournful note as opposed to the outlooks taken by the endings of Humanz and The Now Now. The piece itself is gorgeous, as Albarn cries over the lowrey organ, Paul's heavy-hitting bass line and Tony's laid-back drumming. The violins are absolutely stunning and get to me every single time I hear them. God, the piano is so great on this as well! "If you got dreams you keep, and you're leaving me, I'll see you in the next life, don't follow me." If the Last Man to Leave felt like the climax, then The Poison Tree is the falling action. Relationships are split apart as people bid their farewells to unity and go off on separate paths, never to even think about rekindling together again. The last lyric is particularly striking as well and always gives me the chills. "Of a last crusade to save me from myself." It's like an admission that maybe nothing could really save this relationship from falling apart, from "lying on a fallow field." Now that I got to talk about the song itself, one of the most emotionally impactful parts of the record is the name.


The track refers back to William Blake's 18th century poem, working on one level as another callback to old British culture alongside the dummy motif in the videos and the photos from vintage black and white films on the cover and in the lyric booklet. The real impact lies in how Damon is connected to this poem. Long ago, back through the rose-colored years of the Parklife era, Blur slipped in a track they started during the recording of Modern Life is Rubbish, but never quite finished because there weren't quite lyrics attached to it. In a stump as to what to sing about, Damon only wrote the chorus while the rest used the original Poison Tree poem for lyrics. The song, called Magpie, even sounded like a callback in and of itself to the Madchester sound of Blur's debut Leisure meshed together with what Blur had formed into around the Modern Life is Rubbish era. I had already listened to Magpie a while before this album had come out, but I didn't look into the backstory of it until the track list for Merrie Land was revealed and people pointed out the reference, instantly amazed when I saw the connection for myself. In an album that felt like it had its share of callbacks and echoes of past Damon work while still feeling like its own thing very different from anything else in his library, it was really touching to see this poem getting brought back up again. It felt like things had gone full circle, and I really appreciate that.

This album is an absolute masterwork, being not just Damon's best album this decade, but also one of the best albums he ever made, only being bested (possibly) by the first record with this group.  Merrie Land is shocking, emotionally heart-wrenching and expertly crafted by some of the best minds in music coming back together to create the best artistic statement of 2018. While just having the main album by itself is enough of a blessing, those who bought the deluxe or super deluxe version were fortunately graced with two bonus tracks. While neither track would quite fit on Merrie Land, they're both fine pieces of work on their own and rapidly becoming some of my favorite Damon Albarn b-sides.

12. St. George and the Blackbird - While on first listens, I seemed to slightly prefer the other bonus track, time has slowly given a chance for this one to grow on me so much that I actually like this one even better now! It's a soothing, heavenly folk song with these really pretty keyboards alongside the acoustic guitar. Damon's vocals are in top-form here as well. Am I the only one who gets reminded a little of Stop the Dams with this?

13. The Imperial - This one feels much more laid-back than any other track on the record, with its jazzy Latin trumpets adding some energy alongside some pretty awesome drumming from Tony Allen.  I feel like I could try to talk more about this, but I can't really make heads or tails of the lyrics and what they could mean, other than seeing images of high tide sandcastles and drunken politicians by the seaside. It's just an absolute jam of a track, and it works very well as what it is. It's superb as an extension of Merrie Land, even if it might not fit into the main album.

I just wanted to add this because it was funny and great.

And so we have come to the end of Merrie Land, and with that, 2018 for this blog. It's been a lot of fun writing down my thoughts about music and media on here. I can feel like I'm starting to grow just a tiny bit as a writer, able to better communicate my feelings about a work and find things to say about one. I don't know what 2019 has in store for me, but rest assured I'll be coming back here to write when I find interesting things to say. Speaking of, I'm gonna be talking about some anime pretty soon here. There's been a whole year of great stuff and I can't wait to share my thoughts about what was cool! Hope you'll be along for the ride.

Later, dwi wrth dy gefen!

Albums I Adore (and Why You Should Too!): The Good, the Bad, and the Queen

     Welcome, one and all, to the fourth edition of Albums I Adore, talking and raving over the albums that are very near and dear to me. This episode, I'm covering another Damon Albarn masterwork, his 2007 album The Good, the Bad, and the Queen. This album comes from a supergroup of Damon on vocals, Simon Tong of The Verve on guitar, Paul Simonon from The Clash on bass, and afrobeat master Tony Allen working the drums. The group doesn't technically even have a name, since according to Simonon "names are for a marriage." Nethertheless, record companies, concert organizers and fans alike call the band by the name of their album. This album has roots in 2004, the same year the Demon Days recording sessions started, as Damon Albarn took a trip to Nigeria. he recorded with Tony Allen, who he recently started a partnership with recording in London several days a week before the trip, alongside Simon Tong who had just finished touring with Blur as a replacement for Graham Coxon on guitar. Along with them for the ride was producer Danger Mouse, a man who would become from my perspective very important to the album's sound, having been working with Albarn on Demon Days around the same time. The dark atmosphere of Demon Days would have a very lingering effect on this project, but we'll get to that later. Soon enough after the trip, Paul Simonon was played the demos by Damon and agreed to join the project, even if all those demos were scrapped to start over. After Demon Days had finished production, this new project was marching along before releasing Herculean as a single in 2006 and their album a few months after that. These recordings led to what I would consider Damon's best album that he has ever made. The album was described as being another dark concept album coming off of Demon Days, a "mystery play about London" and its people in times of violence, melancholy, longing and hopelessness. The London protrayed here, very much unlike the London described on Parklife and Modern Life is Rubbish from Blur, is one ravaged by wars that go nowhere and tidal waves sweeping people away. It's much less idyllic in the portrayal, one much more wrapped up in current events. This type of landscape is where our story begins...

1. History Song - This first track acts as a perfect opener to the album. It's very dark, moody and most importantly very foreboding. The track also works as not just the opening act, if you wanna think off this album as a narrative, but also on its own as a warning to people. "If you don't know it now, then it will do..." demonstrates that bad things can happen to the people who don't have an understanding of history and the wrongdoings of the past, becoming unable to prevent tragedies from occurring or even being an active participant in these activities. I really love those last few seconds as the drums and piano wind down, and the line "Sunday's lost in melancholy" works as a perfect metaphor for the London that gets described in this album.

2. 80's Life - It seems the most natural song to come after a warning to people who don't know their past would be a look into the past! I imagine this song as looking through this black and white film reel of a very idealistic view of the London of a different time. In terms of melody, it certainly does feel like one of the lightest on the album, covering up its dark lyricism. Damon says that the light has all gone dead, that everything is absolutely hopeless. Comfort is found in the sound of police sirens flying by before other tracks bring us back into darkness. The subject of war gets made loud and clear here and throughout the album, as Damon hopes for a world without endless war. This song is absolutely lovely, and its another track where I love the winding down at the very end here as well, a compliment that will extend to multiple tracks on the record.

3. Northern Whale - This song sounds like one of several tracks that sound like it could fit well at home with the catalog of Gorillaz. The synth work and pianos working together feel like something that would be right at home with D-Sides alongside tracks like Highway (Under Construction.) Tony Allen gets shafted for a drum machine here, but damn the beeps and boops of the synths here really pick up the slack here alongside the drum machine programmed by James Dring. This lyrics are about a whale who got stuck in the Thames River in 2006, whereas before the album it had been a love song towards Damon's partner Suzi as she went on a trip to Antarctica. This is also the first track to really bring tidal waves and water imagery into play on the album, which get brought up several times throughout the album.

4. Kingdom of Doom - The lyrics have some of the best imagery on the albums. I can truly picture ravens flying overhead a dingy bar filled with people drinking to ease away the pain of endless war while the band plays on a makeshift stage within. I especially like the piano work chugging along throughout. Really love the hook too. This was brought back alongside Three Changes on Damon's 2014 solo tour and I truly hope it can be brought back for any concerts for the upcoming The Good, the Bad and the Queen record for just how much fun everyone seems to have playing it. I totally get why this one has become a highlight for many people that listened to the album.

5. Herculean - A large part of the reason I even wanted to make this review in the first place was to talk about just how much I absolutely LOVE Herculean. First, I really dig the megaphone effect Damon is using here. This vocal trick certainly isn't new, he's been using it since Oily Water on Blur's Modern Life is Rubbish, although it's become synonymous with Gorillaz specifically for me now. It definitely adds to the atmosphere of this song I think. It's parts like that that make me feel like 2D is singing here in place of Damon Albarn, something that stretches across the entire album. It feels like 2D is taking a journey across the UK and seeing just how destroyed his home country is emotionally and making comments on them. I can also really feel like I'm actually in London with the narrator (2D or Damon or whoever) walking past the gasworks or looking out the window to seeing people's daily routines. I also want to use this song as a prime example of just how Danger Mouse's production adds to the album as a whole. The production here felt very layered and crisp. The static of the megaphone really meshes well with the keyboards and synths, which really works well with the drum machine and Simon Tong's guitar at the beginning. It's the type of production that encourages repeat listens to pick up on all the little details. The last two minutes of this track have to be Damon Albarn's finest moment in my eyes. After the second verse, the song descends into this heavenly outro where Damon's oohs are crushed behind the overpowering synths, the drum machine and the amazing choir work. The string section here provided by Demon Strings, who also worked on Demon Days, gels nicely with everything here too, even if they aren't as noticeable in the studio version as they are in the incredible live version. The outro helps to make this song work both as an incredible single and as the centerpiece to this album, as this outro feels like I have ascended to some higher plane of existence and I'm looking over London as it turns itself to hell. This track alone is proof enough that this is Damon's A-game in every aspect, lyrically and musically. It helps that Danger Mouse makes it sound like the best Demon Days track that never made it to the album.

6. Behind the Sun -  Speaking of Demon Days, this is another gem that I think could have worked well on that album, thanks to the presence of the megaphone-style effect, the wind sampling and the keyboards. I absolutely love how harmoniously Demon Strings and the keyboards work well together here. I really like the chorus for this one too, it's super pretty! The chorus also makes this song feel like it's taking a look back in time and comparing that to how the state of things is now, "looking at the people we've become" compared to that time far gone, "to the place where you played when you were young." Absolutely wonderful.

7. The Bunting Song - Now you may be asking "Well what exactly is bunting?" ...Or was that just me? I honestly didn't know until Damon Albarn pointed out what it was before a live performance of this track. As I've come to learn, bunting is this form of fabric often made into decorations for different occasions. It's often made into little triangle flags, like the bunting used at the live shows for this album, but they can come in a variety of styles and colors. Onto the track itself, it's another one with this really cool outro that only completes the sort of imagery I have in my head when listening to this thing. Kinda like the intro on Demon Days, I find myself imagining being in a haunted forest in the dead of night, searching around for something. This time around however, this expedition feels less horrifying and dark and more mystical in a sense. The pitch black skies I imagine from the Gorillaz track are replaced by rich purple hues. I imagine trees lined with bunting all around me as "the wild things" described in the song perform some kind of festival or holy ritual. As the traveler you don't quite get what's going on but you're so entranced by the experience that you don't dwell on it too much. It's a magical experience of a track, really.

8. Nature Springs - Tony Allen is at his finest on this track. While the album in general uses him very sparingly, when he is used it's awesome, this song being no exception. His drumming has a very nice groove to it that keeps this song afloat nicely. The outro also has to be one of my favorite moments from the album for just how perfectly every aspect comes together. Damon has this really good whistling section that comes in alongside a very solid Demon Strings performance, Tony's stable drumming and Paul Simonon's deep basslines, another one of my favorite parts of the track. Simon again has a really good part that blends in well to the track to make this all in all and outstanding performance from everybody in the group.

9. A Soldier's Tale - After the big outro of Nature Springs comes the quieter, stripped back sound of A Soldier's Tale. This album is filled with beauty, and this song in particular is absolutely beautiful! I adore the acoustic guitar here as Damon weaves a charming poem of a soldier and his thoughts and emotions during wartime, tying in nicely to the last track. There's also a hint of what's to come from Damon's solo work in one lyric, noting how "emptiness in computers" bothers him. Damon's solo album seven years after this one would tackle the relationships between man and technology at several points in that album. The whistling section in this one is really well done and adds to the track's atmosphere, as it did on Nature Springs. I love this song for just how calming and peaceful it sounds, it's almost like a really atmospheric adult lullaby!

10. Three Changes - I would like to thank Danger Mouse in particular for this track being on the album at all. He took a look at three different demos the band had made and somehow sown them all together into a very coherent whole. In part one, Damon describes the violence that has only increased in this very hectic form of London while Tony makes his mark on the track with his very prominent drumming alongside the organs and horns. Simon's guitar has this loud crunch to it that it has nowhere else on the album to really add to the madness, like it's becoming just as violent as the residents of London are. Part two slows things down a notch before racketing back up for part three. In terms of imagery here, I imagine this song as being in this dangerous graveyard where people passing by it become much more prone to random acts of violence, but unlike the last interaction a Damon Albarn project had in a spooky graveyard the band acts more as observers of this bizarre phenomenon than trying to fight it off.

11. Green Fields -  We're in the home stretch of the album, as the violence has started to subside leaving only a man to their thoughts. Back to that imagery I love so much, I imagine a return back to the bar from Kingdom of Doom after noticing the late night phenomenon of the last track, where the narrator is back on the bottle and reminiscing about London and how the violence that spread in Three Changes had come to rest, leaving behind a hometown that seems unrecognizable from what it once was, the "green fields" that "turn into stone." War, the environment, and violence has destroyed London, maybe even for good. Not all seems lost, however. The ravens flying across the moon have begun to rest as Damon sings of needing only destiny and dreams. Musically, Simon Tong really steals the show here, I love his steady guitar work and how he can really show off in the outro and chorus. I just adore how raw the guitar sound sounds here. Now the narrator leaves this pub, tired and broken looking back at the state of his home. But what does he see when he steps outside?

12. The Good, the Bad and the Queen - The man sees a sunrise, coming out of the clouds and judging all the satellites. People are starting to rekindle their relationships, the morning is calm and quiet and the narrator feels more alive than ever. There's the realization that despite all the troublesome times, despite the disputes and disasters, there will always be a younger generation who will be right on the front lines to combat injustice while many continue to work and play as they usually do. Maybe this whole experience wasn't quite the apocalyptic scenario it was built up to be. Because at the end of the day, there always will be a sun shining overhead. London will keep marching on. Also this is the best album closer I have ever heard from a Damon Albarn album (next to maybe Souk Eye.) This song works in a similar way to Demon Days' title track, a reminder that things won't be all so bad in the end, that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel to look forward too. I feel like any words i say cannot express just how powerful this ending feels, especially with how much the music does the talking here. The rest of this album has very powerful lyrics and haunting slow tracks to back them up. This track is a much faster and more upbeat affair to the rest of the album. Every single member fires on all cylinders as I feel wrapped up in warmth and light in over four minutes of pure power after the lyrics rest. While everyone in the group is at their A-game, I gotta give a shout out to Damon on the piano here. You can just hear the passion and feel the emotion on those keys. It's such a satisfying conclusion to this utterly fantastic album.


     So this is my favorite album ever, so it feels really damn good to just have my thoughts out there in a long-form format. It's for works like these that motivated me to even make the very blog you're reading right now. It feels refreshing to be able to flesh out my thoughts on the things that I love without having to conform to character limits. As long as I can write, i can feel fulfilled. Thank you for reading and I'll see you soon. Maybe the next post won't be about music, I'll be finding something else to tackle.

Albums I Adore (and Why You Should Too!): Gorillaz - Demon Days

Welcome to the third edition of a series where I talk about the albums I keep coming back to, ones I hold in high regard and are the best of the best. I can keep these records on repeat and never get tired of them. Last time, I had covered the latest Gorillaz album, The Now Now. This time we're stepping back into the animated band's universe for another go, this time for their sophmore outing (and magnum opus) Demon Days. It's certainly a grimmer affair compared to the summery Now Now or their debut album. Compared to the self-titled debut, everything also feels grander. It has more complex production, smoother animated music videos and boasting a larger guest list to match. The ideas and setting in place is also much grander than anything showrunner Damon Albarn had accomplished. Does the album crumble under this much more ambitious angle? Well look at the title of this post, that might tell you something. On to the track by track!

1. Intro - YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE HARMONIC REALM! I would love to see anyone propose a better way to start off an album. Seriously, I'm up for any and all challengers. This intro feels like a walk through a vicious hellscape. Just imagine that it's the middle of the night, and you're walking through a forest. This forest isn't like any you've seen before. The trees are all dead, the sky is grey and lifeless, and it's filled with demons crawling out of any corner. They are not quite on the attack but lurking patiently with their hateful eyes lusting for a chance to strike. It's perfect for setting the mood!

2. Last Living Souls - This album has just begun and already one of my favorite tracks from this band's entire discography shows up! The wind sample from the intro crossfades here very nicely as this track expands on the feeling of traversing upon a hellish land. I love it when the acoustic guitar kicks in towards the middle of the track and the piano works so well underlaying it before that amazing string section kicks in. It all feels just so natural and the production so layered as the strings continue on into a reprise of the hook.  I am floored every time I listen to it, and I just stop doing whatever else I am doing when I'm listening to it just to take this track in. This is a song that encaptures you into the broken, jaded disaster of a world the album takes place in and promises to not let go. This paired with the instrumental intro is everything needed to prepare oneself for this experience, and it does this in such a captivating way.

3. Kids With Guns  - One of the best basslines on the record is right here! Demon Days was a record made with the troubles of modern day society clearly in mind, as this tackles the violence seen in everyday life. The Columbine shooting was no doubt on Damon Albarn's mind as he wrote this tune of guns "turning us into monsters." Desire is a powerful thing, and it can turn even the cleanest of human minds into destructive beings, both for themselves and the people around them. This track drills into you by its chorus that desire can lead people down violent paths, even the youngest and most fragile among us. I love the huge explosion of a crescendo this song undertakes in the last minute too, but it will not be the last of its kind on the album.

4. O Green World - Can this be the theme song for that new Swamp Thing TV series that's coming out? But in all seriousness, this is Demon Days leaning on alt-rock, as the guitars twang along to 2D crooning about the polluted, deserted environment he finds himself within. It's another great piece that helps to truly flesh out the setting. This world is dirty, distorted, lacking of purpose as it screams to be cleaned up and brought back to a better place. I really dig the synths kicking it up a notch more and more as the song reaches its dramatic conclusion, changing up from noise to loneliness with only the lone bell playing.

5. Dirty Harry - In true Gorillaz fashion, it seems like it's time to bring in collaborators. While those last three tracks were 2D by his lonesome, with the exception of some backing vocals in the end of Kids With Guns, here in the album is where the collabs really come to the spotlight. This track is also one of the most explicit in its politics, with Bootie Brown's reference to George W. Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech. May 1, 2003 was when Bush made an announcement signaling what was supposed to be the end of the Iraq war. Little did the world know on that day that the war was far, far from over. Two years on from that speech, leaves Bootie Brown playing the role of a soldier who feels like he's been played for a fool and wants to return to his normal life. The use of the children's choir works nicely alongside 2D and I'm pretty fond of the catchy synthwork here. This song helps to ground Demon Days back to earth, to keep it feeling integrated with our reality.

6. Feel Good Inc. - HAHAHAHAHAHA! This was my first exposure to Gorillaz, as had been the case for many around my age. My oldest sister played this track a lot on her computer back when the song was popular, and I heard it blaring on radios all the time during the mid-2000's. The music video was also immensely familiar to me when I first got into the band and watched all the videos, even if I'm not exactly sure how I saw it. Maybe they played it back when The N used to play music videos in-between shows? Was it online or on MTV? However I came across it, Feel Good Inc. became the first thing that many think of when they think of Gorillaz or even Damon Albarn or De La Soul. Mainstream radio isn't wrong in liking this though, this song is great! The transition is seemless between alt-rock and hip-hop, the bassline is sick, 2D is in top-form vocally and De La Soul pulls off a great performance as well.  There's a great hook and the laughing feels like the perfect addition, because it helps add to that oppressive vibe the track has. As a centerpiece to the album, it's just about perfect. And who do I have to pay to get a flying windmill island of my own?

7. El Manana - Best track on the album by far, and it's in my top 10 favorite Gorillaz songs (maybe I should post that somewhere?) It's a stunning piece of chamber pop and I'm really into how the string section accentuates the track. It feels kind of like a preview, alongside the next track, of the musical direction of The Good, The Bad, and the Queen that was recorded after the sessions for this album and released almost two years later.  The odd time signatures make this track very feel unique. I really love the imagery that this song creates, one of stormy days and loneliness, of long nights of self-reflection, finding yourself trapped in thoughts and feeling lost and powerless. It envokes a man who's lost something, or everything he held dear, preying to some higher power and hoping to restore happiness or a sense of well-being to their life. It's truly a masterpiece that deserves to be mentioned among the greats in the animated group's career, and Danger Mouse's finest work on the record.

8. Every Planet We Reach is Dead - First of all, is this the best Gorillaz song name or what? The title feels like it would be for some post-apocalyptic psychological horror sci-fi film that becomes a cult megahit after doing mediocre in the box office that everyone who's seen it says that everyone else "just didn't get it." This is also the best use of the string section on this album, because they add so much gravity to this track, making it feel otherworldly and even theatrical. Ike Turner's piano feels very sporadic and the synths unorganized, leaving in its wake a cacophony that can be heard out in SPACE SPACE SPACE SPACE. It feels grand, it feels bold, it feels chaotic, and it feels fascinating. This is 2D baring his soul for what's left of the world to see. I can truly bask in this song's emotion, get myself lost in its world as I am swept up in its world. It gives me chills, lots of chills.

9. November Has Come - MF DOOM. That is All.

Ok, maybe that can't be it, right? Of any of the guests here, MF DOOM dominates the track he is on the most. With his staple flow and odd lyricism, he makes his presence on the album known without compromising anything. There's some pretty nice guitar here from Noodle and 2D delivers a fine hook, adding to the dark atmosphere, but all other aspects of the track just pale in comparison to DOOM doing what he does best on the track. Everyone's favorite supervillain doesn't disappoint with his dastardly deeds here.

10. All Alone - "I've finally found a place where I can be alllll..... ALONE." 2D takes a backseat here, even moreso than on the last track. Roots Manuva and Martina Topley Bird take up the majority of the track. May I say that Martina's part is heavenly? The hard hitting synth beat ceases, almost like a slew of lights are pointing directly at Martina during her voice as the string section plays and Noodle strums along. It almost feels like there was a faint glimmer of light in this bleak world, before harshly getting pulled away from it before the listener gets too comfortable basking within it and finding themselves trapped in darkness once more. Let's not forget the other collaborator, Roots Manuva. His bars are nothing short of passionate and fit really nicely into the groove from the synths. He's definitely one of the best performers on the record for sure.

11. White Light - So I read this comic a month or so ago called Buzzkill. It was a miniseries about a superhero who got his power from abusing drugs and, relevant to this next song, alcohol. This feels like the track that would be going through the main character's head as he fought crime. He became reliant on this alcohol, he needed it to generate his powers, even if it was destroying him. Now it's all I can think of when this song comes on. Otherwise, White Light feels like a throwback of sorts, going back to 1999 when Blur's 13 was released. It was an album that shocked fans, both newer and older. 13 had a sound much heavier, more abrasive and definitely less commercial friendly than anything the Albarn-led quartet had released before. It's sound leaned much more heavily towards punk rock and art rock, mixed with experimentation with keyboards and synths that would eventually lead to the experimentation found on the self-titled Gorillaz album. White Light calls back to this era with its wailing guitars and simplistic synths. It's not too unlike tracks like B.L.U.R.E.M.I. or Battle in a way, it's just given the Danger Mouse touch. It also has another "looking towards the light" moment like All Alone did, as the electric guitar is swapped out for an acoustic one and 2D is replaced by a lovely choir that slows things down for a moment before picking right back up where it started. The band is all around sounding great here, with Russel's pounding drums and Murdoc's bass sliding alongside.

12. DARE - I guess this album needed more singles? DARE encourages you to get up and dance along like Noodle is in the very well animated music video for it. It's an odd switch from the punk rock of White Light and an even weirder transition to the next track I'll be talking about, but that doesn't mean it doesn't serve a purpose. It's a lighter song on the album, one where you don't quite feel like you're trapped in the gloom and doom of a deserted dystopia even as the catchy lyrics might be saying something about peer pressure. It's got a pretty OK chorus and an alright instrumental to dance along to. Shaun Ryder is certainly a cool addition and bounces off of Noodle well. It's almost like this song lures you into a sense of comfort before the rag quickly gets taken from under you later on....

13. Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head - The instrumental hits hard on here. I mean REALLY hard. I'm pinning that one on Russel being on his A-game here in possibly his finest moment on the album. Dennis Hopper also completely nails it on the head with his spoken word tale of invaders intruding on peaceful creatures and bringing darkness into their lives. "There were no screams. There was no time. The Mountain called Monkey had spoken. There was only Fire and then... nothing." That line especially is delivered super well. This is one of the more politically charged tracks on the album, except unlike Dirty Harry the relations to the foreign wars for oil and resources is portrayed through tales of strange creatures. 2D after Hopper's last line talks about a small town in the USA to firmly ground the album back into reality. If it didn't before, it will now. Maybe this horrific, violent, polluted world isn't quite a sci-fi premise, but something very near. The demon days are now, in every town in America, and possibly the world at large as it succumbs to darkness. Brilliantly done, Gorillaz.

14. Don't Get Lost in Heaven - Corruption is everyone, and 2D notices it, from the cities to the mountaintops. A choir warns against going too far into the world of addiction, because it might be a world one may never return from, at least not fully intact. The piano is very lovely on here, but this song acts less as an individual chapter in the saga of Demon Days and more as part one of the final track....

15. Demon Days - The crossfade is incredible and every moment of this song is absolutely breathtaking. Never has any piece of music since Kom Susser Tod stirred up so many chills in me, from the beginning strings to 2D's falsetto to the choir in its full intensity to the almost reggae influence in the beat change. This song is brewing with pathos. Everything comes to a head here, all the lessons learned from the album are wrapped up, telling tales of the world becoming worse with each passing day. How does humanity respond to all this horror? They don't. They numb themselves with mindless forms of escapism just for a day, an hour, a minute or even a sliver of a second away from things. If you find distraction, than the realities can become seem much farther away. But maybe, just maybe, it's not too late. What if there's still...hope? Maybe, just maybe, we can turn our heads around and see that there's a light. It's a light that's burning so brightly because it represents all the optimism and goodwill and pride and hope and happiness and humanity that can be found on earth. Even when it seems like the world is so hopeless, maybe we can all just look to the sun, observing just what exactly makes earth so great to begin with, and start to pick up pieces from there. It's a brand new day after all.

It's certainly been a great experience revisiting this album and being able to put my thoughts into words. It's works like these that motivate me to write, so that each and every day I can get just a little bit better, a little bit more wise in my use of words, to be able to truly convey my experiences and even understand myself more in the process. This album is simply a masterpiece that defies all genres and expectations to create something that's still just as groundbreaking and relevant now as it was in 2005, and I will never not be astonished by that fact. I hope that I did this album justice, and that the people who end up stumbling upon my blog who somehow never heard Demon Days do. It's a modern masterpiece of music and animation that cannot be praised more. Thank you for your time.

Albums I Adore (and Why You Should Too!): Gorillaz - The Now Now

I'll admit it. I'm a pirate. As soon as I heard word of leaks, I got to them pretty quickly. That's how I'm able to write the post you're seeing now this fast, after all. I'll be repenting for my sins by buying the vinyl set soon (and who wouldn't, with all the cool art inside?) Maybe even the cassette, too, because if there's one thing I love, it's novelty. Although I'd snap up a physical release for this anyway, with just how damn good this thing is. I'm getting too ahead of myself, so I'm resetting myself and getting back on track to review the new Gorillaz LP, The Now Now.

1. Humility - Summer jam of the season confirmed! This album is starting off pretty damn strong, as this track is in my top three on the album, and surely one of my top 10-15 Gorillaz tracks of all time. Let's start by saying I love the guitar on here, provided by one of only three guests George Benson. It's just so damn groovy here, and it really slides in well with this bright track. Does anyone else think that this reminds them of Ghost Ship from The Magic Whip? This song seems like it could slip in perfectly on that album. Plus this song is easily one of the group's most replayable. I've heard this track close to 30 times by now and I still can't get enough of it.  I had honestly been in one of the happiest moods I had ever been in thanks in part to this coming out. I felt like I was 2D in the video, happily skating along through life, finally being someone at ease with myself and not letting things get me too mad anymore, feeling almost invincible. If a song can make me feel like that, then there's really gotta be something to it, shouldn't there be?

2. Tranz - DO YOU LOOK LIKE ME? DO YOU FEEL LIKE ME? I see we're only two tracks in and already at the "punk" song. Looks like Murdoc may have had more of an influence on this album than he thinks. This song always gets me pumped up every time it's on and never fails to get me chanting along (however horrific I may sound in the process.) It feels almost hypnotizing, but I can't imagine why...

3. Hollywood - I thought when listening to this feature packed single live months before the album release that this was gonna feel more like several of the cuts off of Humanz, being a little faster paced and upbeat. What I got in this studio version was something a little more chilled out, and I honestly think I like this direction a little better after giving the studio version several spins. It's got a nice hook from 2D, some fun if not as polished verses from Jamie Principle, and a great verse from Snoop Dogg. It's always nice to have Snoop Dogg around it seems. Makes me wanna check out the real Hollywood for myself someday.

4. Kansas - The beginning of this one certainly reminds me of Every Planet We Reach is Dead. "I'm not gonna cry" was exactly was I was thinking listening to this whole album. It works as a pretty infectious hook by the way. This has a pretty great beat to go alongside it too! It's just so pleasant to listen to as 2D goes on this lonely journey through Kansas with a broken heart. Songs like this were exactly what I was hoping for in a purposed 2D solo album.

5.Sorcererz - This was my second favorite single off the album. I just love that Junior Dan from the self-titled album is back on bass here! It's got this super catchy chorus that's just absolutely infectious and it's gotta be the one that gets me dancing the most off this album (however horrific that may be in the process.) Did I mention that "Everybody mining their own inner vision" is such a cool lyric?

6. Idaho - When I heard the live version of this back in fall, it seemed like a somewhat straightforward country song done entirely though acoustic guitar. It was an intriging choice of song to play a few months after the very dance focused angle of Humanz and a fine and calming song in its own right, but not something I came back to much. This studio version blew that original performance out of the water. The production was what really made this song work in my view. It's a lot more atmospheric and feel almost otherworldly now in its fully finished stage. Plus I noticed how the lyrics got completely switched around for this, so sadly no Bruce Willis namedrop like in the live version.

7. Lake Zurich - It's a miracle! Somehow a transition from atmospheric country music to 80's synths works! It's the best instrumental Gorillaz has ever done, hands down! While I was a little weirded out as to exactly why any sort of instrumental got released as a single, it works as a great proof-of-concept to the album's direction towards 80's synthpop. The synths knock it out of the park on this track by the way. I love the weird mumbled chatter going on towards the middle of the song too.

8. Magic City - This one is very close to my top three on this album, like it's soooo close.  I adore the beat here, the lyrics are so precious and I love the guitar here from Noodle. I have heard that Graham Coxon playing guitar here on this track, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was. The guitars feel ripped straight out of something like Lonesome Street off Blur's The Magic Whip. I love the imagery of having a billboard on the moon too, I'm just not sure why.

9. Fire Flies - Really feeling some strong Everyday Robots vibes here in this slower, atmospheric track. It's nice that this track experiments with having different time signatures compared to the rest of the album, it really helps give this a unique sound. It's just ok during the first verse, but it really takes off by its chorus. "All you ever get from the sonnet is the court of the fallen man" is another beautiful lyric in an album in an album that seems full of them.

10. One Percent - I was floored when I heard this track for the first time. It's another track that carries with it echoes of Everyday Robots, but it's honestly better than almost anything from that album, as much as I love it. By far one of the most emotional tracks that Damon Albarn has ever written. The most impressive thing about it is how it can carry all this emotion and deliver it in just over two minutes, being the shortest of the record's eleven tracks. Everytime this song comes on brings chills all over me, bringing me the same otherworldly sensations that Idaho does on this record and tracks like Stop the Dams from D-Sides or A Soldier's Tale from The Good, the Bad and the Queen do at other stops in Damon's discography. The first time I walked away from this track, I knew that it was an absolute masterpiece and one of the best Gorillaz songs ever put on record. However, it somehow does not take my number one spot for being the best song on this album, settling for number two. Now what does?

11. Souk Eye - This may very well be the best song Gorillaz has ever made. There. Attack me in the comments all you want, throw negative karma at me on Reddit, it doesn't matter, I'll take it on! Never have I loved every facet of a Gorillaz track so much since Stop the Dams, the track that had up until this point been crowned the honor of best Gorillaz song. I love these lyrics, lines like "If loving you's a felony now, then I'm a renegade" are just so great. I absolutely adore the beat change, turning from a Latin-influenced ballad to incredible dance song all the while feeling completely natural. I love the piano clinking along throughout the ending. I love that Demon Strings seems to be back for this track, particularly for the outro. That fade out is giving me some serious Tracy Jacks from Parklife echoes and it sounds gorgeous. There couldn't have been a better pick for a closer than this, it's perfect in every way.

That ends The Now Now. At this point and time, it's equal to Demon Days as my favorite Gorillaz album, with so many highlights and gems that make up some of the best of the animated group's discography. Ace is a great replacement for Murdoc while he's out being a jailbird, he's really holding it down on these tracks. I seriously cannot thank Damon Albarn and James Ford enough for bringing this brilliant cycle of introspective tracks to fans, and to Jamie Hewlett for bringing some of his best live visuals and awesome artwork to the album and shows. I see The Now Now as what The Fall could've been with more time attached to the songs. All in all, it's Damon's best work since The Good, the Bad and the Queen all the way back in 2007, which i will be covering very soon. Well I gotta run soon, so enjoy the album! It's truly something special to me, maybe it'll be to others.

Albums I Adore (and why You Should Too!): Puffy Amiyumi - Nice.

Ever since May, I have been on a roll reviewing albums for the Circle of Friendz project, taking a look at an album from almost every single Gorillaz collaborator. Another common thread between those album is not just the animated band that they worked with on a track, but also the fact that I am very new to the vast majority of these records. When I see what album I review next, it's one that I have never heard in full or at all before I started the project. As I was working on one of these reviews, I had the idea to do another album review series, but with works I'm a lot more familiar with. While Circle of Friendz focuses on a great Unown of sorts, going into albums and even genres I wouldn't have looked much into otherwise, I wanted to do a series that focused more on charted territory. This series takes a look at the albums most near and dear to me, ones I have recognized from front to back and have become very familiarized with ever since I started taking a dive into the world of music. While I will be covering some albums that people who like Circle of Friendz may already love very soon, this time I want to go completely in another direction, not getting myself involved in any of Damon Albarn's shenanigans for a minute.

I want to talk about J-pop, more specifically Puffy Amiyumi. I had already covered them in a past article, talking about their three-season animated series on Cartoon Network from back in the mid-2000's. I had started rewatching the show last year, and after getting some ways into the series I had already grown fond of what music from the band's discography was being used. Soon enough, I had tried out their two-disc compilation album 15 and absolutely adored it. The album was close to two hours, but I didn't feel that at all. Right after that, I dove straight in to the albums themselves, first diving into a compliation album made to tie into the TV series. My next stop was Nice, the 2003 album that had come out not long before the show went into production, using a handful of tracks from this in the show itself. While the two compliation albums I had heard before were fun, light pieces of J-pop that I really got into, Nice was when I knew I had stumbled upon one of my favorite bands as the album absolutely floored me in ways japanese music hadn't before. 

On a side note before i begin, the ways reviews will be handled is a little different than from the Circle of Friendz posts. While in those reviews, albums are talked about in a more general sense, as I dive into what makes the album listenable as a whole as opposed to dissecting each individual track, Albums I Adore will go a little more in-depth. These will be handled as track-by-track looks into just how great these records are, focusing in more on every track's strengths. The numerical scores will be ditched as well for these. Now with all the intro stuff out of the way, let's dive into why Nice is one of the nicest albums I've heard.

1. Planet Tokyo/Akai Buranko - This album goes on a powerful start, and I definitely see why this got an English version. This song of any of Puffy's tracks that weren't used as theme songs seems to be the one people remember, although I think Cartoon Network using the song constantly when advertising the show helps out with this. It also helps that this song gets you SO PUMPED UP! It's got a catchy hook and there's some of my favorite guitar work on the album. I don't think there could've been a better opener choice than this!

2. Tokyo Nights - I keep getting the I'M IN LOVE part stuck in my head and try to keep myself from yelling out the hook whenever it comes on. It's a very nice piece of electropop that won't leave your head for weeks. You'll notice that lots of tracks all across this record have some pretty infectious hooks, and this could be one of the best examples.

3. Angel of Love - The weirdest thing about this track is that sometimes I honestly forget this one was on here. Usually when people say that, that's for tracks that are super boring or forgettable. This one isn't boring at all though! It's one of the slower tracks on here, something you turn on just to chill out. It's very relaxing in that way! I love the horns during the instrumental break too, they really make this song feel like something off a Round Table ft. Nino record.

4. Sayonara - This was in the top 3 tracks on the record for me when I first discovered the record, until I listened to the final tracks of the Japanese release some time later. It still stands as an album highlight for me, however. This is a great piece of guitar pop about leaving behind a friend you love as you set off on a new path for yourself. The marimba really adds to the song too.

5. Invisible Tomorrow - Now the album steers towards more energetic pop rock again like on the first track. This has to be one of the best tracks to sing (or scream) along to on this entire album. There's also three different versions of the track for different releases. The one on Nice, no matter what country you got the album from is the original Japanese. Then there's an English version that's on the Scooby Doo 2 (of all things!) soundtrack and on the Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi album tying into the TV show. There's another english version of the track on the mini-album 59 that came out the year after this. All three of these tracks go in very different directions lyrically. Invisible Tomorrow is about heading out towards an uncertain tomorrow, never looking back. Friends Forever is basically what the title says, a song about friends staying together no matter how tough things get. So Long Zero describes a breakup and leaving someone you didn't love anymore. Of these, So Long Zero is DEFINITELY the weakest of the three, the vocals feel unusually weak compared to the rest of the discography. It felt very unsure and kinda uneven. Invisible Tomorrow and Friends Forever are on equal footing in vocal delivery, but I like Invisible Tomorrow the best. It's got the strongest message of the three.

6. Thank You - Yumi wrote and sings solo on this charming little piece. This track is about having boys and girls coming together to talk with each other and connect as people and it's so charming and adorable and I really like it. I had been watching through the series when I heard this one and it was really funny to think that Yumi had made this one when what I had in mind was less her real-life personality and musical style, which I hadn't done much research into then, and more the Yumi of the animated series, who I expected to be behind more rock focused tracks like Planet Tokyo.

7. Long Beach Nightmare - Right after a Yumi-driven track comes an Ami driven one. This one is a pretty fun summer jam (and I will be talking lots about summer jams in my next post!) It feels so breezy and like I'm hearing this playing out from a portable radio on the beach (you know, if I was a beach person...) This is another fun sing along of the several on this album.

8. Your Love is a Drug -  Love is an addicting thing for sure, and I can certainly attest to this. This song feels so damn accurate and close to home describing the way I felt the first time I fell in love back in middle school. When I did, I felt like I was on cloud nine whenever I saw her, and just how much i felt like my life turned around after I started talking to her. This song totally captured that special time in my life in the form of a fun rock song, and one of the duo's most relatable tracks in my eyes. I also see this track alongside Planet Tokyo as being an attempt to get on pop radio and it honestly wouldn't stick out too much I think.

9. K2G - My second favorite song on the album. For the readers who remember Teen Titans, this song played in Mad Mod's introduction episode during season 1. When I watched that season a few years ago, I thought the episode itself was terrible and almost none of the jokes landing. What I did like though was the montage that used this as background music. I loved the music in that sequence and I really appreciated having this track on here, really gave the episode a bright spot. It's a fast, upbeat and super catchy ska track (First my kablam post, then the selecter and now this? I seem to be attracted to ska lately.) A great track to bounce around the house to.

10. Shiawase (Happiness) - My third favorite song on the album. This is a soothing, lowkey acoustic track. It feels like I'm hearing Ami and Yumi gathered around a campfire singing this to each other late at night before heading off to bed. It's a good way to settle things down after K2G and honestly would've been a great comforting way to end off this great album. Everything about the track, from the guitar to the harmonies, feel very comforting to me. It's happiness in song form!

Here's where things diverge. I alluded to earlier about different versions of this album. There's one track listing for the Japanese release and a different one for the North American version. The Japanese version starts with a Japanese language version of the opening track, with an English version for the NA release. The tracks afterward carry on just the same until after track 10, Shiawase. The NA version may have had different tracks because the last two tracks of the Japan release were tracks that had been released on the U.S. exclusive compilation album An Illustrated History just a year before. Let's dive right into the NA version before doing the Japan version.

11a. Urei - This track feels like this should've been a background song during one of the fights in Teen Titans. Heck, this song actually went along great with the fights whenever I read the comics based on the original cartoon. It's got a powerful hook and could go great with whatever fight it gets paired with. This one is a NA exclusive, but is only in Japanese, for some odd reason.

12a. Teen Titans Theme - T-E-E-N T-I-T-A-N-S TEEN TITANS LET'S GO!! ANYONE born after the early 90's who watched Cartoon Network could probably recite this bad boy from heart. This one honestly took a bit to grow on me but damn if this isn't one of the best cartoon theme songs out there. It's catchy as hell and that chant is damn near hypnotizing!  I totally get why this song was on Nice, the series had just started around that time, and it was a perfect opportunity to advertise.

Now let's move onto the softer Japanese tracks

11b. Atarashii Hibi - This is a sweet little track about a woman buried in stress from relationships and works, never able to have much fun with her life. She dreams of escaping this life just for a little while, wanting to go on a trip without anyone knowing or going on a treasure hunt. This one doesn't go for a radio-friendly chorus in the way that the other tracks do, a little odd but it's so fun that it works.

12b. Tomodachi (Friends) - I'M HERE, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS! Not only is this my favorite song off this album, it's also my favorite Puffy Amiyumi track and one of my absolute favorite Japanese songs in general. First off, just the name makes it feel like this would've been a great ending song for the cartoon. Second, This song is the definition of comfy. It's so calming and I will admit that I teared up just a little when I saw the live performance. God, this song is not just a great little summary of this album's strengths, but also just what I love about this group. It's the ultimate feel good song for the ultimate feel-good album.

Nice is a charming little album that's packed with great moments. It's also extremely consistent in ways even other Puffy albums weren't, it's all super good! This is a pinnacle of 2000's J-Pop in my eyes, and I can't thank Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura enough for this gem of a record. Here's to hoping that a new album is down the pipeline soon, but I'd be just fine with the single-focused angle that they have gone in the last six years. Anything to keep them making music.

Next on the Albums I Adore, it's gonna be a surprise! Let's just say that it's a great summer album...

Bye Bye Boo~