GORILLAZ  are lightly pasted

by Sam Rosenburg in Paste magazine

suggesting Gorillaz struggle to reach their emotional peak on their newly released album, The Mountain

Sam Rosenburg´s opening salvo was perhaps fired in sadness rather than anger. The Paste publication, both on line and in print,  is one of the most thoughtful and diligent music news agencies and is certainly our favourite read here in the office, offering sympathy and empathy to the musicians they report on. So I could imagine Mr. Rosenburg almost choking on what he clearly felt he had to say

He began by informing us that,  Inspired by a visit to India, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett ground their musings on the afterlife in warm, gorgeous instrumentation with a clear, cohesive thematic anchor, ……..

but …………………………………………………………

the style ultimately overwhelms the substance.

He went on to tell us that since launching Gorillaz, Blur singer Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett have used the animated characters that make up their group—2D, Murdoc, Russel, and Noodle—as avatars for exploring their curiosity around cultural exchange. Their discography spans an ever-widening array of genres, initially fusing rock, punk, pop, and hip-hop on their self-titled 2001 debut and 2005’s Demon Days, before dabbling in orchestral, funk, and Arabic music and spotlighting tons of artists with extensive experience in those specific arenas.

Bringing in outside influences has sometimes made their work uneven and unwieldy, going so far as to drown out Albarn’s presence and the ideas he’s attempting to communicate, but he and Hewlett have also produced moments of undeniable brilliance with the help of their constantly growing list of collaborators. In the case of The Mountain (left) , their latest and ninth studio record, the former unfortunately applies most: its musings on the afterlife ground is warm, gorgeous instrumentation with a clear, cohesive thematic anchor, but the style ultimately overwhelms the substance.

What’s most frustrating about that dissonance, the journalist feels, is that the personal inspiration for The Mountain certainly had the potential to generate an emotionally and creatively rich output. Prior to taking a trip to India, Albarn and Hewlett’s fathers and Hewlett’s mother-in-law passed away, and in crafting the album, the two melded the pain around those losses with the more optimistic attitude that Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs adopt around death. Re-contextualizing those ideas through a non-Western lens is a nice, admirable intention to set, as is repurposing unused vocal takes from deceased former Gorillaz collaborators like Dennis Hopper (right), Mark E. Smith, and Bobby Womack and synthesizing them alongside contemporary Indian musicians like Anoushka Shankar, daughter of sitar icon Ravi Shankar

The album itself also acts as a kind of bookend to the unofficial trilogy of Gorillaz’s location-based projects, each of which imagine Gorillaz embarking on a journey to a fictional world in service of commenting on our own. 2010’s Plastic Beach, still Gorillaz’s best LP to date, could be considered the first entry of this series with its equally mournful and upbeat seafaring satire of our culture’s destruction of the environment. 2023’s Cracker Islandused a similar approach to explore the isolating nature of cultural echo chambers. In contrast to its predecessors, the commentary on The Mountain takes a backseat in favour of a sincere attempt to find some kind of comfort and joy in the face of losing our loved ones. 

Despite its spirited earnestness, though, The Mountain doesn’t quite reach the affecting emotional heights it aspires to, nor does it find a consistent enough rhythm to be fully enraptured by its meditations on grief. The song-writing reaches for poignant but mainly registers as kumbaya-level platitudinous and one-note, an issue that occasionally plagues Gorillaz’s other efforts, while the production, though ornate and quite pretty, grows increasingly repetitive and hodgepodgy as the album chugs along. Hewlett’s desire for listeners to consume the album from beginning to end as a dissent against our “culture of scrolling” might explain the relative flatness of the project. Indeed, The Mountain does play somewhat better when listened to all the way through, as a means of heeding the album’s message of being present. However, such a request also reveals the album’s tedium and the intensity with which Albarn and Hewlett lean on their abundant collective of guests to plumb the skin-deep surface of their themes.

On the album’s few positive standouts, Albarn brings a fun, buzzy energy that helps some of the thematic heavy-handedness go down easier. The boppy disco fever of The Moon Cave adds some groovy ‘80s flair to The Mountain’s melancholic slant, as do the New Wave synths and assist from avant-pop duo, Sparks, on the catchy if familiar The Happy Dictator. The percussive sway of Damascus, which was originally written during the  Plastic  Beach  sessions but was swapped out for the track Sweepstakes, fits much more here in the context of The Mountain’s sitar-heavy sound. The seven-minute centrepiece, The Manifesto, is an ambitious, memorable doozy of a two-parter, with ear-grabbing features from Argentine hip-hop artist Trueno and the late rapper Proof.

It’s when Albarn bluntly engages with the subject matter, or when his guests overshadow his efforts, that The Mountain falls flat. Orange County is one such example, a well-meaning but simplistic ballad where Albarn regurgitates the same sentimental line over and over (“You know the hardest thing is to say goodbye to someone you love”) over a banal instrumental dominated by a trite, top-40 pop-song whistle from ten years ago, while folk singer Kara Jackson, a welcome albeit slightly muted presence, just barely plugs some much-needed poetry into the track. Albarn makes a similarly maudlin gesture on The Plastic Guru crooning, “We believe what we choose / Is that not the truth?” a question delivered with utmost sincerity despite being a pretty obvious and threadbare sentiment. On synth-waltz closer The Sad God, a strained verse from Roots MC Black Thought (whose contribution on The Moon Cave works a lot better) only furthers the song’s mawkishness.

The Mountain earns points for corralling both new and seasoned talents, honoring the voices of those no longer with us, and finding a few sparks in merging the past and present. And hopefully, Albarn and Hewlett have achieved some catharsis in turning their despair into art. Still, the multicultural and multilingual mosaic they construct never goes deep enough, often struggling to match the ecstatic build-and-release and bittersweet existential odysseys of Gorillaz’s earlier work. Mountains aren’t quite moved here, only slightly prodded. 

I should say that at the time of reading the above review I hadn´t then heard the whole album. I had, however, been intrigued by the teaser single, which I felt sure would lead most listeners to the album. . In fact, I wrote in Sidetracks & Detours on 22nd February 2026 in article entitled Editor´s Choice that

My three favourite albums of the several Gorillaz have released are Demon Days, Plastic Beach and Cracker Island, but already Orange County has ousted Dare as my favourite track by the band, of whatever line-up

As if to confirm the seemingly haphazard but nevertheless eclectic nature of their music, the arts critics seemed to have, themselves, taken a scatter-gun approach  when seeking to categorise the band and their sounds.

Critics have generally described Gorillaz‘ music as art   pop,    alternative rock, hip hop,   electronic,   pop,  trip hop,  dark pop,   alternative hip,  rap rock,  indie rock,  bedroom pop,  dance rock , new wave ,  funk, and worldbeat.  The band’s aesthetic and overall approach have been described as postmodern.  According to Allmusic , Gorillaz blend Britpop and hip hop ,  while The Guardian describes the band as “a hybrid of dub , hip hop , lo-fi , indie , and world music .”  According to PopMatters , the band’s early work foreshadowed “the fusion of elements of hip hop , rock , and electronica into pop music” that would grow significantly in the following decade.

I have always felt the best music cannot be categorised. I wrote in our last issue about a classical eleven piece string orchestra that played with the off-hand panache of football teams like Manchester City, Barcelona or Real Madrid, and with the spirited genius of nineteen sixties folk kings, The Incredible Stringband ! Being taken in and out of the sixteen or so categories listed in the paragraph doesn´t influence Gorillaz in any way. He, they, them or whoever Gorrilaz is or are respond brilliantly to Albarn´s genius and vision.

Critics have generally described Gorillaz‘ music as art   pop,    alternative rock, hip hop,   electronic,   pop,  trip hop,  dark pop,   alternative hip,  rap rock,  indie rock,  bedroom pop,  dance rock , new wave ,  funk, and worldbeat.  The band’s aesthetic and overall approach have been described as postmodern.  According to Allmusic , Gorillaz blend Britpop and hip hop ,  while The Guardian describes the band as “a hybrid of dub , hip hop , lo-fi , indie , and world music .”  According to PopMatters , the band’s early work foreshadowed “the fusion of elements of hip hop , rock , and electronica into pop music” that would grow significantly in the following decade.

I have always felt the best music cannot be categorised. I wrote in our last issue about a classical eleven piece string orchestra that played with the off-hand panache of football teams like Manchester City, Barcelona or Real Madrid, and with the spirited genius of nineteen sixties folk kings, The Incredible Stringband ! Being taken in and out of the sixteen or so categories listed in the paragraph doesn´t influence Gorillaz in any way. He, they, them or whoever Gorrilaz is or are respond brilliantly to Albarn´s genius and vision.

The Incredible String Band performing at the Woodstock festival.

Left to right: Rose Simpson, Mike Heron, Christina “Licorice” McKechnie, and Robin Williamson.

Photographer unknown.

I also wrote that Critics have generally described Gorillaz‘ music as art   pop,    alternative rock, hip hop,   electronic,   pop,  trip hop,  dark pop,   alternative hip,  rap rock,  indie rock,  bedroom pop,  dance rock , new wave ,  funk, and worldbeat.  The band’s aesthetic and overall approach have been described as postmodern.  According to Allmusic , Gorillaz blend Britpop and hip hop ,  while The Guardian describes the band as “a hybrid of dub , hip hop , lo-fi , indie , and world music .”  According to PopMatters , the band’s early work foreshadowed “the fusion of elements of hip hop , rock , and electronica into pop music” that would grow significantly in the following decade.

I have always felt the best music cannot be categorised. I wrote in our last issue about a classical eleven piece string orchestra that played with the off-hand panache of football teams like Manchester City, Barcelona or Real Madrid, and with the spirited genius of nineteen sixties folk kings, The Incredible Stringband ! Being taken in and out of the sixteen or so categories listed in the paragraph doesn´t influence Gorillaz in any way. He, they, them or whoever Gorrilaz is or are still responding brilliantly to Albarn´s genius and vision.

Having since heard the full album, I can understand Rosenburg´s disappointment, even if I feel it unfair that artists who create, or stumble scross a new genre should then carry the burden of expectation with each new album. I could see , and hear, that many of the reviewer´s points were well made and I pondered over how soporofic and pleased with itself it sounded. But pleased with itself it should be as it addresses the role death plays in our lives and asks how we come to terms with death of loved ones. It even provides some solace. I believe, as get our head round the topic whilst listening to pretty tunes and catchy rhythms. I wonder if Albarn and co, in the grand scheme of things, might have been considering not only the death of the corporeal, but also of the nebulous as it approaches a long decline. How do we remember and how do we then celebrate and sustain the legacy of the dearly departed. I suspect that we will soon be looking upon this album as an agent of change, and that change might yet be navigated by Gorillaz.

I was, therefore, delighted to find a more positive revioew in Record Collector, with a comprehensive overview..

Are “demon days” here again? asks Kevin Hartley. In a review in The Record Collector he answers his own question with the response that With its Dennis Hopper-featuring opener, the ninth Gorillaz album recalls Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey’s Head, the cherished opener from 2005’s Demon Days. Cynics might suggest that, following recent anniversary gigs honouring 25 years of cross-genre ’toon-pop mischief, Gorillaz’s road ahead is running short. But as The Mountain unfolds, a more forward-looking picture emerges.

If Gorillaz albums are variably distinguished by their conceptualism, maximalism or Damon Albarn-isms, The Mountain stands out by integrating all options. The record is inspired by the death of Albarn’s father, an artist with a love of Hindu art and Ravi Shankar, whose daughter Anoushka’s sitar provides connective family tissue here; Albarn scattered his dad’s ashes in Varanasi. Fellow Gorillaz auteur Jamie Hewlett’s mother-in-law died earlier in Jaipur, while his father died shortly after Albarn’s. Duly, the record took shape as a reflection on mortality, guided by Indian music and thinking.

Even by Gorillaz’s standards, that shape is an ambitious one. The cartoon concept finds Murdoc et al rejecting fame to visit mystical mountainous terrain. Real-world recording took place in London, Devon and various global locations, from New Delhi to New York, Mumbai to Miami. With Plastic Beach among the album’s clearest forebears, the guest list is expansive and far-reaching, with singers spanning five languages and the life/death divide: recordings of fallen former Gorillaz comrades include Mark E Smith, Bobby Womack, Tony Allen and Proof. Alive or not, all contributors are deftly woven into the album’s sonic and symbolic tapestries.

Where Gorillaz’s other more mob-handed efforts could feel cluttered, it’s testimony to Albarn’s careful focus that The Mountain finds cogency in its multi-generic sprawl. Each ingredient receives its due and finds a place on an album that functions as a thematic whole, exploring loss and longings for transcendence alongside anchoring nods to earthbound modern crises. In this context, the lush title-track resembles a scene-setting overture, with Shankar’s sorrowed but gleaming sitar and Ajay Prasanna’s mellifluous flute hinting at Albarn’s stated search for uplift in death’s wake.

The Moon Cave locates a lithe and spirited funk groove, Albarn sharing vocals with India’s Asha Puthli, soul singer Jalen Ngonda, The Roots’ Black Thought and late rapper Dave Jolicoeur on a song yearning for revelation at the end of things. End-times thinking has driven Gorillaz before, but the sense of terminal crisis here is more tangibly personal – and political. The Happy Dictator (featuring Sparks) is a supremely catchy jab at despots who want us to believe everything is great, lacing briskly infectious pop with targeted stings.

Albarn’s other speciality – melting emotion – elevates The Hardest Thing/Orange County, (the first single) where Argentinian DJ/producer Bizarrap, Kara Jackson, Shankar and the late Tony Allen join Albarn in beatific sorrow. That doleful buoyancy warmly echoes On Melancholy Hill, though The God Of Lying is a less persuasive case of self-cannibalisation. As IDLES barker Joe Talbot’s restrained delivery under-plays his strengths, the song recalls Gorillaz’s Clint Eastwood without re-energising the source matter.

That’s a rare blip, though, amid abundant flavours. The Empty Dream Machine floats like a Bond theme in waiting by way of Wild Is The Wind, Albarn crooning his best Bowie over Shankar’s fluid sitar. The Manifesto could indeed be an album manifesto in substance and style, detailing a pursuit of afterlife-themed affirmation while giddily interweaving contrasting raps from Trueno/Proof and sarod work from siblings Amaan/Ayaan Ali Bangash.

Delirium could be titled after the album’s mood swings, with Mark E Smith’s vocal contrasting keenly with Albarn’s screen-glow laments. Johnny Marr and Paul Simonon imbue the dub-like Casablanca with weight, while The Plastic Guru is deliciously weightless pop. Albarn’s sensitivity with collaborators, meanwhile, judiciously pairs Yasiin Bey with Omar Souleyman on the writhing Damascus and Asha Bhosle with Gruff Rhys on gorgeous underworld plaint The Shadowy Light. After The Sweet Prince’s loving elegy, closing waltz The Sad God reflects mournfully on human wastefulness, with Prasanna and Shankar’s lush input seeming to steer the record back to its overture’s window on Gorillaz’s newly expanded thinking. A record of sorrows, salves and state-of-the-now despair, The Mountain is a rich, rewarding take on living with and after loss, brimming with feeling, character and vibrant pop purpose. Seems there’s life in Gorillaz yet.

I hate sitting on the fence, not least because the splinters get everywhere, but I do feel that I am closer to Kevin´s take on the The Gorillaz new album than I am to Sam´s. Perhaps only time will tell us,…although as I have enjoyed the album even more with each of the twenty or so times Í have played it on the Sidetracks & Detours editing suite over the past couple of months, the album has, for me, already passed its old grey whsitle test !

EXPO FOLK & SOUND ROOTS NEWS

UK FOLK ALBUM CHARTS

shared by Norman Warwick

This month, the Official Charts Company reveals the Official Folk Album Chart, produced by Sound Roots, featuring the Top 40 best-selling and most-streamed folk albums released during the March reporting period by British and Irish artists. Listen back to the Official Folk Albums Chart Show, presented by Folk on Foot, via their YouTube channel for the full rundown of new entries.

The latest new entries to the Top 40 and their entry positions are:

No. 1 – Mumford & Sons’ sixth album Prizefighter (Island Records) – Produced by Aaron Dessner and recorded in just ten days, the album features collaborations with Hozier, Chris Stapleton, Gracie Abrams and Gigi Perez.

No. 2 – Katherine Priddy’s These Frightening Machines (Cooking Vinyl) – This Sound Roots Artist Mentoring Pathway graduate lands her third top ten Official Folk Album Chart record, with this sonically varied offering exploring resilience and connection in a fractured world.

No. 7 – Hen Ogledd’s Discombobulated (Weird World) – A complex and emotionally charged record reflecting on political tumult, personal crisis and mental wellbeing through intricate, haunting arrangements. 

No. 12 – Catrin Finch’s Notes to Self (Bendigedig) – a series of reflective and deeply personal new tracks she has composed for Katy, her 13-year-old self, and her first album of solo compositions in a decade. 

No. 14 – Joshua Burnside’s It’s Not Going to Be Okay (Nettwerk) – A stripped-back and intimate album shaped by grief following the loss of Burnside’s close friend.

No. 19 – Lucy Kitchen’s In the Low Light (Bohemia Rose) – A deeply moving exploration of loss and healing following the death of her husband.

No. 21 – Hedera’s self-titled album (Cuculi Records) – A crowdfunded release melding traditional and original material with experimental minimalism.

No. 30 – Joe McCorriston’s Fix Your Hearts – Recorded over 18 months in Oxfordshire, the independent artist’s third album marks his first UK Top 40 appearance.

No. 37 – Georgia Shackleton’s From The Floorboards – Inspired by history, heritage and her distant relative Sir Ernest Shackleton the album features compositions centred around the Shackleton violin and coastal Scotland.

***Charting artists, to receive chart graphics to celebrate your success please contact info@englishfolkexpo.com.

The Official Folk Albums Chart is compiled by The Official Chart Company and produced by Sound Roots. The Official Folk Albums Chart Show is presented by Folk On Foot with the support of Sound Roots.

Lancelot Digitas have announced

Lanzarote designer Toni Orosa,

a cultural and festive icon of the island,

has passed away.

and sidetracks share the sad news

Lanzarote designer Toni Orosa has died at the age of 75, causing deep shock in the cultural and festive sphere of the island .

Orosa was a key figure in promoting Lanzarote for decades, especially due to his close ties with the San Ginés patron saint festivities and the Arrecife Carnival, where he left a recognizable mark on the image, design, and staging of numerous events. His work also extended to the institutional sphere, collaborating with the Tourism Board and participating in initiatives to promote the island abroad.

Antonio Orosa (Toni Orosa), now retired, was awarded the 2025 prize for artistic and cultural achievement by the Arrecife Tourism Board at a ceremony held in La Recova Municipal last September. For decades, Orosa has been involved in the San Ginés patron saint festivities, declared of National Tourist Interest, as well as the Lanzarote carnival, and worked for the former Lanzarote Tourism Board (the precursor to Turismo Lanzarote). He collaborated extensively on the organization of national and international events to promote Lanzarote’s image abroad.

Toni Orosa, as he was affectionately known, ran a flower shop in the Lomo neighborhood, to which he was closely linked by family ties during his lifetime.

Considered by many to be a true cultural ambassador, his career was recently recognized with the Arrecife City Tourism Award 2025 in the artistic and cultural category, an award that highlighted decades of dedication to the festive and visual identity of the capital of Lanzarote.

The news of his passing has generated numerous reactions within the social and cultural sphere of Lanzarote, where he was a widely known and respected figure. Institutions and groups have begun to convey messages of condolence, highlighting his creativity, commitment, and contribution to promoting the island.

The Arrecife City Council has conveyed its condolences to his family and friends.

FOUR-HANDED PIANO

At The Camel House 8th May

preview by Norman Warwick

Many of our readers here on Lanzarote are well-acquainted with The Camel House, a magnificant cliff top music venue that specialises in classical muisc. Check out our easy to negotiate archives (of almost 2,000 free-to-read events publications) by typing in The Cmael House on our search engine and you will find a comprehensive piecewe published a few weeks ago about plans for a new series of workshop meeitngs and community music events.

Meanwhile the warmn and welcoming ownership are looking forward to an evening of four-handed piano. The artists describe their performance on 8 May as follows:

When two pianists share a keyboard, more than just music happens: a small theatre of hands, sounds and glances unfolds. The piano duo Diána Fuchs and Hiroyo Masumura are dedicated to this special genre of four-hand playing –  a field that demands the highest virtuosity, subtle coordination and, at times, diplomatic skill.

Their programme brings together works that are not only pianistically demanding, but also shed light on the unique art form of playing together on the same instrument: at times intimately intertwined, at times wittily pointed, always with a fine sense of balance and timing.

Amidst finger acrobatics and musical depth, the artists deliberately create moments in which the audience can experience the small absurdities and comic moments of four-hand piano playing. For when four hands vie for 88 keys, not only do vast soundscapes emerge, but also charming stories told with a twinkle in the eye.

The duo also see themselves as ambassadors of cultural values: four-handed playing here becomes a symbol of dialogue, respect and togetherness – a musical plea for how creating together makes our society richer and more humane.

The result: a concert evening that is both musically fulfilling and entertainingly surprising – a dialogue between two artists who give each other space, challenge and inspire one another, whilst taking their audience on a journey that leaves you both amazed and smiling.

Curious? We look forward to seeing you!

VITA – Diána Fuchs

The native Hungarian received her musical education until her Matura in Pécs, Hungary. After a successful admission, she moved to the capital of music – to Vienna, to further broaden her horizons. She completed her concert studies at the Private University of Music and Arts of the City of Vienna, as well as her studies in pedagogy at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. After completing her successful degrees, she began her doctoral studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in 2023.

Since 2020 she has been a teacher for piano and rehearsal at the music schools of the city of Vienna, as well as since 2023 lecturer at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

In addition to her teaching activities, she has been artistically leading the ClassiKo Festival in Komló (Hungary) since 2020. In addition, she performs solo and various chamber music line-ups at home and abroad.

VITA – Hiroyo Masumura
The pianist Hiroyo Masumura studied concert piano in Japan. By receiving a scholarship abroad, she was granted a continuation of her studies in Austria at the Conservatory of the City of Vienna with Prof. Martijn van den Hoek. She then completed postgraduate studies at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich with Prof. Olaf Dressler She has completed all degrees with honours. Already during her studies she began to perform regularly, as a soloist and chamber musician.
Since 2006 she has been working at the Musikschule Wien as a piano pedagogue and co-repetitor, in addition, she worked as a co-repetitor for classical dance at the MUK’s dance program from December 2017 to January 2020.
It has been honoured several times, for example the 3. Prize at the International Vienna Pianist Competition in 2001 and the special prizes at the Classical Music Competition in Japan. In addition, some of her compositions have been honoured for the educational field.

Tickets through our website

camelhouse-lanzarote.com or by email 

info@camelhouse-lanzarote.com or phone 

0034 658 268 942

Kind regards

Danielle and Roland

Music in Portsmouth website re-launched as SouthernClassical.co.uk

Norman Warwick shares the news.

We are delighted to share the news from Music In Portsmouth that they have re-launched the Music In Portsmouth

Music In Portsmouth website is excited to announce that their website has a fresh new look and a new name:
SouthernClassical.co.uk.

While it’s still the same website you know and trust, there are added improved features, including an interactive map and an updated events calendar to make it even easier to explore what’s on.

Find out more about Southern Classical.

There are a few errors and broken links,being repaired and updated from the old website, so please bear with the during the transition.

sidetracks & detours are sure our readers will enjoy the new site!

As for office staff here, there is now more reason than ever to look forward to receiving communicatoins from a source that has long been one of our favourites.

3rd May

A Bowl Full Of Strawbs

*****

10th May

What Do You Do When You´re Lonesome?: A Memory Of Justin Townes Earle

*****

17th May

Coming And Going:

featurng

Sophie Rose

Chip Taylor

*****

24th May

Poets and Rhymers Of Rochdale

*****

31st May

Choosin´Texas, Country Or Americana

featuring

Ella Langley

*****

/June 7th

A Town With A Feel Good Factor

*****

June 14th

Music In Portsmouth

featuring

Alexandra Peel, violionist

*****

June 21st

Town Of Culture Excedes All Expectations

*****

June 28th

In Search Of Where Truth Lies

featuring

Gillian Welch and her Revival album with Dave Rawlings