Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez

Gorillaz is a “virtual” band based in Britain which first formed in 1988. In October, Gorillaz dropped some new music for their many fans. The band is well known for their alternative rock sound, which their latest album certainly delivers on. The band is made up of an ensemble of four cartoon characters, which are representations of the actual artists behind the music.

The album, called “Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez,” definitely makes use of this cartoon aesthetic, with each song being somewhat akin to an episode of a show. In addition to the harmonies and melodies of the band members, the album comes packed with features from well-known artists such as ScHoolboy Q, Elton John, JPEGMAFIA, EARTHGANG, St. Vincent, 6LACK, and many more. Gorillaz is a unique band known for collaborating with other artists to produce new music. Their songs relate to listeners because of their common and interesting themes.

Take “Pac-Man” for example, featuring ScHoolboy Q. The song is about or relating real life to video games, hence the classic 80s Pac-Man games. For example, they relate “leveling-up” in a video game to such a scenario in real life, such as moving up in a social class. The song also has a heavy theme of not limiting yourself because of material objects, such as money, since success is often measured in terms of money and not something such as happiness or knowledge.