Don’t tell Damon Albarn that The Good, The Bad and the Queen is a group. The singer prefers to speak of «project» in the subject of this training as rare as precious, who has just released a new album, a dozen years after the first. The leader of Gorillaz, revealed within Blur in the 1990s, has designed this adventure to be able to write about his city, London. It has mobilized around the personalities of the quality of Paul Simonon (former bassist of The Clash), Simon Tong (former guitarist of The Verve) and drummer Tony Allen, contributor history of Fela Kuti. After an eclipse of twelve years, during which the bulimic Damon Albarn has shown in both solo-albums under the umbrella of Gorillaz, in multiplying the side-projects (the opera Monkey: Journey to the West ). He has even agreed to burn a new cd with the training that was revealed in the midst of an era brit-pop, Blur, at a time when the guéguerre with the lads of Oasis was to blacken the paper in Great Britain.
Since its inception, Damon Albarn is a columnist inspired from his country, in the tradition of Ray Davies or Morrissey while he was still tolerable. It was one of those who have contributed to the rehabilitation of David Bowie after the calamitous experience Tin Machine, during which the engineering had gone astray, wasting his talent in a vulgar orchestra, hard-rock glitz and blistered.
Insatiable curiosity,
Great slayer of the Brexit, this man in the political consciousness sharpened has made it the principal subject of the songs of Merrie Land . Which have just been made by the American, London Tony Visconti, collaborator of record for Bowie from 1969 to his death in 2016. The result is a highly successful album, may be even better written than the previous one. The tone is disillusioned, and the tempo alangui of the titles refer to the Specials Ghost Town, the other major influence of Albarn with XTC and Madness. Like them, the man adopts this tone plaintive long beautiful melodies, recalling his dismay at the situation in the world.
The productivity of Damon Albarn, now 51 years old, does not impress. In 2014, he explained: «I give all my attention to each of my projects. I spent the time that it deserves. When it is running out of steam, I try a new approach. The idea is to continue this creative spirit, keep it alive. And this has not changed since my debut: I’ve always liked to have new and interesting things to do.» Curiosity never taken at fault, availability, team spirit, the man is one of the figures the most fascinating popular music. «I feel a responsibility. But it is not easy to devote the time they deserve for each. This is a chance to have worked with so many wonderful people, I can’t let go like that. It is necessary to find the right distance between loyalty and opportunity to explore new territories.»
The Good, The Bad and The Queen, Bataclan, 50, bd Voltaire (Xi). Tel.:01 43 14 00 30. Date: 27 may to 20 h.-Seat: 49.50 to 60,50 €.
