(Morning Star, Friday 12 January 2007)
ALBUM: The Good, The Bad and The Queen - The Good, The Bad and The Queen
(Parlophone)
THERE'S a prevalent marine theme on the debut release from Damon Albarn's latest outfit.
From the "ship across the estuary" on opener History Song, Albarn, along with The Clash's legendary Paul Simonon, Tony Allen (Africa 70/Fela Kuti) and Simon Tong (The Verve), lead listeners through a tempestuous oceanic landscape.
It's a refreshing take on modern life, but the relentless reinforcement, from "seas in our minds" on A Soldier's Tale to Nature Springs, the gentle swell of metaphors slowly begins to drown the subtleties of what is a truly beautiful record.
High points are Herculean, which is understated but unfeasibly strong, and Green Fields. The latter is a slightly clumsy socio-political comment on the state - and wars - that we're in, referencing tidal waves and the "bad man's dream," but it is doubtless a tour de force from a man better known for monkeying around.
From a lifetime's work with Blur, a band keen to espouse the virtues of London, this release is really a compendium of the true tales of Albion, awash not only with literary imagery but chillingly perfect vocal harmonies and a melancholy which none but the most optimistic of fans could have believed Albarn capable of since the Gorillaz warfare of 2001.
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