The Good, the Bad & the Queen

This band has such an amazing sound, an absolutely refined sound incorporating their influences and histories in such a way I find it unmatched by any bands of the genre. Very few bands move me; this album did. I'm still pining for another album by The Good, The Bad & The Queen.

I won't rehash what others have already put down about this guy's pedigree, what comes through here is his appreciation for the dancehall art form and it's ability to tell a good story. This is more evocative of the music he collaborated on for Antonia Bird's film 'Ravenous' [see it, and not on commercial TV!] and the title cut reminds me of Roxy Music at the height of it's Eno/Jobson artrock flourishes. There's not a lot out there excites me right now. This does.

I bought this 1) because I was following the career of ex-Clash bassist Paul Simonon, and 2) I was convinced by all the rave reviews the album was receiving, including several best-of-'07 lists...It was not what I expected; I was not familiar with Blur's work, so I was expecting a more punk/reggae-driven, Clash-like sound. But I do enjoy it, with it's dreamy quality, and an intensity that builds to the intense final track. It's grown on me each time I've listened to it.

It might be a little hard to keep track of Damon Albarn because musically, he has so much going on, from being the frontman of rock band Blur to being a member of hip-hop outfit Gorillaz to recording his own songs. Now he comes at us with a new project, The Good, the Bad & the Queen.

Well, I don't know if I can really call this a "new" project after all because it was recorded in 2005. And I really can't tell whether the editorial reviewer likes or DISlikes the album, but anyway, if you're a big fan of Blur or Gorillaz, I'm not sure you'll quite be able to get into this album not because it's bad, but because it doesn't sound much like either "standard" rock or hip-hop (thus, don't expect to find a "Song #2" or "Feel Good Inc" on here). This album sounds more like something that Moby or LCD Soundsystem would make, but it's great nonetheless. Highlights include "Nature Springs", "Northern Whale" and "80's Life".

In fact, the only real flaw I could find is that the closing track, which is also the title track (or SELF-titled track; whatever), has a few too many minutes of instrumental going on after the actual song ends. But Damon still put together a great album (I don't feel like writing out the whole album title again). If you're into great music that deviates from the norm, you shouldn't have a problem with this.

Anthony Rupert

Perfectly of the moment and timeless too. Everything about this record is brilliant, and tops anything Albarn's ever done. I can't wait for the next one, but in the meantime, this one's not getting stale at all.