Login for FavoritesThe Good The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Tweet
Album Details
- Artist: The Good The Bad & The Queen
- Album: The Good, The Bad & The Queen
- Label: Parlophone
- Year of Release: 2007
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: dscanland on 2007-02-23
RecommendDamon Albarn will go down in musical history as a genius. That's a given. His contributions to Blur and more recently, the fun Gorillaz, would have enough clout to put him there. Not one to rest on his laurels, Damon has done the unthinkable, bring back Paul Simonon (The Clash) from retirement to come up with an amazing collective that will please much more than just former Albarn fans. Not only is the amazing bass talents of Simonon here but Tony Allen from Africa 70/Fela Kuti is here to provide some unconventional rhythms and Simon Tong of The Verve fame provides some lovely guitars. Bring in Danger Mouse to do production, I present The Good, The Bad & The Queen.
What about the music? Well, when the opening track "History Song" hits your ears you are treated to a very gentle pop track that actually seems like a cross between the Clash, Afro-beat, and Gorillaz. It almost feels like they are calling the spirit of Joe Strummer for influence. This is probably the only one where the Clash influence is so obvious. But tracks like "Northern Whale" are pretty signature Albarn.
I still think the best song on The Good, The Bad & the Queen is "Herculean". It is just so listenable. I found that with this track, the album for that matter, the more exposure I had to it, the more I liked it. The production is probably the best part of this song. The way Damon's vocals are ghostly and the creative instrumentation make it perfect.
Spend some time with The Good, The Bad and The Queen and I think you will find something to sink your teeth into. Damon Albarn understands the future of music. This stuff is different enough to make a difference.
User Reviews and Comments
Log In or Register to Rate Albums
User Rating:
Write your own review
Tell us why this album is great or sucks ass, or correct the reviewer. If you write enough quality reviews you may find yourself on the editorial staff.
Reviews have to be over 100 words, shorter ones are classed as comments.
Tell us why this album is great or sucks ass, or correct the reviewer. If you write enough quality reviews you may find yourself on the editorial staff.
Reviews have to be over 100 words, shorter ones are classed as comments.
Log In or Register to Rate AlbumsReview:
on 2007-03-10 hstisgod Said:
I'm not sure what track on I heard on the local FM station recently, but it was terrible. Good review, and Albarn is certainly a genius, but I will not be purchasing.
Rating is based on a one song listen. If I get to hear more, I may be back to eat crow.
Rating: 4/10
Review:
on 2007-01-24 green_clash Said:
Singer/keyboardist Damon Albarn (Blur and Gorillaz), bassist Paul Simonon (The Clash), guitarist Simon Tong (Verve), and drummer Tony Allen (Fela Kuti's drummer) joined together to created a new band called The Good, the Bad, & the Queen (a supergroup if you will). Though the similarities with Blur and the Gorillaz second album are present, there is something unique in this new band. Along with Paul Simonon's dub bass licks and Tony Allen's great drumming, the album is also relatively dark and moody. It's apparent from the mid-nineteenth century cover art and of course, the band's name, that this album is about the underbelly of England. Considering there is a member from the original political band, The Clash, it's not surprising that some of these songs contain political messages. We can see these messages in songs like "Kingdom of Doom" where Albarn sings "Drink all day cause the country is at war/Soon your be falling of the palace walls/I can't be anymore than I say/In the flood we all get washed away". The album is quite easy to get into. Paul's bass lines are very catchy and Allen's presence on the drums is great. Songs like "History Song" show this. The song stands well with Simon Tong's Spanish-inspired guitar line and Albarn's low and gloomy voice, but Paul's on and off bass parts and the drumming make the track one of the best on the album. However, the drums are occasionally difficult to hear and they also don't appear on some tracks at all, like "80's Life" which is an excellent song without drums, but one can't help to think that the drums could possibly make it better. Another gripe I have with the album is that the songs can sound similar at times. The guitar riffs seem to be all arpeggios and the bass lines sometimes use the same rhythm as others on the album. But there are songs that separate themselves from one another. Examples of these songs are "Northern Whale" which features an electronic drum and “Behind the Sun”, with it’s mysterious feel and the great guitar riff. And my final problem with the album is the over-use of sound effects and synthesizers. Most of the songs on the album use these sound effects are for the most part, they're used very well. But when there's too many of these sound effects, they become annoying noises. But overall, this is a great album that that won't disappoint fans of the musicians involved in the band. Hopefully Albarn will see this as more than just a side project because they've gotten off to a good start with this album and I'm sure they can develop into an incredible band.
Rating: 8/10
