Plastic Beach: The moment Gorillaz became more than just a cartoon
Gorillaz have always been a fascinating anomaly - an animated band making very real music. But in 2010, Plastic Beach marked the moment they became more than just a novelty act with a great gimmick. This was Damon Albarn fully flexing his creative muscles, pushing the project into new and ambitious territory. A sprawling, neon-lit fever dream of an album, Plastic Beach is a bizarre yet oddly beautiful journey through consumer culture, environmental decay, and genre-fluid sonic landscapes. And it still holds up today.
The most cohesive chaos you'll ever hear
Gorillaz were never just a "band." They were an idea - a multimedia experiment in music, animation, and world-building. Up until Plastic Beach, their albums felt like carefully curated mixtapes, brimming with wildly different sounds and guest appearances. This time, though, there was a vision. The concept was clear: a metaphorical island made of the discarded remains of modern society, reflecting both its allure and its inevitable collapse.
Musically, it's a controlled chaos that somehow remains cohesive. Albarn blends hip hop, electronic music, Britpop, funk, and even orchestral elements into something that never feels forced. It's smooth, unpredictable, and endlessly intriguing.
The heavy hitters: a guest list that somehow works
If Demon Days proved Gorillaz could balance guest stars without losing their identity, Plastic Beach perfected the formula. We're talking about an album that puts Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Bobby Womack, and De La Soul on the same tracklist - and it works.
Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach (feat. Snoop Dogg & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble) - The smoothest possible introduction. Snoop glides over a brass-heavy, laid-back beat, playing the role of a tour guide to this dystopian paradise.
Stylo (feat. Bobby Womack & Mos Def) - A synth-driven, robotic groove that suddenly explodes into Womack's soulful wail. It's an unexpected emotional gut punch.
Some Kind of Nature (feat. Lou Reed) - Probably the weirdest, most out-of-place track on the album, yet somehow quintessentially Plastic Beach. Lou Reed half-sings, half-talks his way through a mechanical, plinky-plonk melody that shouldn't work but absolutely does.
These collaborations don't just feel like big-name features slapped onto random beats. They contribute to the world Albarn is building, each guest adding a new shade to the album's palette.
The secret weapons: the tracks that steal the show
While the big singles like On Melancholy Hill and Rhinestone Eyes get most of the attention (and rightfully so), some of Plastic Beach's best moments lie in its less obvious cuts.
Empire Ants (feat. Little Dragon) - Starts as a sleepy lullaby before bursting into a euphoric electronic groove. It's the album's biggest "wait, what just happened?" moment, and it's gorgeous.
Glitter Freeze (feat. Mark E. Smith) - A frantic, icy, instrumental freak-out. It feels like a transmission from a forgotten arcade machine, and it somehow captures the cold detachment of modern life.
To Binge (feat. Little Dragon) - Possibly the most overlooked track, this wistful, floating duet between Albarn and Yukimi Nagano is heartbreak disguised as a beachside jam.
The emotional core: On Melancholy Hill
If there's one song that defines Plastic Beach, it's On Melancholy Hill. Amidst all the album's eccentricities, this track stands as its beating heart. Stripped of the album's conceptual baggage, it's just a perfect pop song. A dreamy, synth-laden anthem that somehow captures both the warmth of nostalgia and the ache of something lost. If Gorillaz had stopped making music after this, they would have left behind one of the best tracks of the 2010s.
The flaws: does Plastic Beach overextend itself?
For all its brilliance, Plastic Beach isn't without its flaws. At 16 tracks, it sometimes feels too sprawling. Songs like Sweepstakes and Pirate Jet add to the world-building but don't hit as hard musically. The album's experimental nature also means it can feel uneven - flowing seamlessly one moment and then abruptly shifting gears the next. But honestly? That's part of its charm. Plastic Beach isn't about polish. It's about atmosphere and experience.
Final Thoughts
It's been 15 years since Plastic Beach washed up on our shores, and its themes feel more relevant than ever. The world it depicts - a synthetic paradise built on the remains of excess - has only become more real. Musically, its fearless genre-blurring paved the way for future artists to throw the rulebook out the window. And for Gorillaz, this was the album that cemented them as more than just an animated gimmick.
It's weird. It's brilliant. It's messy. And that's exactly why it's still so damn good.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10