CRASHiC
Smash Hero
All quotes, statements, information about Gorillaz' third album will be collected in this thread.
Demos-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkQcE-2JMzA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS4ZerRIUYo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJz97MorJZg
Leaks- http://caravanslost.tumblr.com/post/344232601/agrainel-gorillaz-stylo-radio-edit-omg
Summary of current info:-
- Damon and Jamie decided to make a third Gorillaz album after they returned from their 2008 summer vacations. Damon decided he wanted to do a Gorillaz album, and Jamie agreed to draw the characters.
- It seems likely that some musical work on a film / theatrical / music project from Damon and Jamie called Carousel which has been in planning stages since 2007, will be transferred to the Gorillaz album.
- Reports of the current progress of the album vary. One source said work would only begin in January, Damon has said (informally) that he is 'halfway through' and 'a third of the way through' the album. Pitchfork suggested Damon has not yet begun contacting people about guest spots on the album, in late 2008. Work had been going on on the Carousel project for at least a year before the Gorillaz album came out, with Jamie saying Damon had written 70 songs for Carousel.
- Release date: the album is expected in 2010, probably second quarter. EMI made a statement at their 2009 AGM that the album would be out in the next financial year (i.e. before April 2010) but they said the same thing in 2004 before Demon Days and that just missed the end of the financial year too. Damon's manager said in May 2009 that the album was scheduled to be out in about a year's time.
- The Gorillaz album is Damon and Jamie's next major project
- The album has the working title 'Plastic Beach' according to De La Soul's Pos, who has contributed to the sessions.
ART/JAMIE SIDE OF THINGS:-
- Jamie has stated he will 'adapt' the characters. They will be 'a bit older'.
- There are hints that some aspects of phase 3 will be presented in a different way. Jamie has said the characters will be told in a different way, and that they are coming from a gre@t place working on phase 3, 'it doesn't have to be animation and music'.
- The pair have said that, inspired by the success of their Monkey shows, they want Gorillaz to tour the third album.
MUSIC/DAMON SIDE OF THINGS:-
- Album said to have the working title 'Plastic Beach' according to De La Soul. The track Bobby Womack contributed to (see below) is about a plastic ocean.
- Three third album demoes were played on Damon's radio 1 takeover. These were:-
Electric Shock (featuring 'sinfonia ViVA' in the beginning part of the song. The beginning part of the song was also performed live along with another song at a concert at the Curve venue in Leicester, UK. They were called 'New Commission 1 and 2'. Damon was there. The last part of the song includes the phrase 'That's Electric Shock' - this part was perfomed at at least a couple of Africa Express concerts including the one at Koko in London on 28 October 2008)
Broken (featuring full Damon vocal)
and Stylo (just a rough beat). Stylo was listed as 'Binge' on the Radio 1 site which featured the tracklisting that Damon played on the night, but Murdoc clearly introduces the track as 'Stylo' on the show.
Downloads and youtube versions of the demoes here:- http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/248922.html
-In addition Pos from De La Soul mentioned that another track recorded for the album has the titled 'Sloped Tropics'. (see below)
- The sound has been said to be 'more experimental' than previous Gorillaz work, with some orchestral material, and possibly less pop overall.
- Both Damon and Jamie went to Syria and Lebanon for weeks during March-May (ish) for music sessions and artistic inspiration.
Possible Collaborators (some reports more reliable than others, see below. Even in the most reliable cases, the track in question may not make the album's cut and might end up as a B-Side or unreleased outtake)
Tony Allen
Source story:- http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/250941.html Tony Allen tells an Australian music site he is working with Damon Albarn on a new album with other guests. Gorillaz-Unofficial note: Damon has recently (August '08) indicated that he is making another album with Flea and Tony Allen, so Tony probably won't appear on the Gorillaz 3rd album).
Kano
Source story:- http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/251239.html Kano tells The Sun he's done work with Damon on at least a couple of tracks with view to their inclusion on Gorillaz album three.
Bobby Womack
Source story: http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/255203.html Bobby Womack's daughter tells Rolling Stone magazine that Gorillaz rung him up for London and he agreed to contribute vocals (they sent him a CD of music).
Amy Winehouse
Source story:- http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/255314.html UK paper The Daily Mail report that Amy Winehouse has been recording with Gorillaz
Waed Bouhasson
Source story:- http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/255834.html fan sends in story to G-U, claiming as a source the guys at Honest Jons record company (2-J's note: People send in bull**** collaborator stories all the time, but this seemed reasonable enough).
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Source story:- said to have done some work with Damon since the Carousel days (and a song titled 'Carousel' on the setlist featured them and was played by Damon and some members of GBQ at the Love Music Hate Racism gig in the first half of 2008). Latest report is from site britishhiphop.co.uk http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/256346.html
Mos Def
Source story:- mentioned by britishhiphop.co.uk http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/256346.html. Mos Def does have connections with De La Soul, etc, as well.
Del The Funky Homosapien
Source story:- a loyal G-U poster went along to a Del gig, saw Del (supplied pic proof of the meeting) and said that Del told him that he was involved with album 3. [was Del being serious?]
De La Soul
Source story:- http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/261882.html Pos tells LA Weekly that De La Soul have contributed to two tracks in contention for the third album 'Sloped Tropics' and 'Electric Shock'
The Horrors
Source story: http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/263987.html in a video interview on Youtube, The Horrors reveal that they have worked with Damon on a track for the Gorillaz' third album.
sinfonia ViVA (orchestra)
Source story:- http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/249354.html reports from sinfonia ViVA event.
A Syrian Orchestra
Source story:- Damon's comments on the Radio 1 interview. http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/248922.html
Omar Souleyman
Source story:- Damon collaboration rumour on Syrian website, report sent in by fan who spoke to someone from Honest Jon's, and Damon played a song of his on the radio 1 takeover
http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/266248.html
Chronology:-
18th September 2008
Damon and Jamie, whilst on Monkey promo duties in Canada, tell the Canadian press that after coming back from their vacations, they have decided to make a third Gorillaz album (they say the same thing to the Pitchfork website on the same promo tour). They say they have already told EMI they are going to make the album. According to the pair much remains undecided about the album although Jamie will "adapt" the characters. Serious work is said to be due to start from January. No prospective guests have yet been contacted. Jamie states half-jokingly that they intend to work with Bruce Willis.
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2008 ... onkey.html
"Q: What’s next for you?
DA: We’re doing another Gorillaz record. We came back from summer holidays and realized we could do exactly what we wanted to do with Gorillaz. Essentially, Jamie just had to agree to draw the characters again. ’Cause I just do what I do anyway.
JH: I’m so f---ing bored of drawing those characters. But then we had a moment where we had a new angle on it.
DA: Well, you won’t be bored of drawing them again.
JH: I’m gonna adapt them. "
"Q: Seriously, what are you guys planning to do to make Gorillaz exciting again?
JH: We really can’t say what we’re doing next. We just started. You’re only the second person we’ve told that Gorillaz is making an album, actually. We were instructed to keep it a secret. When we told the record company, they went “Woohoo!” – you could hear them shouting in the background – and then said, “Don’t tell anybody"
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/n ... -new-album
"there will indeed be another Gorillaz pop album, as Damon Albarn told Pitchfork's Scott Plagenhoef in an interview that will see the light of Pitchfork soon enough. Albarn noted that he hasn't started formally contacting folks for those coveted guest spots or anything, but that a record is definitely happening, and therefore, Gorillaz are so not breaking up. "
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blog ... album.aspx
"NP: What’s next for you?
Albarn: We’re going to do another Gorillaz record.
NP: Did Journey to the West change how you collaborate?
Hewlett: We just learned more about what we do, musically and artistically. That’s a **** place to come at when we come to another Gorillaz album. It doesn’t have to be animation and music."
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/504003
Once freed from their operatic duties, Albarn and Hewlett hope to begin work on the follow-up to Gorillaz' excellent Demon Days sometime in January. For now, they're close-mouthed about the musical guests who will be involved.
"I want to work with an incredibly eclectic, surprising cast of people," says Albarn. "But the nice thing after having done Demon Days is that there aren't a lot of people who say, `No, I don't want to do that.' So we've got a **** choice. It's just up to us to use that wisely."
"I'd like to get Bruce Willis involved in this one," offers Hewlett.
"Involved in whatever way we can have him involved. Something action-based. I just think its would be really funny to get Bruce Willis involved in a Gorillaz album and I'll bet you there's a perfect way to do it."
31st October
Chris Morrison (Damon's manager) comment about forthcoming Gorillaz work:- ""He could well go back to it, there is an intention to - on Gorillaz at least." However he adds:- "Damon tends to start a number of things and one will catch his interest and he'll develop it and then that becomes real, so I don't want to pre-empt anything before it becomes real." from http://news.stv.tv/entertainment/37105- ... az-return/
6th November
Damon tells Radio 1 he is "halfway through the next Gorillaz album at the minute". He added cryptically: "That's going to be interesting and different again. This next time around there will be a lot going on in it." from http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music ... 711273.stm
7th November
Jamie tells The Independent a bit about his plans for Gorillaz Phase 3:- "They'll be the same characters, but a little bit older and told in a different way." he comments, adding that Damon has already started work on the music and that he is looking forward to reviving the characters. From http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 97071.html
13th November
Various sites report new comments from Damon (at the Monkey premiere? ) about getting temporarily distracted from the album. "It's very difficult to not make music with everyone all the time, because you become such good friends with people, but there's not enough hours in the day and you can get very distracted. I've been to Africa, and then it was half term and this, that's a month-and-a-half out. I was a third of the way through the Gorillaz album, and I got completely blown off course again. I need to find my way back. I've been hanging out with Graham quite a bit recently, and it's really nice to have my old friend back." From e.g. http://musicnews.virginmedia.com/entert ... llaz_album
15th November
The news corporation ITN caught up with Damon and Jamie at the Monkey premiere and asked about the new album. Damon talked about being more experimental and about two orchestras he's been working with. Jamie talked about the fact that they want Gorillaz to tour more extensively around the third album.
Damon: "It [Monkey] really has changed the way I that I write. I think I can still just about do pop Turkey but maybe only very briefly in between lots of different stuff. I think I've got something to say with the next record but I am approaching it in a different way. But it will be a Gorillaz record, that's for sure. I'm working with different orchestras. One really interesting one from the East Midlands who come out of Derby, and then one from Syria, just sort of putting stuff together. It's good, it's interesting. I'm desperate to get back to it actually, and concentrate and finish it off. But this is somewhat distracting".
Jamie: "We can be a bit more experimental. We can be a bit more daring about what we do next. And I think also one of the things we've never done a lot of with Gorillaz is live shows. We did some shows at the Manchester [International] Festival and the Apollo, but I think what we've learnt is maybe, after doing this [the Monkey live shows], pulling this off, with a live orchestra and everything else, I think that means we could probably do the same with a Gorillaz show. Tour. Gorillaz can tour, instead of doing ten shows for two albums! [laughs] It seems a bit ridiculous really, we didn't really exploit that one."
Video interview:- http://itn.co.uk/news/c0476cc3e17578d44 ... af11b.html
14th January 2009
Damon 'takes over' Zane Lowe's show whilst Zane is on holiday, part of 2 weeks of takeovers by artists while Zane is away. Jamie is also present in the studio and Murdoc calls in to pay a visit.
Damon says some of the songs he plays on the night feature people he was worked with / will work with on Gorillaz third album tracks, but he does not reveal specifics.
Full transcript and mp3s etc:- http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/248922.html
Marsh(ish)-May(ish)
Damon and Jamie go to Syria and Lebanon to record / gain inspiration
7th March 2009
Tony Allen collaboration possibility story. "In a recent interview with themusicblogs.com.au Afrobeat legend Tony Allen stated: "I am currently working with Damon Albarn on a new album project with other guests". It has not been clarified whether this is the Gorillaz album or some as-yet-unannounced project. Tony previously collaborated with Damon on the project The Good, The Bad & The Queen."
7th March 2009
Kano collaboration possibility story. "“I went into the studio with Damon a while ago. We worked on a demo idea that he came up with in Lagos in Africa. We went back and actually produced the idea. It just so happened that I added a little bit on a couple of tracks he gave me. It’s all sounding good. The album’s not wrapped up yet. I think the process Damon goes through is that he makes loads of demos, then cuts them down and starts getting into the production. He’s at that stage now where he’s finishing off the record. I’ve just left him alone to do whatever he does. What Damon’s played me of the album sounds really good and despite Africa Express, which I took part in, it doesn’t sound very African influenced. I was honoured to be working with him and the whole project."
10th April
Bobby Womack story: "“They called me from London and said, ‘Man, we want to do something with you,’ ” recent Hall of Fame inductee Womack tells Rolling Stone. The unfinished track arrived at his California home just a few days ago. “In the days when I would get loaded, I would have thought this was ****,” says Womack. “Now that I’m straight, I think I’m too square to know where they’re at. I kept listening and thought, ‘****, why do they want me?’ It’s all new to me. The only thing that convinced me was my daughter said, ‘Dad, you got to do this. They’re awesome.’ I said, ‘You’re hip to them?’ Luckily, Womack’s daughter was able to explain that the Gorillaz are a rotating cast of musicians, rather than a wild band of primates. “I thought she was talking about a real gorilla. I said, ‘I worked with a lot of people, but I never worked with a gorilla.’ ” After it was all sorted out, Womack called the Gorillaz and said he was down to participate. “I just called them back and said, ‘I want to be a help and bring something to the table. I gotta be honest though, I don’t know why you want me.’ They said, ‘It’s about a plastic ocean. Just imagine yourself in a plastic ocean. Just get on there. Do what you wanna do. It’ll work out.’ It should be interesting.” "
13th April 2009
Reports of Amy Winehouse working with Gorillaz. See http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/255314.html
14th April 2009
Waed Bouhasson report. Fan writes in:- "Hi, I have some more news on the new Gorillaz album. A Syrian singer named Waed Bouhassoun is working on at least one track on the forthcoming Gorillaz album. This is not a rumour. The boys at Honest Jons Records are partly responsible for the collab. She has an album that came out last year titled La Voix de l'Amour (A Voice For Love)." http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/255834.html
16th April 2009
Britishhiphop reports Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Tony Allen and Mos Def to be on album. Source:- http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/256346.html
8th May 2009
Gorillaz third album expected before the end of this financial year, according to EMI:- The UK Music Industry magazine Music Week reports that EMI (Gorillaz' record label) expect Gorillaz to release a new album within the next financial year, i.e. before the end of March 2010. ("The company’s release schedule for the year includes new albums from Air, Gorillaz, Norah Jones, Massive Attack, Kylie Minogue, KT Tunstall and Robbie Williams.")
16th May 2009
Fan report about Del: Gorillaz fan DiscoverCatch23 writes in:- I PERSONALLY spoke to Del the Funky Homosapien at his concert in Ann Arbor, Mi on tuesday [5th May]. He said he IS working with damon, or more specifically when I asked why he stopped for the second album he said 'But who said I stopped altogether? Yeah, the new album is more than half way done, but it's hard to get the final touches because Damon and I are two separate entities and it's hard to synch up sometimes, we are both doing several projects right now'." http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/259403.html
16th May 2009
Chris Morrison (Damon's manager) comment:- "[Damon]'s got a plethora of tracks at the moment. Whether they all make the light of day or get refined and come down to a normal amount you get on a record of 10 to 15 tracks, I cant tell at this point in time. It's far too early in the stage of what we are doing. It’ll come round when it’s ready and when it’s been finished and when he’s happy with what he’s done. There is no point putting art round schedules, you put schedules round art and what you need first of all is Damon’s music. The plan for the new Gorillaz album is we’ll wait until Damon’s finished recording it. The thing is, it’s formulating at the moment and it’s going to be out in about a year’s time. I hope. I’m probably pre-empting something I’ll get shouted at for."
27th May 2009
The UK's Daily Star newspaper has an (indirect) mention of Gorillaz' 3rd album in today's edition. The small article mentions that Damon has let the band Magistrates use his studio but, as Magistrates singer Paul Usher is quoted as saying "While recording, Damon came in and was like: 'I need the studio back for half an hour to record a Gorillaz track.".
29th May 2009
Entertainment Weekly reports:- http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/261882.html "Speaking of which, De La Soul's members have contributed vocals to two songs so far for the next Gorillaz album, which Pos says is tentatively titled Plastic Beach. Pos says the working titles he was given for those tracks were "Sloped Tropics" and "Electric Shock" -- the latter of which lines up with the name of one of the Gorillaz demos that Albarn debuted on BBC Radio 1 in January. Gorillaz' reps couldn't confirm any of this info to me yet, but I'm already pretty excited based on Pos' descriptions of the new Gorillaz material: "From what we've heard, it sounds amazing. To me, quite honestly, it sounds better than the last album." Woo-hoo! Anyone else looking forward to and/or already enjoying any of De La Soul's many new projects?"
6th July 2009
The Horrors work on a track for Gorillaz third album:- http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/263987.html ""Funnily enough we actually recorded a track with Damon recently which is possibly going to be used on the next Gorillaz record. And we met Jamie... so yeah, maybe there is a possibility of that happening."
25th of August
A couple of sources are indicating that Syrian music star Omar Souleyman will appear on Gorillaz' third album (scheduled for release in 2010).
Gorillaz fan dubchimp writes in:- "I talked to my friend Alan Schofield at Honest Jons who Damon runs the label with. He told me that Omar Souleyman (who's song Damon played on radio 1 this year) is on the new Gorillaz album."
orion70 sends the news that an article about Souleyman on the website all4syria.info features the comment "rumor has it that there’s a collaboration with Damon Albarn on the horizon." Read the article on the site here. http://all4syria.info/content/view/13049/75/
As dubchimp points out, Damon did play one of Souleyman's songs on his Radio 1 takeover in January this year. On the show, Damon indicated that many of the songs he played would be clues as to the artists that would feature on Gorillaz' third album. (the Omar Souleyman song that Damon played was “Leh Jani” and you can listen to it on Youtube here) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgRUHIeaKOk
29 September 2009
In an interview with Icelandic newspaper Morgunbladid, Einar Örn Benediktsson has spoken of how he took part in recording sessions for a Gorillaz track in London last week.
“I’m in a song with Mark E. Smith, he is the captain and I’m the parrot,” he commented
he is also reported as saying:-
- Gorillaz' third album is more accessible and more entertaining than their two previous albums.
- Bobby Womack, Lou Reed and Barry Gibb will appear on the album
- A cartoon of him as a parrot is in the making.
- A new version of the Gorillaz website will launch in February
Einar Örn Benediktsson is a former member of the Sugarcubes (Bjork's old band) and is also part of Ghostigital, who featured on the Gorillaz' track 'Stop The Dams', a B-Side to the single El Manana / Kids With Guns. Mark E Smith is best known as the man behind the UK band The Fall.
