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album: The Good, The Bad & The Queen
artist: The Good, The Bad & The Queen
label: Virgin Records / 2007
score: 83
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by Tim Mathiesen
I feel relaxed and happy. I owe it to a little album by a new band founded by one of my favorite musicians, Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz). The first listen was a little disappointing, but as I gave it a few more chances it grew into something enormously special. I think I was hoping for more rock-oriented music to bring me back to Damon Albarn's Blur era with Graham Coxon. From a critic's standpoint I would not give this album a perfect rating, but personally I have gotten a lot of out of it. The Good, The Bad & The Queen has grown into more than just an album, but a companion and a kind of therapy tool. The music is incredibly laid back, especially considering the background of the band members: Paul Simonon (The Clash - Bass), Tony Allen (Fela Kuti - Drums), Simon Tong (The Verve - Guitar).
I try to get myself to listen to other albums that I recently purchased or acquired, but I keep coming back to this one. This is very rare for me, since I easily get tired of albums and enjoy listening to new music. It's an album for all moods. I don't know what it is about Damon Albarn's voice, but I've loved it since I heard "Girls & Boys" from Parklife. He has matured quite a bit since those early days with Blur, going on to create the widely popular fake cartoon group, Gorillaz. Albarn is letting himself be influenced by more and more styles and genres of music, and learning to incorporate them into his own work. He is willing to open himself up to new opportunities and collaborate with and learn from others. Even though he is one of the most widely accepted and loved musicians in the world, he continues to stretch himself musically and creatively. I am very excited to see what he does next. For now, I'm going to click my way through my iPod to The Good, The Bad & The Queen.
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