Damon Albarn's career has taken him through Blur and Gorillaz, but that clearly wasn't enough to satisfy his eclectic tastes and seemingly endless ambition. His latest creation, The Good, the Bad & the Queen, finds him teaming up with ex-Clash bassist Paul Simonon, former Verve guitarist Simon Tong and Afrobeat luminary Tony Allen. The idea of these guys forming a supergroup and recording an album solely about London (they even have Danger Mouse producing) is undoubtedly cool. But if you're looking for an update of Blur's peak Britpop era, you'll be disappointed-unless you think that would mean sounding elegant and sedated most of the time.
That's not to say Albarn's songwriting has become any less crafty. The Good, the Bad & the Queen have enough addictive, beautifully mopey tracks to satisfy anyone who feels depressed about London, Britain or the state of the world in general. "Kingdom of Doom" mixes typically frank social commentary ("Drink all day 'cause the country's at war") with a bubbly, heavily-echoed mix of piano, odd guitar lines and straight-up bells. "Green Fields" is an incredibly lovable, psychedelic ditty, and "80's Life" actually does sound like a classic Blur ballad, something that the world always needs.
The Good, the Bad & the Queen have managed to live up to their expectations, giving Damon Albarn an opportunity to return to the melancholy, pop songwriting that brought him to the forefront of British music.
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