I've honesly hoped that this one would get a 9 or even light 10, but you're right. This was pretty good review and i agree with you on almost all parts. Unsubscribed
@@StubenhockerElite He's right, musicians almost always hit their prime during their youth and go downhill as the decades go by. Wisdom and creativity are completely different things.
Is Damon just an A&R guy at this point? Also having found that out now, I wish she was given some actual limelight instead of being swiftly sidelined by Kano's (in my opinion) out-of-place verse.
Good comparison, I felt like Strange Timez got the balance of Gorillaz flair and features right that Now Now and Humanz was missing. Possibly their best album imo
@@GanzoHasashi1911 YES!!!! Absolutely!!! That's exactly how I feel. Song Machine found a fantastic way to balance features and 2D. It's such a fantastic Gorillaz project. Could potentially be my favorite as it ages!
What similarities do you see in humanz and song machine? I think, except for maybe a few tracks on song machine, the albums sound way different and the themes on humanz seem way different than the themes on song machine. I think both are great albums, humanz got me into gorillaz and song machine is fire too
1:12 - Strange Timez 1:51 - The Valley of the Pagans 2:50 - The Lost Chord 3:21 - Pac-Man 3:49 - Chalk Tablet Towers 4:20 - The Pink Phantom 5:14 - Aries 6:03 - Friday 13th 6:33 - Dead Butterflies 7:24 - Désolé 7:49 - Momentary Bliss 9:30 - Opium - Simplicity - Severed Head - With Love to an Ex 9:51 - MLS 9:42 - How Far?
I'm just happy he liked Opium. Been seeing a number of people overlook it due to the slow pace of the track. Think it works really well as a transition into the deluxe tracks and has such a great payoff to its buildup
The Pink Phantom is a masterpiece to my ears. The dichotomy of 6LACK's autotune melancholy and Elton's grandiose singing just hits it for me so hard, to the point where it makes me teary with its beauty. Song Machine has pushed so many new songs into my top 10 Gorillaz songs!
Did anyone else find that "Song Machine" as a project is a total Grower?? I mean I remember hearing the singles, and on first listens I wasn't really impressed. But then 2 or 3 listens later I was shouting the lyrics as loud as humanly possible. I respect each song a little more with every listen! One of my favorite albums in 2020!
For me Song Machine is the Definition of a "Grower-Album" haha. I felt the same way. I'd hear a song and be like "Oh man Gorillaz have really gone down hill" then by the next week, I had it on repeat every second that I could.
definitely especially The Pink Phantom on first listen I was like this autotune part is not it and now it's like one of my favourites on the album and 6lack's part goes so perfect and beautifully and it is just a moment of genius like how tf u come up with that????
Accounting for "the gorillaz effect" in which it is literally impossible for their songs to get worse upon repeat listens, this is definitely a strong candidate for AOTY. I think we're gonna see this live out the light 9 part of that ranking for sure.
I love how people’s biggest criticism of Humanz was the over abundance of features and how it detracted from the album, but it’s the features here that really shine in this album I’ve always been a huge fan of Humanz, and I feel like Song Machine is the logical upgrade and superior version of it
the problem with humanz is that it completely failed to actually bring the vibe and quality songwriting that made plastic beach and demon days so good. Song Machine has all of that
I'll agree with that. Listened through Humanz again yesterday and can definitely see your comparison. To me the biggest difference is, that the first leg of Humanz are as good as the worst tracks on the Song Machine Deluxe, but the second leg (after Andromeda) feels very messy and has a lot of songs I prefer skipping over. On top of that I feel like 2D's vocals fits so much better with the Song Machine Tracks compared to Humanz.
IMO the main difference between this and Humanz is that, in Humanz the features are the stars while Gorillaz/Albarn placed largely in the background as a curator. While this has abundance of features, Albarn is the star of the songs while the features supporting him.
Honestly why was there a deluxe tracklist in the first place? It's not like this was gonna be a cohesive, conceptually-tight album from the get-go. It's essentially a compilation album, so might as well add in those other tracks to it as well. It just feels like an excuse for them to make too many versions of an album and charge more money.
I feel like me was a bit stingy with not giving an 9 but it's the Melon's opinion. Plus he said previously that something "like a strong _ to decent _" means it could be either one. I think he talked about in one of his recent interviews not sure which one
I... agree but also was not surprised at all with the comments and score, people were really thinking he would give this a 10 lol, i loved this and am huge gorillaz fan but a decent 9 for me tho, and lets be honest fantano gave less then ten 10s in a decade he wasnt gonna give this a ten, as great as it was
Five tens, to be precise. And I’m totally fine with it not being a ten. Damon Albarn is in the third leg of his career, it’s okay if he’s no longer making *perfect* records.
There's not going to be a 10 this year. I'm, like, 97% sure. The only album I think has a CHANCE is clipping's new album, but even then I highly doubt it.
As a huge fan of both Peggy and CHAI, seeing them as a COMBINED FEATURE on a gorillaz album caught me completely off guard. Just one of those things I never would have expected to happen, and I cannot overstate how happy I am that it did. It fuckin bops too.
@@MrYouarethecancer I felt like there was some definite filler on that album, but it was the best phase. and the last phase where the phase mattered. RIP to that aspect of the band
> Murdoc went to prison > Was replaced by Ace > Murdoc was released due to Corona and Ace was dropped > Murdoc experienced reflection in prison and is currently in ego death > Murdoc is suffering > Meanwhile, the rest of the band has returned to a refurbished K0NG Studios and are making the best out of quarantine
The standard edition of this album was practically flawless. The only slight lull was probably ‘Chalk Tablet Towers’ but even that track is still not bad.
I personally really enjoyed it. But yeah I kinda expected more of St. Vincent on there. There really was never a point where it was just her singing, like she was a straight up 2nd fiddle feature
@@declanstevenson9973 One of my favorites as well!! I love it so much haha. I agree that she could've had a bigger presence on the track but I still love it
2020 scores: 0/10: 1 - [ Green Day - Father of All ] 1/10: 1 - [ Sam Hunt - Southside ] 2/10: 0 3/10: 10 4/10: 16 5/10: 33 6/10: 25 7/10: 42 8/10: 40 9/10: 5 - Laura Marling - Song for Our Daughter - Black Dresses - Peaceful as Hell - Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure? - Blu & Exile - Miles ' Tkay Maidza - Last Year Was Weird Vol. 2 EP 10/10: 0 [NOT GOOD/10]: 8 - [ Justin Bieber - Changes ] - [ Lil Baby - My Turn] - [ Joyner Lucas - ADHD ] - [ Danzig Sings Elvis ] - [ Nav's Good Intentions & Brown Boy 2 ] - [ G-Eazy's Everything's Strange Here ] - [ Glass Animals - Dreamland ] - [ Machine Gun Kelly - Tickets to My Downfall ] IT'S GOOD/10 (from fantano channel): 6 - [ Disclosure - Ecstasy ] - [ Haru Nemuri - Lovetheism ] - [ Dirty Projectors - Windows Open Ep ] - [ Dirty Projectors - Flight Tower ] - [ Jockstrap - Wicked City ] - [ Slauson Malone - Vergangenheitsbewältigung ] EP review: 2 - [ Little Simz - Drop 6 ] - [ RMR - Drug Dealing Is a Lost Art ] Classics: 5 - [ Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope ] - [ Talk Talk - Laughing Stock ] - [ Converge - Jane Doe ] - [ My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade ] - [ Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury ] Custom scores: 2 - [ Gunna - Wunna ] -Ω/10 - [ Trapt - Shadow Work ] -😤/10 Second take: 1 - [ Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ] - 6/10 "Controversial": 25 - [ Eminem - Music To Be Murdered By ] =============> 5/10 - [ Tame Impala - The Slow Rush ] ==================> 6/10 - [ Grimes - Miss Anthropocene ] ===================> 4/10 - [ Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake ] =====================> 4/10 - [ Machine Girl - U-Void Synthesizer] ===============> 5/10 - [ Childish Gambino - 3.15.20 ]====================> 4/10 - [ Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud ] ====================> 4/10 - [ Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters ] =============> 7/10 - [ Westside Gunn - Pray for Paris ] =================> 6/10 - [ Dance Gavin Dances Afterburner] ================> 4/10 - [ Future - High Off Life ] =========================> 3/10 - [ Yung Lean - Starz ] ============================> 5/10 - [ Khruangbin - Mordechai ] =======================> 3/10 - [ Hum - Inlet ] =================================> 5/10 - [ MIKE - Weight of the World ] ====================> 4/10 - [ Paysage d'Hiver - Im Wald ] =====================> 3/10 - [ Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today ] ===========> 6/10 - [ Glass Animals' Dreamland ] ====================> NOT GOOD - [ Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death ] ================> 4/10 - [ Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song ] ==================> 6/10 - [ Declan McKenna - Zeros ] ======================>5/10 - [ Machine Gun Kelly - Tickets to My Downfall ] =======> NOT GOOD - [ Deftones - Ohms ] ============================> 3/10 - [Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension ] =================> 6/10 - [ Neil Cicierega - Mouth Dreams ] ==================> 4/10 - [ Róisín Murphy - Róisín Machine ] =================> 5/10 Cal cameos: 32 - Green Day - Father of All - Drake - Dark Lane Demo Tapes - Car Seat Headrest - Making a Door Less Open - Umbra Vitae - Shadow of Life - Nav's Good Intentions & Brown Boy 2 - Ka - Descendants of Cain - Future - High Off Life - Charli XCX - how i'm feeling now - Gunna - Wunna - The 1975 - Notes on a Conditional Form - Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated Side B - KSI - Dissimulation - Jeff Rosenstock - NO DREAM - Lady Gaga - Chromatica - Deerhoof - Future Teenage Cave Artists - Run the Jewels - RTJ4 - Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi - Lil Yachty - Lil Boat 3 - Chloe x Halle - Ungodly Hour - Baauer - Planet's Mad - HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III - Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure? - G-Eazy's Everything's Strange Here - Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways - Logic - No Pressure - The Killers - Imploding the Mirage - Disclosure - Energy - Katy Perry - Smile - The Flaming Lips - American Head - Neil Cicierega - Mouth Dreams - BLACKPINK - The Album- Reason - New Beginnings This is the 199th review of 2020
Do yourself a favor and check out Humanz as well! I delayed listening to it for a while because of how it's received in the Gorillaz community but it ended up being one of my favorites in their discography. All of their albums are at least worth a listen.
As a long-time fan, it really brings a tear to my eye to see the band still kicking ass 20 years later. It's easily some of their best work, and I'm electric with excitement for Season Two.
Chalk Tablet Towers was the quintessential "Gorillaz effect" track for me. Meh on first listen, but grows on me with each re-listen. Maybe helps that I was an 80's teen and this captures the flavor of that area, idk.
I wish you would've talked about "With Love To An Ex" although the lyrics aren't other worldly I REALLY enjoyed the rythm of this one. Overall a fantastic album and review. All Hail Melon Head
You should look up more of Moonchild Sanelly and her contribution to GQOM I got really excited when Gorillaz announced her as a feature, and thought Anthony would talk about it since it's such a big change of pace during the record
I remember watching the Humanz Fantano review a couple years ago where Melon dismissively said he wouldn’t use the character names- it warms my little Gorillaz geek heart to refer to Damon’s singing as ‘2D’s vocals’ in this review :)
I'm inclined to agree with you, although I might be biased because I have a lot of nostalgia regarding Demon Days, also along with The Mouse and The Mask it introduced me to MF DOOM who quickly became my favorite rapper.
@@newflesh666 I owe a lot to demon days but left it behind for it’s influences. I haven’t listened to DD in years but all the folk I found through it I visit all the time.
Song machine was one of the few things i had to look forward to throughout 2020. It may not be a perfect project but i think ill always have a special bond with this album since its pretty much been the soundtrack to the apocalypse
@@gasmask1408 Nah MLS is Boppin'. The worst song for me at least is probably "Severed Head" or "With Love to an Ex" and even then those songs aren't even bad haha.
Tbh I think Anthony nailed his analysis of The Pink Phantom. You'd never imagine 6lack and Elton John do a collaboration on their own, but you could see them both in the Gorillaz universe. This track is genius, and this is coming from someone who never liked 6lack. Although my favorite song on the project had to be Valley of the Pagans
Yeah it's actually my favourite, I think. Structurally it's really weird, but I just love the surreal imagery, the transitions to different verses, and especially Goldlink's first verse. This track straight up kills
It's too short though. Amazing mood, but cut short. It feels unfinished in that regard - as if Damon could only figure out what to do with Goldlink and UMO for half a song.
Although I'm almost certain Murdoc is a fictional character, I was really taken aback from Melon's 20min rant about dirty, dirty green people infecting modern society...
Agree with a lot of this. Though I loved Dead Butterflies, it all worked for me! The one track I would have also mentioned from the bonus track is With Love to an Ex, fantastic track! Thanks for blessing us with this release Gorillaz!
rly glad u praised opium toward the end i feel like thats my new favourite gorillaz song since their come back, also happy to see im not the only one who isnt crazy abt dead butterflies
If Song Machine season 2 is as good as this album, I think there will genuinely be an argument for modern Gorillaz albums (Humanz, Now Now, Song Machine) being as strong or stronger than classic Gorillaz albums (Gorillaz, Demon Days, Plastic Beach)
It's a mixing pot (cauldron) of magic! Awesome album! 🔥🔥🔥Lots of variety and weird and wonderful collabs and the Damon and Beck collaboration, wellah 👌 spot on! The lost chord is sizzling! That and momentary bliss are my faves! They absolutely smashed it out of the park! But yeah I agree with everything you so eloquently and intellectually expressed! 👍
tbh i feel like Humanz and The Now Now were like warmups so since they (probably) saw the reception and criticisms of them, it made them kinda go back to their older style (whatever that is exactly when it comes to Gorillaz). Some good examples are Momentary Bliss with its punk style which felt like a callback to the Self Titled album and Pac Man feels like something from Demon Days.
Opium is AMAZING. I also really like Severed Head ft Goldlink, that song's a vibe. Imo the bonus songs make the album more complete and I haven't listened to the album without them.
Gotta say, this review is to the point! I strongly agree with your favorite tracks from it, with a minor disagreement with Dead Butterflies, but I understand why some would dislike that single track. Personally, I enjoyed every step of this album, it's some of Gorillaz's best work in a long time, every song in the album having its place. Great review and commentary!
In my opinion this disproves that Humanz was bad because of too many features, but actually because the features took over most of the songs, whereas this has a good mix between 2D and the feature
I would say 8 out of 10 is fair for the complete album, but there are quite a few 10 out of 10 tracks on there. Thank god for Gorillaz though. Proof that creativity is still alive and well :)
My favorite song on this lp was opium, to me the beginning sounds like standing outside of a nightclub and the more you listen the closer to the dance floor with the lyrics kicking in when you reach the door.
8/10's give me a weird feeling that I can't quite describe like a mixed bag of happiness that's it's in his loved list and it's a yellow flannel but also disappointment that the score wasn't a 9 or a 10 cuz 8 is still 2 points less than ideal and it makes me have an existential crisis
There are more albums that have gotten a strong 9 than a 10. Literally everything has to be perfect including conceptual concepts like in TMS or TPAB to get there. He did revise his score of plastic beach to a decent 9 though.
@@En_Joshi-Godrez KSG isn't really a concept album despite it having themes as most highly rated records do but yah whats essentially a compilation is gonna have a harder time getting a 10. fr people expect 10s from things way too much they are incredibly rare. people also underestimate the rarity of 9s. he doesn't give more than a handful of 9s out a year and most years don't get any 10s
In my opinion, this was an extremely great album and one of the best of the year. Best songs: Momentary bliss, Desolé, Aries, The lost chord, MLS, Severed head, How far?, Friday 13th, opium, Chalk Tablet towers, Valley of the pagans and Strange times “Worst”songs: With love to an Ex, Dead butterflies. 9.5/10
Aries and Desole are some of the most infectious songs ive heard in a while. Those two along with Alton John and School Boy's features were enough to sell me on this one
There was only a couple of track I didn't enjoy, keywords "a couple". Song Machine feels like the personality I really wanna portray but is very afraid to do so for personal reasons. It's very cute a bubbly is some places, some songs bring out the hyper energy in me like Momentary Bliss. Songs like With Love To An Ex and Severed Head bring out the angry, petty side of me. Like you said Opium is a great song to dance to. Then there's songs that you don't have to do much for, just vibing out. POINT BEING, Gorillaz is my first band branching out of my comfort of rap music and they're also the first band to allow me to feel how I truly feel unapologetically. This album is the best example of that for me. The Now Now is another great example because I've never had music that I can cry all my problems out to before until I found Gorillaz at the very beginning of 2020
Anyone else find it odd that Anthony only reviews albums that have that red square at the top?
that's how artists submit their albums for review to anthono fantany
don't know man, might just be a coincidence
had never noticed that thing wtf.
Isn’t that just a clip?
@@swampthing2088 whoosh
I've honesly hoped that this one would get a 9 or even light 10, but you're right. This was pretty good review and i agree with you on almost all parts.
Unsubscribed
And i'm taking all your wallets with me
The thing is that the new tracks aren't so good tbh
@Chance just realized the last 6 tracks are from the deluxe AAA, anyway I loved the one with Beck sm but hated dead butterflies
@@fackumon292 we dont say words like hate around here
@@KnorkeKiste sorry ÚnÙ
ScHoolboy Q’s verse on Pac-Man is so fucking good.
True, it goes harddddd
*UH*
*HOW CAN I TRUST TRUTH*
hard agreed
when he said *UH* I felt that
I had a spark through my mind went *trip* create the wave so the vibe all *mix*
You know an album is great when people are criticizing a strong 8 rating
hell yeah.
Yeah, it should be less
@@impmadness it's great, imo
Or rather, you know an album is beloved by many.
Plastic Beach is better and it should rank higher than this album
Damon has such a brillant mind, he's in his 50's and still making good songs
Almost as if age makes you wiser...
@@StubenhockerElite you obviously havent listen to green day
@@StubenhockerElite He's right, musicians almost always hit their prime during their youth and go downhill as the decades go by. Wisdom and creativity are completely different things.
@@StubenhockerElite not always
@feargm Bowie is so fucking great.
ITS THE YELLOW ITS THE YELLOW ITS GONNA BE A CLASSIC WE GOT IT FINALLY ANTHONY WE GOT IT
we need Plastic Beach Redux. Do it for us Gorillaz fanboys
MAYBE EVEN A CHWELVE
A TWELVE CLASSIC
Honestly we do, the Melon himself said that his feelings on the album has changed.
Eazy Azizi I mean it was like thirteenth or something om the top of the decade list like I’m waiting for that strong 9
Nah, he was right about Plastic Beach.
Fun fact: Roxani Arias debuted on Dead Butterflies. She is currently working on an album, but this was her first appearance in music
Yeah I tried to look for some of her stuff but couldn't find a single thing
Imagine debuting on a Gorillaz album...
@@elesh.n the dream
Is Damon just an A&R guy at this point?
Also having found that out now, I wish she was given some actual limelight instead of being swiftly sidelined by Kano's (in my opinion) out-of-place verse.
It's funny because I felt that "The Now Now" was "The Fall" done better. Now "Song Machine" is "Humanz" done better.
Best comparison, man.
Good comparison, I felt like Strange Timez got the balance of Gorillaz flair and features right that Now Now and Humanz was missing. Possibly their best album imo
@@GanzoHasashi1911 YES!!!! Absolutely!!! That's exactly how I feel. Song Machine found a fantastic way to balance features and 2D. It's such a fantastic Gorillaz project. Could potentially be my favorite as it ages!
What similarities do you see in humanz and song machine? I think, except for maybe a few tracks on song machine, the albums sound way different and the themes on humanz seem way different than the themes on song machine. I think both are great albums, humanz got me into gorillaz and song machine is fire too
LMAOOOO
You acknowledging the fictional characters and saying things like "2D's Vocals" makes me so happy :).
Aye nice profile pic
@@WhoaNellyJake ayeee a tribe called quest the best bro
Cringe
2D is fictional?
@@Bandstand always has been
I feel like this is what "Humanz" should have been. One of my favorites this year!!!
Amen!!!
Duuuuuude i was thinking the same thing
Sidenote: No hate towards Humanz. Even though it's not my favorite I still enjoy so much off of it.
Going back I do enjoy listening to the stuff off of humanz, but I agree after that track with Kano.
Although I love every Gorillaz album. Humanz was the one that fell short.
If dead butterflies is the least fav track then this should be a 10
I personally like that song
That was my favorite on the album tbh, so gorgeous.
DEAD BUTTERFLIES IS SO GOOD
I love that song 🙃
He has said he didn't like songs with 'fly / flying' in the lyrics. could be based a bit around that.
1:12 - Strange Timez
1:51 - The Valley of the Pagans
2:50 - The Lost Chord
3:21 - Pac-Man
3:49 - Chalk Tablet Towers
4:20 - The Pink Phantom
5:14 - Aries
6:03 - Friday 13th
6:33 - Dead Butterflies
7:24 - Désolé
7:49 - Momentary Bliss
9:30 - Opium
- Simplicity
- Severed Head
- With Love to an Ex
9:51 - MLS
9:42 - How Far?
It’s official, boys. I can like this album.
You have to have Anthony validation🤣😂
Greetings mr okayest computer
you just can't like the song dead butterflies though
Free from the anxiety
How long did it take you to come up with this genius original joke
I'm just happy he liked Opium. Been seeing a number of people overlook it due to the slow pace of the track. Think it works really well as a transition into the deluxe tracks and has such a great payoff to its buildup
It's my favorite, really cool
I've been telling everyone they're sleeping on it, once it gets going it's like a fucking eargasm
I pumped my fist when he said he liked Opium. Definitely the most underrated track on the whole thing
Exactlyyyy when I first heard it vibes were so good and the transition was amazing!!
I like opium😁 I smoke it every day
I'd absolutely love to see Thundercat collab with Gorillaz
i’m getting into thundercat and i would love to see that as well
Definitely needs to happen.
Gorillaz + Thundercat + Tom Misch + Nai Palm = 🔥🔥🔥
I'm waiting on Death Grips 😅 I love the Peggy collab here
ohmygod, PLEASE, YES
Since the band members aren’t real I can’t make a “melon racist” joke
Russel
The features
Noodle is Asian and russsel is black
@@Carlosdreamur like I said the members aren’t real
@@Carlosdreamur and Murdoc is green af
The Pink Phantom is a masterpiece to my ears. The dichotomy of 6LACK's autotune melancholy and Elton's grandiose singing just hits it for me so hard, to the point where it makes me teary with its beauty. Song Machine has pushed so many new songs into my top 10 Gorillaz songs!
Sensational
Six lack
Don’t put da finger on da 6lack
personally I think the song would be fine without the 6lack verse
@@bertiemunn129 I think that while the autotune could have been tuned down, his verse is still an integral part of the song IMO
8 is a weird way to pronounce 10, Anthony.
8 is a weird way to write 10
@@francorolandi3036 find it funny how your comment got 8 likes :)
@@RedboneJones you mean 10
@@VethoRinga its 8 >:(
@@RedboneJones i'm about to ruin it
Did anyone else find that "Song Machine" as a project is a total Grower?? I mean I remember hearing the singles, and on first listens I wasn't really impressed. But then 2 or 3 listens later I was shouting the lyrics as loud as humanly possible. I respect each song a little more with every listen! One of my favorite albums in 2020!
For me Song Machine is the Definition of a "Grower-Album" haha. I felt the same way. I'd hear a song and be like "Oh man Gorillaz have really gone down hill" then by the next week, I had it on repeat every second that I could.
Thats been the gorillaz signature. They’ve had songs like that since their first album
definitely especially The Pink Phantom on first listen I was like this autotune part is not it and now it's like one of my favourites on the album and 6lack's part goes so perfect and beautifully and it is just a moment of genius like how tf u come up with that????
100%. Every single I heard at first I was like 'huh. Not sure if I'm digging this'. Then literally on the next listen I loved it.
Yeah, desole, pacman and the pink phantom are probably the only ones that instantly hit me.
Accounting for "the gorillaz effect" in which it is literally impossible for their songs to get worse upon repeat listens, this is definitely a strong candidate for AOTY. I think we're gonna see this live out the light 9 part of that ranking for sure.
I've honestly never heard of that before! Their songs do get better after a handful of listens, though
That's the best kind of music.
Best example of that in this album is pink phantom for me
I love how people’s biggest criticism of Humanz was the over abundance of features and how it detracted from the album, but it’s the features here that really shine in this album
I’ve always been a huge fan of Humanz, and I feel like Song Machine is the logical upgrade and superior version of it
the problem with humanz is that it completely failed to actually bring the vibe and quality songwriting that made plastic beach and demon days so good. Song Machine has all of that
I'll agree with that. Listened through Humanz again yesterday and can definitely see your comparison. To me the biggest difference is, that the first leg of Humanz are as good as the worst tracks on the Song Machine Deluxe, but the second leg (after Andromeda) feels very messy and has a lot of songs I prefer skipping over.
On top of that I feel like 2D's vocals fits so much better with the Song Machine Tracks compared to Humanz.
@@CocioBee yeah i definitely agree.
Some features feel completely out of place in Humanz. Danny Brown didn’t work at all on Submission
IMO the main difference between this and Humanz is that, in Humanz the features are the stars while Gorillaz/Albarn placed largely in the background as a curator. While this has abundance of features, Albarn is the star of the songs while the features supporting him.
I love how he says 2D instead of Albarn. Respect
As a MASSIVE Gorillaz fan I have totally come to adore this album. Their best in a decade!!!
same.
i'm just glad he took the time to mention the bonus tracks, Opium is an absolute banger and deserved to be on the standard tracklist imo
Yeah it's probably my favourite track on the whole thing.
I feel like people kinda sleeping on Severed Head tho
@@SpingotGoomer agreed
@@SpingotGoomer Severd Head is a vibe
Honestly why was there a deluxe tracklist in the first place? It's not like this was gonna be a cohesive, conceptually-tight album from the get-go. It's essentially a compilation album, so might as well add in those other tracks to it as well.
It just feels like an excuse for them to make too many versions of an album and charge more money.
If you're going for only one single to be picked in your year-end song list, it would be difficult. They're all amazing. (I'd go for Aries though.)
agree, favorite on the album
watch him pick all of them
He's probably going Pac-Man, it seems to be his favorite. I'm guessing it'll be in the top 10 but maybe not idk.
Momentary bliss for me. Love gorillaz, love slowthai, love slaves (don’t misinterpret that). Knew it was gonna be my favourite from the get-go
@@jbiel3617 yeah that one's def tied with MLS for my second fav. But imo none of it beats Friday 13th.
Even 5 "this is the best Gorillaz song I've heard so far" won't warrant a 9 from this man. Dark times indeed.
more like strange timez amirite?
strange timez*
light 9*
lmao
I feel like me was a bit stingy with not giving an 9 but it's the Melon's opinion. Plus he said previously that something "like a strong _ to decent _" means it could be either one. I think he talked about in one of his recent interviews not sure which one
Pageformusicchads be like: damn I guess I gotta like this now
Oh man I didn't want to say it haha
Just like with Idles
I think he still stands firm on his opinion about the Idles album being mid
He says it’s mid to him now.
Lol, I love that dude, but he has such weird opinions.
The Year of the 8 continues on. What Strange Timez...
There are five nines
@@joaquin5929 ...when there should be 6. ;)
@@SageReiger There is 6 now, Clipping coming on through!
@@D_d_t_d_D Melon saved up his 9 quota. At least it’s for a deserving album 👌🏼
I... agree but also was not surprised at all with the comments and score, people were really thinking he would give this a 10 lol, i loved this and am huge gorillaz fan but a decent 9 for me tho, and lets be honest fantano gave less then ten 10s in a decade he wasnt gonna give this a ten, as great as it was
Five tens, to be precise. And I’m totally fine with it not being a ten. Damon Albarn is in the third leg of his career, it’s okay if he’s no longer making *perfect* records.
true. This is about the score i was expecting.
There's not going to be a 10 this year. I'm, like, 97% sure. The only album I think has a CHANCE is clipping's new album, but even then I highly doubt it.
@@switch1e I'd say the next artist to get a 10 from Fantano will be like a JPEGMAFIA.
@@LatinaCreamQueen if that collab between peggy, slowthai, denzel curry and zillakami comes alive, a 10 wouldnt surprise me
As a huge fan of both Peggy and CHAI, seeing them as a COMBINED FEATURE on a gorillaz album caught me completely off guard. Just one of those things I never would have expected to happen, and I cannot overstate how happy I am that it did. It fuckin bops too.
The first 8/10 review Gorillaz have received by theneedledrop
Edit: Big old asterisk on that thanks comments.
He's said Demon Days is a 9 for him and Plastic Beach grew so much for him it got 13 on his list of favourite albums of the 2010's.
He like Plastic Beach more than Demon Days now so its probably 9-10
Plastic Beach is a 10
@@MrYouarethecancer I felt like there was some definite filler on that album, but it was the best phase. and the last phase where the phase mattered. RIP to that aspect of the band
@@philatio1744 where did he say that ?
Fans: “No!!! You can’t just make a gorillaz album without lore!!”
Albarn: “Song machine go brrrr”
i read the Fans text in my head in Murdoc's voice
Did “The Now Now” have lore? Admittedly I’m not an expert in that field but I thought it wasn’t focused as heavily on the virtual band.
Well, imo Song Machine has more of a loosely connected story like it feels more like a slice-of-life Gorillaz.
@@DeepFriedCertified it did have but not much it was mostly of mudz in jail and "el mierdas" ' drama but not much besides that
> Murdoc went to prison
> Was replaced by Ace
> Murdoc was released due to Corona and Ace was dropped
> Murdoc experienced reflection in prison and is currently in ego death
> Murdoc is suffering
> Meanwhile, the rest of the band has returned to a refurbished K0NG Studios and are making the best out of quarantine
The best singles-run of any band ever
100%
The Smiths?
The Smiths indeed
Nah
Yes Anthony, these are *Strange Times.* Music is now being made from *Song Machines.*
Timez*
He didn't say that.
And we thought it couldn't get any more artificial than Humanz.
The standard edition of this album was practically flawless. The only slight lull was probably ‘Chalk Tablet Towers’ but even that track is still not bad.
Yeah, i was really expecting more with that St. Vincent feature.
really? That's one of my favorite tracks off the album, it's so groovy
I personally really enjoyed it. But yeah I kinda expected more of St. Vincent on there. There really was never a point where it was just her singing, like she was a straight up 2nd fiddle feature
@@declanstevenson9973 One of my favorites as well!! I love it so much haha. I agree that she could've had a bigger presence on the track but I still love it
@@fablejoey3666 literally my fav song on the album
Easily best stuff since plastic beach.
totally, it was so enjoyable.
I agree this is the best since but The Fall, Humanz and The Now Now are all great in my opinion.
I'd go as far as to say it's the best since Demon Days. This is their second most consistently enjoyable album.
plastic beach is still the best
but this one's great tho, 2nd place imo
Defo, really feel progression in their music whilst also holding on to their old style which everyone undeniably loves. :)
Gorillaz have been back for 3 years but now it actually feels like it 😢
RIGHT
2020 scores:
0/10: 1
- [ Green Day - Father of All ]
1/10: 1
- [ Sam Hunt - Southside ]
2/10: 0
3/10: 10
4/10: 16
5/10: 33
6/10: 25
7/10: 42
8/10: 40
9/10: 5
- Laura Marling - Song for Our Daughter
- Black Dresses - Peaceful as Hell
- Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
- Blu & Exile - Miles
' Tkay Maidza - Last Year Was Weird Vol. 2 EP
10/10: 0
[NOT GOOD/10]: 8
- [ Justin Bieber - Changes ]
- [ Lil Baby - My Turn]
- [ Joyner Lucas - ADHD ]
- [ Danzig Sings Elvis ]
- [ Nav's Good Intentions & Brown Boy 2 ]
- [ G-Eazy's Everything's Strange Here ]
- [ Glass Animals - Dreamland ]
- [ Machine Gun Kelly - Tickets to My Downfall ]
IT'S GOOD/10 (from fantano channel): 6
- [ Disclosure - Ecstasy ]
- [ Haru Nemuri - Lovetheism ]
- [ Dirty Projectors - Windows Open Ep ]
- [ Dirty Projectors - Flight Tower ]
- [ Jockstrap - Wicked City ]
- [ Slauson Malone - Vergangenheitsbewältigung ]
EP review: 2
- [ Little Simz - Drop 6 ]
- [ RMR - Drug Dealing Is a Lost Art ]
Classics: 5
- [ Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope ]
- [ Talk Talk - Laughing Stock ]
- [ Converge - Jane Doe ]
- [ My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade ]
- [ Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury ]
Custom scores: 2
- [ Gunna - Wunna ] -Ω/10
- [ Trapt - Shadow Work ] -😤/10
Second take: 1
- [ Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ] - 6/10
"Controversial": 25
- [ Eminem - Music To Be Murdered By ] =============> 5/10
- [ Tame Impala - The Slow Rush ] ==================> 6/10
- [ Grimes - Miss Anthropocene ] ===================> 4/10
- [ Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake ] =====================> 4/10
- [ Machine Girl - U-Void Synthesizer] ===============> 5/10
- [ Childish Gambino - 3.15.20 ]====================> 4/10
- [ Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud ] ====================> 4/10
- [ Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters ] =============> 7/10
- [ Westside Gunn - Pray for Paris ] =================> 6/10
- [ Dance Gavin Dances Afterburner] ================> 4/10
- [ Future - High Off Life ] =========================> 3/10
- [ Yung Lean - Starz ] ============================> 5/10
- [ Khruangbin - Mordechai ] =======================> 3/10
- [ Hum - Inlet ] =================================> 5/10
- [ MIKE - Weight of the World ] ====================> 4/10
- [ Paysage d'Hiver - Im Wald ] =====================> 3/10
- [ Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today ] ===========> 6/10
- [ Glass Animals' Dreamland ] ====================> NOT GOOD
- [ Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death ] ================> 4/10
- [ Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song ] ==================> 6/10
- [ Declan McKenna - Zeros ] ======================>5/10
- [ Machine Gun Kelly - Tickets to My Downfall ] =======> NOT GOOD
- [ Deftones - Ohms ] ============================> 3/10
- [Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension ] =================> 6/10
- [ Neil Cicierega - Mouth Dreams ] ==================> 4/10
- [ Róisín Murphy - Róisín Machine ] =================> 5/10
Cal cameos: 32
- Green Day - Father of All
- Drake - Dark Lane Demo Tapes
- Car Seat Headrest - Making a Door Less Open
- Umbra Vitae - Shadow of Life
- Nav's Good Intentions & Brown Boy 2
- Ka - Descendants of Cain
- Future - High Off Life
- Charli XCX - how i'm feeling now
- Gunna - Wunna
- The 1975 - Notes on a Conditional Form
- Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated Side B
- KSI - Dissimulation
- Jeff Rosenstock - NO DREAM
- Lady Gaga - Chromatica
- Deerhoof - Future Teenage Cave Artists
- Run the Jewels - RTJ4
- Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi
- Lil Yachty - Lil Boat 3
- Chloe x Halle - Ungodly Hour
- Baauer - Planet's Mad
- HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III
- Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
- G-Eazy's Everything's Strange Here
- Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
- Logic - No Pressure
- The Killers - Imploding the Mirage
- Disclosure - Energy
- Katy Perry - Smile
- The Flaming Lips - American Head
- Neil Cicierega - Mouth Dreams
- BLACKPINK - The Album- Reason - New Beginnings
This is the 199th review of 2020
Wow this is comprehensive
Strong 8 seemed lower than was expected.
yes especially since he loved all the singles
My first time listening to Gorillaz, that first half is nearly perfect in my mind.
listen to Plastic Beach man
@@djvibekiller and Demon Days bro!
@@theimpossiblesomething6773 basically listen to anything before the fall lol
you're in for a treat.
Do yourself a favor and check out Humanz as well! I delayed listening to it for a while because of how it's received in the Gorillaz community but it ended up being one of my favorites in their discography. All of their albums are at least worth a listen.
Damn melon, was expecting a 9 on this one
He said light 9, it's so annoying he didn't choose it as the number
I was expecting at most a 9 or at the very least a 7, but yet again melon ceases to amaze by giving every album an 8
Hey it got higher than Plastic Beach, he rated it 7/10
True but Plastic Beach grew on him exponentially since, I'm sure it's a 9 for him now.
@@reallyonfire Plastic Beach was among his 20 favorite albums of the decade, so it's at least a 9
As a long-time fan, it really brings a tear to my eye to see the band still kicking ass 20 years later. It's easily some of their best work, and I'm electric with excitement for Season Two.
Congratulations on the Pizza Hut sponsorship, Anthony!
Chalk Tablet Towers was the quintessential "Gorillaz effect" track for me. Meh on first listen, but grows on me with each re-listen. Maybe helps that I was an 80's teen and this captures the flavor of that area, idk.
I wish you would've talked about "With Love To An Ex" although the lyrics aren't other worldly I REALLY enjoyed the rythm of this one. Overall a fantastic album and review.
All Hail Melon Head
You should look up more of Moonchild Sanelly and her contribution to GQOM
I got really excited when Gorillaz announced her as a feature, and thought Anthony would talk about it since it's such a big change of pace during the record
The part with the super distorted voices makes me giddy every time it's so cool
Yeah i love the chorus and the beat to this one
Best bonus track 💯
yess i really really love that track i was hoping to hear him talk about it
Anthony, you accidentally typed ‘8’ instead of a ‘10’. Easy fix, I totally understand we all make mistakes. FIX IT NOW
Fully agreed
Tbh im completly satisfied with an 8, with how melon rates his albums
*Least Fav Tracks: Dead Butterflies*
I mean if that's the case this album is basically a 10 that song is amazing
I remember watching the Humanz Fantano review a couple years ago where Melon dismissively said he wouldn’t use the character names- it warms my little Gorillaz geek heart to refer to Damon’s singing as ‘2D’s vocals’ in this review :)
For me it’s their 2nd best overall, only slightly behind Demon Days which is no insult as that one’s hard to top.
Yeah I don't think any album can top demon days. It was just created at the perfect time and constructed so well.
I'm inclined to agree with you, although I might be biased because I have a lot of nostalgia regarding Demon Days, also along with The Mouse and The Mask it introduced me to MF DOOM who quickly became my favorite rapper.
Same
@@newflesh666 I owe a lot to demon days but left it behind for it’s influences. I haven’t listened to DD in years but all the folk I found through it I visit all the time.
It’s tied with Demon Days for my second favorite. Plastic Beach is their best for me, but I completely understand the love for Demon Days.
Opium was my favorite track on the album I didn’t even realize all those tracks were bonuses
agree 2x
^
You know there was a lot of focus on the singles in this album but the album does have a reasonable album flow. It was incredibly surprising
Song machine was one of the few things i had to look forward to throughout 2020. It may not be a perfect project but i think ill always have a special bond with this album since its pretty much been the soundtrack to the apocalypse
Same, it gave me something to look forward to every month there for a while!
"Strong 8 (to a light 9)"
It's ok, boys. He's saving the 9 for Visions of Bodies...
edit: holy shit I was right
as he should
Please
It's coming, I can feel it.
*10
@@straightXjessedge If only Eaten Alive wasn’t on the album it’d be a 10
You put 8 in the description but I'm taking that "Light 9" to the bank. This album is incredible, and just so damn exciting to listen to.
NO WAY IS "DEAD BUTTERFLIES" THE WORST TRACK.... other than that wonderful review Melon.
Haha yeah I loved that song too
Yes, it's literally MLS
@@gasmask1408 Nah MLS is Boppin'. The worst song for me at least is probably "Severed Head" or "With Love to an Ex" and even then those songs aren't even bad haha.
@@shallowpink8020 with love to an ex or simplicity are definitely the worst songs
@@jasonperhach8989 Those are only bonus tracks too
Tbh I think Anthony nailed his analysis of The Pink Phantom. You'd never imagine 6lack and Elton John do a collaboration on their own, but you could see them both in the Gorillaz universe. This track is genius, and this is coming from someone who never liked 6lack.
Although my favorite song on the project had to be Valley of the Pagans
I really like “Severed Head” personally.
same why is nobody talking about it?
Yeah it's actually my favourite, I think. Structurally it's really weird, but I just love the surreal imagery, the transitions to different verses, and especially Goldlink's first verse. This track straight up kills
I liked it too, it's got such a surreal feel to it.
It's too short though. Amazing mood, but cut short. It feels unfinished in that regard - as if Damon could only figure out what to do with Goldlink and UMO for half a song.
@@k-leb4671Funny how it’s actually the second longest song out of the deluxe songs
Lost Chord is my new favorite Gorillaz song. Plastic Beach is probably my favorite album as a whole, and it brought me back there.
My favorite albums of 2020 (unranked)
A. After Hours - Weeknd
B. S16 - Woodkid
C. Song Machine - Gorillaz
D. Help Yourself to my Garden - TOPAZ
You can’t just make gorrilla noises for 11 minutes and call it a review, Anthony.
This isn’t funny and this joke is so overdone
I feel like this guy didn’t even watch the review. It’s Anthony talking about the album and giving a good critique.
Glasses make him look totaly human !
I want to punch you
"LEAST FAV TRACK: DEAD BUTTERFLIES
"
serious melon?
Although I'm almost certain Murdoc is a fictional character, I was really taken aback from Melon's 20min rant about dirty, dirty green people infecting modern society...
HE'S WEARING THE SHIRT GUYS IT'S GOOD
Looking forward to your review of Creampie Cuties 4, Melon
Boy i miss newgrounds
I LOVE The Lost Chord, the song and video are just.... wonderful
Agree with a lot of this. Though I loved Dead Butterflies, it all worked for me! The one track I would have also mentioned from the bonus track is With Love to an Ex, fantastic track! Thanks for blessing us with this release Gorillaz!
besides the lack of love for "dead butterflies" i thought it was a good review . underrated track btw
rly glad u praised opium toward the end i feel like thats my new favourite gorillaz song since their come back, also happy to see im not the only one who isnt crazy abt dead butterflies
i just discovered Gorillaz a few months ago and i am actually obsessed
SAMEEEE, I got into them close to five months ago :))
What took you so long?
If Song Machine season 2 is as good as this album, I think there will genuinely be an argument for modern Gorillaz albums (Humanz, Now Now, Song Machine) being as strong or stronger than classic Gorillaz albums (Gorillaz, Demon Days, Plastic Beach)
Bruh, give me back my copy of Get Rich or Die Trying, Anthony
"It took you two weeks to burn a CD dawg?"
This is the best Gorillaz album since Plastic Beach. I'm so happy to be able to say they have 4 fantastic albums now
I’m so glad you mentioned Opium! I had a feeling you would, and honestly I feel that it isn’t talked about enough.
Momentary Bliss and The Valley of The Pagans was probably my favorite out of all songs last year!
I am so happy that Gorillaz is still making music
Yeah. It's been more than 20 years. Time flies
Anthony please stop referring to russel as “putting the gorilla in gorillaz”
Jk this review is one of the best of the year
I love this
Wait
Was looking for this 😂
“This was the best fucking album I’ve ever heard and I would kill to listen to it again. I’ll give it an 8.”
Damn Gorillaz kicks off the decade awesome 3 times in a row! First it’s their debut, then Plastic Beach, and now Song Machine
the percussion in Aries is impeccable. the new order comparison is dead on too.
Let's be honest with ourselves, the Song Machine Track Reviews made clear as day what the color of his flannel would be.
Momentary bliss and PAC-MAN I could play on replay all day
not gonna lie, this one made me smile:)
It's a mixing pot (cauldron) of magic! Awesome album! 🔥🔥🔥Lots of variety and weird and wonderful collabs and the Damon and Beck collaboration, wellah 👌 spot on! The lost chord is sizzling! That and momentary bliss are my faves! They absolutely smashed it out of the park!
But yeah I agree with everything you so eloquently and intellectually expressed! 👍
tbh i feel like Humanz and The Now Now were like warmups so since they (probably) saw the reception and criticisms of them, it made them kinda go back to their older style (whatever that is exactly when it comes to Gorillaz). Some good examples are Momentary Bliss with its punk style which felt like a callback to the Self Titled album and Pac Man feels like something from Demon Days.
Do 'I Hate Mars Bars'.
I see youre a man of culture
@@joshhunter6928 No.
Yes.
Make a collab with manmanboyboyman
@@aR0ttenBANANA Yes.
Fantano didn't mention With Love To An Ex because he knew he'd be unable to review it without saying the n-word
Everything seems better when a Gorillaz album gets the yellow flannel.
Opium is AMAZING. I also really like Severed Head ft Goldlink, that song's a vibe. Imo the bonus songs make the album more complete and I haven't listened to the album without them.
Gotta say, this review is to the point! I strongly agree with your favorite tracks from it, with a minor disagreement with Dead Butterflies, but I understand why some would dislike that single track. Personally, I enjoyed every step of this album, it's some of Gorillaz's best work in a long time, every song in the album having its place. Great review and commentary!
This isn’t Jean Dawson’s debut full length LP that I personally would take as AOTY :(
In my opinion this disproves that Humanz was bad because of too many features, but actually because the features took over most of the songs, whereas this has a good mix between 2D and the feature
I would say 8 out of 10 is fair for the complete album, but there are quite a few 10 out of 10 tracks on there. Thank god for Gorillaz though. Proof that creativity is still alive and well :)
My favorite song on this lp was opium, to me the beginning sounds like standing outside of a nightclub and the more you listen the closer to the dance floor with the lyrics kicking in when you reach the door.
Should’ve reviewed the deluxe, love the Skepta/Tony Allen track, Peggy and Chai track and the “with love to an ex” tune
WHEN'S THE CLIPPING REVIEW GONNA COME OUT？？？？
8/10's give me a weird feeling that I can't quite describe like a mixed bag of happiness that's it's in his loved list and it's a yellow flannel but also disappointment that the score wasn't a 9 or a 10 cuz 8 is still 2 points less than ideal and it makes me have an existential crisis
There are more albums that have gotten a strong 9 than a 10. Literally everything has to be perfect including conceptual concepts like in TMS or TPAB to get there. He did revise his score of plastic beach to a decent 9 though.
*"Well, shouldn't strong 8 be like just 1.25 point lower but.. okay then."* - 2-D
@@En_Joshi-Godrez KSG isn't really a concept album despite it having themes as most highly rated records do but yah whats essentially a compilation is gonna have a harder time getting a 10. fr people expect 10s from things way too much they are incredibly rare. people also underestimate the rarity of 9s. he doesn't give more than a handful of 9s out a year and most years don't get any 10s
In my opinion, this was an extremely great album and one of the best of the year.
Best songs: Momentary bliss, Desolé, Aries, The lost chord, MLS, Severed head, How far?, Friday 13th, opium, Chalk Tablet towers, Valley of the pagans and Strange times
“Worst”songs: With love to an Ex, Dead butterflies.
9.5/10
The worst track is the one with JPEG, horrible
@@gasmask1408 ok
I agree with all of your choices except switch Love to an Ex with Opium. I just have an inclination towards the accent and style of Moonchild
@@gasmask1408 you are allowed to have wrong opinions
Aries and Desole are some of the most infectious songs ive heard in a while. Those two along with Alton John and School Boy's features were enough to sell me on this one
Alton John? Is he the owner of Alton Towers?
@@k-leb4671 Yah got me
There was only a couple of track I didn't enjoy, keywords "a couple". Song Machine feels like the personality I really wanna portray but is very afraid to do so for personal reasons. It's very cute a bubbly is some places, some songs bring out the hyper energy in me like Momentary Bliss. Songs like With Love To An Ex and Severed Head bring out the angry, petty side of me. Like you said Opium is a great song to dance to. Then there's songs that you don't have to do much for, just vibing out. POINT BEING, Gorillaz is my first band branching out of my comfort of rap music and they're also the first band to allow me to feel how I truly feel unapologetically. This album is the best example of that for me. The Now Now is another great example because I've never had music that I can cry all my problems out to before until I found Gorillaz at the very beginning of 2020
I love how Anthony actually calls the lead singer 2D as opposed to Damon lol