Undoubtedly, Damon Albarn is one of the most influential figures in modern music. A Britpop pioneer; who paved the way for a list of bands as long as my arm, a musical innovator and collaborator; as proved by his work with Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad and The Queen, and now a solo artist whose song writing capabilities, much like a fine cheese or a leather jacket, have seemingly got better with age.
Lyrically, the entire LP centres on a sort of autobiographical reflection of Albarn’s 46 years. Whether it’s his childhood spent in Leytonstone, the heat wave of 1976, ‘Hollow Ponds’, or his encounters with baby elephants in Tanzania, ‘Mr Tembo’), almost every aspect receives an in-depth analysis on the album in question.
The album’s title track introduces another recurring theme throughout Everyday Robots; the idea that technology is swiftly taking over our lives. Maybe Albarn is simply showing his age, but with lyrics evoking ideas of our obligation to document even the most trivial aspects of our daily lives on social networking sites, we can only be left to cerebrate “he’s got a point”. ‘Hostiles’ reiterates this idea of technological oppression with imagery of the hostility, surprisingly, and passive aggressive nature of video gaming; whereas ‘Lonely Press Play’ explores similar issues concerning our reliance on virtual symbols in our everyday lives, as expressed in the title.
The overall sound we’re presented with on Everyday Robots remains minimal and understated throughout the entire album. However, spells of excitement do occur from time to time. Take the unusual ongoing violin riff of the title track for example, or the atypical introductory guitar and sombre vocals of ‘The History of a Cheating Heart’. The album’s lack of melody is made up for on ‘Heavy Seas of Love’ which takes a more anthemic turn from previous tracks on the record as a result of its uplifting piano and climactic choric vocals.
So from the Britpop days of Blur to a long-awaited solo album, Damon Albarn has assuredly proved to be a jack-of-all-trades. It’s safe to say that back when Blur burst out of London in 1991, nobody would have expected an output quite like this, but then again it’s certainly not the first time he’s gone out of his way to prove that he is a master of the unexpected.
Written for PostMusicDepression.
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