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Gorillaz albums ranked

This list is based entirely on my personal opinion.

I'll only be including their core studio albums, so neither of their B-side albums or their remix album.

[center][b]7. The Fall[/b][/center]
I'm still not sure how this got released as a Gorillaz album. It's not a Gorillaz album, it's a Damon Albarn solo project he recorded mostly on his iPad while he was touring with Gorillaz. It's like he didn't know what else call it, so he just slapped the Gorillaz label on it, lazily incorporated it into the band's lore and left it at that. This would be forgivable if the quality of the album was at least up to Gorillaz's standards, but it's average at-best and completely forgettable. It's ironic how Albarn has always prided himself on putting quality over quantity with Gorillaz and even made a song about it on [i]Plastic Beach[/i] ("Superfast Jellyfish") and then he hastily puts out a new Gorillaz album written and recorded within a few weeks that turned out to be their weakest one yet. What was he thinking?

[center][b]6. The Now Now[/b][/center]
When I first heard that there was going to be a new Gorillaz album so quickly after they had just released [i]Humanz[/i] the previous year, I really had my doubts about it considering what you just read regarding [i]The Fall.[/i] But surprisingly, [i]The Now Now[/i] turned out to be decent. It's still not quite on par with most of Gorillaz's other records, but at least it feels like an actual Gorillaz album this time. It even has a few songs I find myself coming back to listen to every so often. Though it seems that the main reason [i]The Now Now[/i] was made was to address criticisms regarding [i]Humanz[/i] in that it had too many collaborators and so they did this one with Damn Albarn a.k.a. 2D at the forefront for the majority, with only three guest artists featured. Whatever the case, it may not be a Gorillaz classic, but it does well enough.

[center][b]5. Gorillaz[/b][/center]
Don't get me wrong, Gorillaz's self-titled debut is a great album! I listened to it when it first came out and when I did, I was utterly blown away by the awesome music this weird cartoon band could make. The reason for it being lower on this list is because Gorillaz have gone on to make more albums that are simply superior to this one. That and while this remains a great record, its style gets a bit too out there. By that, I mean this one sort of lacks cohesion with how it goes all over the place with its diverse array of genres, while just about every Gorillaz record that came after it has had a unifying style to it. Normally, musical diversity is admirable, but Gorillaz mixed it up just a bit too much with their debut. Having said that, [i]Gorillaz[/i] still holds up as a classic and has many of their most iconic hits that have been instrumental in defining the group's sound. I would say if one were being introduced to Gorillaz, their debut would probably be the best album to start with for getting a feel of what they're all about before graduating to their better works.

[center][b]4. Humanz[/b][/center]
A lot of fans expressed disappointment with this album, saying it had far too many guest musicians to where it ended up being more like some kind of various artists compilation than an actual Gorillaz album. I will say those criticisms are completely fair. It wasn't unheard of for Gorillaz to let guest artists take the lead in their songs, but they did go overboard with it on [i]Humanz.[/i] No argument that Damn Albarn was too generous with the hefty amount of collaborators, but I disagree with it not sounding like Gorillaz. For every song, the music retains the quirky, abstract style that's become something of Gorillaz's signature. At no point did I personally feel I wasn't listening to a Gorillaz record, even when Albarn was nowhere to be heard. The album itself is excellent! The later half is where it starts to get a little weak, but the first half has some of the best songs Gorillaz have ever done. As for the excessive amount of guest artists, perhaps its better to look at it as all the amazing talent Gorillaz are able to round up; a testament to how far they've come from being just a virtual band gimmick to having every great artist wanting to make music with them.

[center][b]3. Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez[/b][/center]
The most recent record from Gorillaz and something of a new beginning for the group. The plan for this [i]Song Machine[/i] series is to release a new single and music video every month or so as episodes that will all be compiled into an album or "season" released later that year. I think this new approach suits Gorillaz very well. Damon Albarn once said he doesn't want to take years releasing a new Gorillaz record since they're all getting old now and I think this series will be a great way of keeping the project active without it being terribly rushed like [i]The Fall[/i] was. Much like their debut album, [i]Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez[/i] has Gorillaz just going every which way with the music. But this time, they're able to do it in a way that feels much more uniform and less chaotic. On top of that, they have even more incredible talent involved this time around and it's done so the guests are [i]guests[/i] most of the time and not stealing the show too much. If this is what we can expect from this [i]Song Machine[/i] series, then I can't wait for the next one! It's one of their best albums and I can see the next being equally great, if not even better!

[center][b]2. Plastic Beach[/b][/center]
When I first listened to [i]Plastic Beach,[/i] I wasn't terribly impressed with it. Its upbeat electronic pop style just put me off at first since it seemed polar opposite from the dark and dreary nature of [i]Demon Days.[/i] It took some time, but when I got around to trying [i]Plastic Beach[/i] again, I quickly fell in love with it and wish I could go back and kick myself during my initial reaction to it. [i]Demon Days[/i] itself was a drastic departure from their first album! That should have taught me that Gorillaz are all about breaking the mould and being different. They're an animated band, for crying out loud! [i]Plastic Beach's[/i] brighter theme is part of what makes the album so great. It's their most vibrant and colorful album! It's packed with some of the most inspired and ambitious songs of Gorillaz's catalogue and is a solid album from start to finish. Complete with another star-studded cast of guests who each bring even greater flavor to an already flavorful record. It doesn't quite surpass [i]Demon Days[/i] in terms of greatness, but it comes close.

[center][b]1. Demon Days[/b][/center]
Gorillaz have always made some pretty amazing music since they first started and I believe they will continue going on to make more amazing music. But I also believe they will never make anything that will top [i]Demon Days.[/i] Gorillaz were groundbreaking with their first album, but they were still considered by many to be just a novelty act - a gimmick that wouldn't last long. But when [i]Demon Days[/i] came around, it cemented Gorillaz not just as a legit music group, but one that was a force to be reckoned with. Suddenly, all these "real-life artists" began struggling to compete with a bunch of cartoon characters! It has spawned even more of the group's classics with its singles, but the whole album is fantastic. I rarely find myself coming back to it just to listen to a few songs, I have to listen to the whole album because it is just that damn good and every song just blends that well together. Some fans consider [i]Plastic Beach[/i] to be the best Gorillaz album. I did say that it comes close, so you won't see me arguing too much against that. [i]Plastic Beach[/i] is one of Gorillaz's best albums for sure, but [i]Demon Days[/i] isn't just one of their best, it's their magnus opus. Even if you say it's the other way around, we're at least in agreement that [i]Demon Days[/i] qualifies as a "best" from Gorillaz.

Feel free to share your thoughts below, be they in agreement or disagreement with this post.

Thanks for reading!
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Littlewing7751-55, F
I only know the song Dare and I like it a lot. So thanks for the reminder to check more out 馃槑
Ducky31-35, F
@Littlewing77 That's from [i]Demon Days.[/i] If you've never listened to the whole album, I would highly recommend it.