So a few weeks back I’m watching TV and I come across that “Live from Abbey Road” show they’ve got on the Sundance Channel. The acts performing include Josh Groban (Blech.) and Kasabian (Double-blech.). They’ve also got The Good, The Bad, & The Queen. I’d heard them mentioned before, but I didn’t know anything about them and the name kind of turned me off for some reason. While looking up some info on Danger Mouse after I’d first heard The Grey Album, I noticed that he had produced their album. My interest was piqued. And the second I heard Damon Albarn’s voice, the case was closed. I’m very glad that I decided to give them a shot.

First, to clarify, “The Good, The Bad, & The Queen” is not the name of the band, but the album. The band doesn’t really have a name, and doesn’t really need one. They’ve got Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz, Paul Simonon from the Clash, and Simon Tong from The Verve, with Danger Mouse producing.

The album is a wonderfully layered, atmospheric stroll through the sounds and sights of London. The best thing I can compare it to is one of my favorite Gorillaz tracks, “Hong Kong”. “The Good, The Bad, & The Queen” follows a similar formula or using rich sound to vividly sketch memory and place. Albarn and company borrow from a range of influences, including a surprising jaunt into a sort of 50’s doo-wop style with “80s Life”. Behind the entertaining musical explorations, the album is quite deep. From the disorientation of “Kingdom of Doom” to the hopeful yearnings of “Behind the Sun” and “Green Fields”, the album is brimming with genuine sincerity.

And despite how much the various talents involved contribute, no instrument adds more to the album’s sincerity than Albarn’s voice. He sings with more passion and power on every track of “The Good, The Bad, & The Queen” than on nearly any Gorillaz song. And indeed, “The Good, The Bad, & The Queen” sacrifices much of the infectious pop sensibility that Albarn flexed with his Gorillaz work in favor of a more honest and difficult sound. The trade-off is a smart one.

The lyrics cover a wide range of perspectives on life in London, often touching on war. The album closes with the title track, an epic climax that abandons its lyrics for a wild spree of sound and fury about two minutes in and doesn’t let up for another five.

In Short, “The Good, The Bad, & The Queen” is Damon Albarn getting dead serious and making some phenomenally deep, powerful music. It’s mournful, angry, and epic all at the same time and it’s damn good music.

(And I know this album came out more than a year ago, but if you expect my review subjects to be timely or relevant, you should probably stop reading right now.)

Highlights: “80s Life” ~ “Kingdom of Doom” ~ “Behind the Sun” ~ “Nature Springs” ~ “The Good, The Bad, & The Queen”

Check out the video for “Kingdom of Doom”

(Yes, I mostly posted that just to test out embedding YouTube videos.)

- Sean, the good, the bad, and the queen…

Wait a second…

February 08