STACK Issue 151 May 2017

70 / 92

Gorillaz are still refusing to be
limited by genre, expectation or
actual human bodies.
The London four-piece has
been on a wild ride since we
last saw them. After the war of
Plastic Beach, the group was split:
Murdoch Niccals was captured and
held captive in the dungeons below
Abbey Road Studios by record label
EMI until he agreed to write a new
record, drummer Russell Hobbs
was mistaken for Korean Godzilla
and was captured and showcased
in Pyongyang’s city square before
his eventual return to London, and
Noodle unleashed and then killed
an evil shape-shifting demon while
oyster diving in a small Japanese
fishing village. Meanwhile, singer
2-D took a gap year weaving
bracelets at beach raves in Mexico
before reuniting with the rest of the
band and creating their fourth genre-
bending album, Humanz.
Band creators Damon Albarn
and Jamie Hewlett are leaning
POND
GORILLAZ
From the first swooping synths of opener
30000 Megatons, Pond’s new album
The Weather soars around a brass-dolloped
palette of fat bass, electronic sprinkles and
analogue details, and a little bit of local Perth
wireless.
“The radio static and stuff was deliberate
– Kevin [Parker], myself and Nick [Allbrook]
put all that in at the very last
minute before we sent it to
mastering,” says Jay Watson. He’s
talking about stand-out Colder
Than Ice specifically, which
mixes atmospheric synths with a
dexterous bassline and an MJ-style
shuffling cabassa in the percussion
department, and is littered with AM
radio newsreader phrases.
“It’s dark, but it’s pretty
ridiculous,” Watson continues. “But it’s not
really about meth, that’s the other thing –
it’s just an entendre. It’s ‘cause we were
realising that [a lot of the album] was about
Perth. It’s not pro- or anti-, but we were like,
‘We should have a song about meth.’ But it
had to be kind of whimsical and a bit silly,
more heavily on their hip hop
influences than ever before. The
eerie, interstellar Saturn Barz
incorporates trap beats with an
infectious autotuned verse from
dancehall stalwart Popcaan, while
album opener Ascension proffers a
lyrical bombardment from Chicago
rapper Vince Staple on top of a
pulsating beat, laced between a
dreamy interlude from 2-D. On Let
Me Out, his vocal swirls between
soul legend Mavis Staple’s hook
and rapper Pusha T’s silky-smooth
verses.
There’s a tasty slice of pop-funk
pie courtesy of the ethereal Grace
Jones on Charger, and deep house
moments materialise on
the heaving Momentz and
impassioned We Got The
Power, the latter featuring
Savage’s lead lady Jehnny
Beth and an uncredited
chorus from Noel Gallagher.
At 22 tracks long, the
album is an expansive
concoction; it’s thought-
provoking, abrasive,
provocative, catchy – a pace-setter
for all those who continue to chase
the world’s leading virtual band.
because if it was serious
it would be terrible. It was
the only way I could think
of doing it: this schlocky,
‘80s, LA, driving, midnight
pop, you know? It’s a weird
one.” (It also features Kirin
J Callinan in the bridge, in
a turn Watson describes as
“a kind of creepy, skulking
through the suburbs” feel.)
Meanwhile, there are
more deliberate references
to current concerns
scattered through the
release. On atmospheric
belter Edge Of The World
Part 2, from amongst skittering blips and a
wash of synths come rock drums
and top-lit harmonies, sung by Jay:
“And if the highways get you down/
and if the violence gets you down/
and if late nights get you down/ and
if the cokeheads get you down/ if
Gina Reinhart gets you down/ and if
the white guilt gets you down/ and
if el nino gets you down…” (The
conclusion is “We’ve got the water
for now.”) “There’s some good
ones in there,” Watson smiles. “The Queen
harmonies are me but they’re all Nick’s
lyrics.” Nick’s also responsible for the weird
oscillations at the track’s beginning. “It’s
funny, ‘cause we just have loads of bits and
pieces that we stick together at the end.”
Herein lies the beautiful patchwork nature
INTERVIEW
of Pond. Watson says that not only do they
swap demos around – Allbrook will create a
melody over Watson’s instrumental; some
will go straight onto the computer and are
tinkered with from there; some are recorded
from scratch in the studio; sometimes they
sample from their own previous albums
– the roles are also totally fluid. “It’s kind
of a free for all between Nick, Joe and
myself,” he explains. “We don’t really put
the instrumental credits on [the liner notes]
because it’s too confusing and hard to
remember. We all play everything the whole
way through – it’s just whoever’s there.
We’re often not all in [the studio] at once. I
guess ‘cause we tour so much with other
bands, and solo things, that when the time
comes to do Pond, we really want to keep it
as fun and as interesting as possible." ZKR
The Weather
by Pond is out
May 5 via EMI.
08 MAY 2017
continued
visit MUSIC NEWS
Humanz
by Gorillaz is
out now via
Warner.
Words Tim Lambert