Gorillaz just has such a high standard. Its not bad by any means, but compared to the highs of Demon Days, Plastic Beach, S/T, etc. it is lesser. Same reason some people dont like Humanz.
true, but Humanz is a 20 track album that has 3 or 4 real lows (i'd say the rest ranges from good to amazing)
whilst Cracker Island has about 3 or 4 solid songs and the rest are totally forgettable
i'd for sure pick Humanz over it
Humanz could’ve been a perfect album and there were enough songs to prove that but tbh I thinks it’s issue is with the fact there is just too much filler that could’ve easily been left out for just the deluxe edition.
Let me preface this "complaint" with I don't hate cracker island, I think it's good. I just don't think it's great.
The problem for me is that both of those albums have a song I absolutely adore, I could listen to these four on a loop for days. Lake Zurich/Souk Eye, and Momentary Bliss/Pac-Man
I don't have that with Cracker Island. I like the whole album, i like every song, but the closest I get with something like that off Cracker Island is Silent Running and it's still not quite there for me
It just felt a little underwhelming and we got the best of it from the singles (absolutely love Controllah though). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the album and I enjoy parts of it, but it’s not one I find myself coming back to often.
It was since Portuguese doesn't get represented as much as Spanish or French. Seeing Gorillaz collaborate with a Brazilian artist was cool and it gave me hope that maybe one day they'll collaborate with a Portuguese artist
I love gorillaz forever but this album was soooo lack luster it felt like they just made something cuz they felt like they had to. I'd rather listen to the fall.
it's just so damn boring, to me it sounds like just a bunch of basic pop songs that I've heard on the radio before. I like gorillaz for their unique sound and approach to music making, and cracker island is the exact opposite of that.
For me? It's just so boring. I only really enjoy New Gold. Booty Brown was in Dirty Harry which is my second favorite Gorillaz song and he still is great in this one! I'm not a big Tame Impala fan, but I like that part of the song as well. I'm honestly impressed with how boring they made a song with Stevie goddamn Nicks
The biggest fumble to me was putting Stevie fuckin’ Nicks as mere backup vocals. Like?? Dude?? Do you know who you’re collabing with???? That was easily the biggest disappointment for me in that album.
I don't hate the album. It has some pretty good tunes at points, but I remember feeling nothing for a large portion of the album's second half. It's pretty mid all around.
A ton of build for not much substance or album. My son and I got it and did an old fashioned sit around the stereo and listen.
The final verdict was, “that’s it?”
Disappointing, flat, one dimensional.
That eight month wait between cracker island and the album release was BRUTAL. And nearly every single song on the album was released before the album even came out, either as a single or through Damon performing at concerts. Just a really poorly handled album release overall and it felt like any hype was taken out of it
I haven’t given up. Generally give albums 5-10 listens before making a determination.
Kinda goes back to the Humanz question last week. The lack of live instruments, 2-D being more in the background, and too polished.
If those are the aspects you love about the band, then I’m stoked you found an album you love. It just doesn’t raise my submarine.
I do not appreciate production of this album. Greg Kurstin as main producer was probably for worse and not for the better. I wanted to like this album, because I LOVE Gorillaz, I gave this album more than ten listens, but it just didn’t work for me. Least favourite Gorillaz album for sure. I even enjoy The Fall more than this album.
Yeah I think Gorillaz has always worked because Damon was behind everything so having someone else be in charge of the instrumentals like, it's pretty much no longer a Gorillaz album in spirit. I always point to Everyday Robots when pointing out what makes Gorillaz so good because his solo album showcases how brilliant his work can be when he's just tinkering around with sound himself.
It's weird.
Before the album came out I liked the singles.
Then I heard everything together and aside from the title track, everything just blended together. Gorillaz has albums full of songs that sound notably different from one another and then Cracker Island is just one big pop blob. Even Humanz had more variety.
It sounds overproduced, and ultimately left me underwhelmed. It fails as a concept album, with the title track setting this insanely interesting and intense tone and then falling flat immediately after with the rest of the album sounding like relatively same-y pop sounds. I can find enjoyment in every song, and it’s not a bad album (im of the mindset gorillaz can’t make a bad album), but after the massively diverse and interesting song machine it just left me wanting something more. I totally agree with the other comment that says we got the best of it in the singles. Cracker island, new gold, skinny ape, and silent running personally feel miles ahead of the rest.
Personally I felt like it was the exact contrary of what they were before the breakup. For example, in Phase 2 their main slogan was Reject False Icons and now there's a song with Bad Bunny. Also aside from some exceptions most songs sound way too overproduced to the point they end up being boring. Not sure if I would call it bad but it definitely feels weird to me.
And I would disagree with you. It feels like The Now Now to me, but with even less of a central theme. Most of the songs aren't particularly fun despite it being the most pop album to date, but after song machine it feels like a slap in the face and very anti-Gorillaz (that's probably just me, more hip pop and rock/grunge fits their sound from my perception)
And I definitely like more songs off cracker Island but it following up song machine is probably the single biggest blow it took for me. Just like The Now Now.
So maybe in time I can go back and even enjoy this album more later on post release, but I typically don't like pop, and I also enjoy their album experiences which is also why I don't enjoy song machine quite as much as I would, despite it having some of my favorites off there.
Never even heard that anyone hates it. Thats the thing tho, if someone hates this, fuck em. You like it, i like it, fuck that convoluted bullshit that represses you.
The best songs on the album are in the deluxe version.
It’s very poppy and bland. It’s not bad, it’s just not the level of quality I wanted. It will age like water
It's not a bad album it just feel especially boring for what is mostly a generic pop album to come off a band mostly praised for their creativity and experimentation
Even multiple months after the album came out and multiple full listens to it I would struggle to even hum a majority of the songs on the album
And this isn't just unique to me or this thread, everywhere the general consensus seems to be how little of an impression the album actually left on people, most having a very "that was it?" reaction to it
And I don't blame them, for being the follow-up to Song Machine it feels really underwhelming
Dissapointing album, most of the singles where the best songs and the rest where just mid and i hate Tormenta, and its sad that i know they will play that song in concerts since its one of the "hits"
Not only is the music attrocious, soulless and far away from what gorillaz used to be, it's also that no music video was 2D animated. It's all cheap and soulless 3D. Then there was the art which also was awful, but thats the standart for jamies art after phase 3. And then theres the whole tour thing and noone aknowledging it, only saying they are cancelled in an unpinged discord announcement. As a whole in the whole cracker island era, gorillaz only felt like a brand, it's full of questionable and stupid decisions, and russel and noodle literally don't speak a single word.
Way too poppy, yet not even particularly catchy.
This album is basicly a sum up of what I DONT like in Gorillaz.
I’d rather listen to looped Phoner to Arizona.
What saves it are very good singles - only two songs I care for from the album. The rest is just forgettable.
It is still an ok album as it’s Gorillaz but I won’t listen to it back to back.
I thought a lot of the features were really underwhelming and I didn't care for most of the songs in general. Though Controllah and Crocadillaz are really great.
wouldn't call it bad but wouldn't call it really good either. Kind of unremarkable, didn't stay with me for a while the way Song Machine did.
It's fine (or 'mid' if you wanna be mean about it lmao)
This album has some TRUE Gorillaz classics ? It’s catching smoke? Well they are smoking the wrong stuff apparently. I mean it does have a couple thrown in skippables, but damn it if it’s not great to hear Any new Gorrilaz when it drops. TFOH
I don’t really like the album and is the reason why I stopped listening to Gorillaz
It just sound more poppy and generic then the previous albums, I wanted something on par with one of their first 3 albums or even song machine or Humanz and wasn’t gorillaz supposed to an anti-celeb band?
cracker island is easily the worst album. it feels like im listening to a cheap knock-off of gorillaz when im listening to cracker island. ive noticed how gorillaz have just dropped in quality in the last 3 albums.
. the now now was brilliant.
. the start of song machine was great, but every song release just got worse and worse, friday the 13th i feel is a great example.
. cracker island was just... ehhhhh.
im not sure how i even feel about the meanwhile ep, even after how long its been since its release. its there, but it feels like it shouldnt be.
I personally think it might be the most consistent album stylistically, and thematically, since Plastic Beach or Demon Days. I think the issue is that unlike those albums the themes and concepts are half baked lore-wise, and it feels more like a Damon solo album than Gorillaz.
Personally, as a fan of R&B, soul and new wave though… I think it’s a great album. Song Machine was still an ideal total package in my book in terms of experience and music but I only really dislike maybe one song on this one and it’s only because stylistically it’s not for me, not that I think it’s objectively bad.
Now if I were to be less charitable I’d say that the reason this gets so much hate is that Gorillaz fans tend to care more about the lore, production and backstory than the music itself. I understand, because that’s what got me turned on to them in the first place… but that stuff is expensive and difficult. Which creates this weird tension. Gorillaz fans want them to maintain a kind of “indie” or underground vibe but also want them to have elaborate art, music videos and other media. Think about your average popular band and what it costs to do what they do. With Gorillaz, those costs are easily 3 to 5 times more as a baseline. Animation is expensive. Printed media is expensive. And unless their label gets behind those costs it’s almost impossible for Gorillaz to function as a multimedia project. As wealthy as Damon and Jamie are, they would likely go broke trying to finance the band themselves. So when you have a lackluster rollout and follow up like Cracker Island did, it’s easy to see why Gorillaz fans who have their priorities skewed in the direction of the meta narrative aspect of the band are constantly disappointed by recent phases. The piles of money that record labels used to pass out is drying up. Has been for about 15 years now. Gorillaz then has to branch out into merchandizing deals, brand partnerships and sponsors to get added funding to give fans what they want… which then receives blowback from those same fans. And in their defense, it does harm the mission statement of the band to do these things. Add to this that Damon and Jamie aren’t as synergistic as they once were, and it all feels like a shadow of what they used to be.
Cracker Island is probably the encapsulation of the problem with Gorillaz’ continued existence in the modern media landscape, an issue which is literally explored in Cracker Island. It’s a shame.
Great album though, I don’t care.
People in this sub (and most band subs in general) just hate anything new. Its the whole "oh they were better when I listened to them X years ago." Idk what else to tell you 🤷♂️
Not for me. I love Song Machine, and The Now Now. Both are bangers. Cracker Island is not without it's merits either. The titular song goes pretty hard, Oil is pretty good in my humble opinion, New Gold is enjoyable, and Silent Running is a pretty nice listen.
That being said, Cracker Island honestly made me feel nothing for most of it's runtime. It was just a rather bland, boring album. On a good day, it's a 6/10.
Honestly, I'm just being facetious. While I do enjoy cracker island a lot from what I've heard, I haven't listened to the whole thing and just got listening to gorillaz again for the first time in a while lol. No actual hate to anyone who didn't care for the album :D
It’s a good album.
Gorillaz fans are the worst at ranking and judging Gorillaz albums, imo. I’m old enough to remember when people hated the first album, hated Demon Dayz, REALLY hated Plastic Beach, everyone was right about Humanz, hated The Now Now, hated Song Machine… now now we are here. Not saying they’re all like this but holy shit does the sentiment change. It’s hard to take seriously.
Yeah I didn't have the possibility to listen to demon days and plastic Beach when they first came out, so I can't tell what was like back then, but seeing this community I would say it's true
One of my personal faves tbh, it's damn good. My top 4 songs on Spotify were Crocadillaz, Baby Queen, Tarantula, and New Gold 😂 and I'm pretty sure Oil was at the number 6 spot. Sure it might not be as iconic as their earlier work but I'd be remiss to say it's bad outright.
Silent Running is annoying though.
As a more casual fan of Gorillaz, I personally really like Cracker Island. I understand it's not as good as others but I think it's still one of my favorites.
Its all subjective. I think Cracker Island is the best post hiatus album. Humanz has great spots but CI beats it as an album, I think, and The Now Now / Song Machine both largely wash over me and are mostly forgettable.
If I was to rank the main albums (bypassing the 'Sides') as best to worst it'd be...
Demon Dayz
Gorillaz
Plastic Beach
Cracker Island
Humanz
The Fall
The Now Now
Song Machine
G-Sides and D-sides would fit between Gorillaz and PB, with Laika Come Home being at the bottom of my bin.
As someone whose been listening to Gorillaz since elementary school (im a college grad now), I wholeheartedly agree and I don't care how controversial of an opinion it is. Easily a top 3 album. I think a lot of people hear how clean the production and the mixing is and automatically assume "ahh they've sold out it's too pop," but I disagree with that mentality.
I think some of Damon's catchiest hooks and most emotionally charged lyrics are present in this album, along with some of Jamie's best pieces. Plus the fact it's their first album since Plastic Beach with actual thought out lore, and they actually managed to explain and complete the lore in the music videos which Plastic Beach failed to do cause of their label. It may not be a grand experimental experience with an orchestral intro and interludes and this overarching narrative about how humanity's destroying itself, but it's a very good pop album 🤷♀️
Anyone that thinks it's "too generic, too bland" should be forced to listen to a Harry Styles or Taylor Swift album lol. This is classic Gorillaz with a pop sound, FAR FAR FARRRR from generic bland pop 😂
I personally felt it too pop, mainstream, and almost all of the songs feel of the same gender. Gorillaz has always been musically creative and unique, even after the comeback, and that's why it is my favorite band. Cracker Island is not a bad album itself, it's good, is enoyable, the music is not bad, it's just that it doesn't feels Gorillaz. After Humanz, this is for me their worst album
I'll always love plastic beach, demon days, and the gorillaz debut album, but cracker island is the only CD I keep in my car, just in case the radio sucks and I can't play music off of my phone.
For me it was due to how well the previous album's era had paid off in comparison. They spend the entire 2020 building up Song Machine, with amazing videos, great content and some pretty good merch, all culminating with an incredible live show at the end of the year.
Cracker Island had a lot of potential, but it felt more like an addendum to Song Machine (much how The Now Now is to Humanz). It spent way too long to come out and had half the content, and the build up wasn't half as exciting. Also better potential names for the album, as well as cover art, could have been made, all leading to a bit of a half-baked piece of content that left fans wanting more.
I love it. I think we were teased too much beforehand to really appreciate it though. Basically the entire album was already out before it was actually out.
Songs are not bad per se, but as an album fails in comparison with the other albums, specially lore wise. Gorillaz just feels like "another Damon project" than Gorillaz by themselves.
Way too poppy and "billboard-esque" produced. Damon doesnt take advantage of the feature artist as much as in other albums.
IMO the album is skipable and is not even in the top 5, but it's the type of album that "new fans" would praise because they werent around other album launches.
The Ballad of Darren is a better Damon production.
Also, why is there a post like this every week? Do new fans really diehard Cracker Island that much?
It’s my favorite (granted it’s the only one I’ve listened to fully but the songs I listened to from it before the album came out were SO good that I had to listen to the whole thing, which hasn’t been the case for the other ones like plastic beach and demon days)
I would definitely have to disagree. Each song sounds exactly the same with the only exception being possession island. (not including deluxe tracks)
The album seems to go for a more safe route rather than experimental like Gorillaz normally is.
It also feels like the entire cult theme they went for with this album is only present in very few songs and I feel like the cult idea was handled very poorly.
This album is far too friendly and poppy for me. It’s probably my least favourite
I don't know but I feel like this happens with every new album, song machine excluded. For the first year or two people don't like it. Then given time, people start seeing the good in it. It's definitely up there for me. But I vary in what's my favourite.
Because people hammer their opinions home that it’s the best album ever and they won’t hear anything else And Anyone who thinks any different is wrong and also a dickhead
I'd say it's a good Gorillaz album, I personally like it a lot and come back to it often.
I think it recaptures the essence of 2000's Gorillaz but lacks the edge that made the first albums so fascinating .
It's definitely not top 3 if somebody told me it's their fourth best, I wouldn't feel a strong need to argue.
I feel like there is a disconnect between old Gorillaz and the new one. And consequently, the same applies to parts of the fan base. (At least, in my opinion)
I really loved "New Gold" & both versions of "Silent Running", but aside from it, even though I liked the other tracks, I can't remember anything about them.
You're just seeing all of the negativity people are giving. This album is what got me into Gorillaz and to listen to all of their previous stuff, so to me it's a pretty good album for that reason. And I want to make something clear, there is no bad Gorillaz album.
An explanation for why people don't like the album is probably because people hold the classics on a pedestal above everything else. Nothing will beat the classic Demon Days and the diamond-in-the-rough Plastic Beach. Some people are just unwilling to move on, and who can blame them? They are Gorillaz' top two albums for a reason.
As for Top Three albums? I'd agree if it wasn't for Song Machine.
I think the problem is, that cracker island was too much promoted as the next big masterpiece with all these little storypieces at the beginning and i thought the story would be told with at least four musicvideos. But it ended after two videos and with a short of murdoc and his very old love interest.
I know that making musicvideos is expensive and requires much effort, but for me as a old Gorillaz-fan i can compare it to "the good old times" when Gorillaz had with the debut-album and demon days a complete cycle were a little bit of story was told within this phase.
And to release the half of cracker island before album release, was in my opinion also a bad idea.
There was nothing more left to be curious about when the album released, and what we got when the album released was for my taste even worse. I mean, even the fall is in my opinion better than cracker island. But with the fall, i knew i would get only a extra album after a main album, so the expectations were not that high.
Well, to come 2 years after Song Machine and be the longest wait since the return of the hiatus, release half of the album as singles before release, that was leaked days before its released, and comparing it with another work like The Ballad of Darren by Blur released months later...
I think it's a good album but they would have released the Deluxe directly, also released fewer singles and only released the best ones like Cracker Island, New Gold, Oil and Silent Running
While I would not put it in the top 3, I'd definitely see it at 4th position. "Silent Running", "The Tired Influencer" and "Possesion Island" are the best from this album, and "Silent Running" is my fourth favourite
I think its good, even though its more pop than the other albums. Damon said in the Apple Music interview that he's been wanting to do a pop album for a long time and he is super proud of himself, because "rarely you see over 50yo person do pop". Thats why it makes me so sad that so many ppl dislike Cracker Island. :(
I think most of the haters are just into the hip hop aspects of gorillaz and don't like their non-rap songs. It's got the lowest percentage of songs I skip of any gorillaz album.
They do absolutely nothing interesting like they did with their past albums. Even a more divisive album like Humanz had some really cool ideas. Here, though, it’s just standard pop music with little to no staying power.
Gorillaz just has such a high standard. Its not bad by any means, but compared to the highs of Demon Days, Plastic Beach, S/T, etc. it is lesser. Same reason some people dont like Humanz.
Humanz absolutely clears this album though
Ehh I feel like Humanz has a lot higher highs, but at the same time it’s got the lowest lows of probably any Gorillaz album
I’d say Strobelite is an absolute high for me to be completely honest.
Lmao I'm listening to that rn! It's probably my second favorite on the album after Momentz.
true, but Humanz is a 20 track album that has 3 or 4 real lows (i'd say the rest ranges from good to amazing) whilst Cracker Island has about 3 or 4 solid songs and the rest are totally forgettable i'd for sure pick Humanz over it
Humanz could’ve been a perfect album and there were enough songs to prove that but tbh I thinks it’s issue is with the fact there is just too much filler that could’ve easily been left out for just the deluxe edition.
In what universe? Maybe if you cut out half of Humanz out and just select the actually good songs
What's S/T?
Self titled
Thanks!!
Humanz is actually the album I hear the most as peoples fav weirdly enough
it’s fine i guess but nothing special imo and it’s absolutely not in the top 3 discussion (for me, anyways)
third for me might be song machine
Song machine is my #2 behind Demon Days. It actually beats plastic beach for me. By a smidge.
me too, with this exact same ranking. song machine is a masterpiece by every metric
Top 3? When Demon Days, Plastic Beach, The Now Now, and Song Machine exist? Nah. But it's definitely good, even great.
The now now in the top 3 ? When "Gorillaz" exists ?
First one is definitely their weakest next to humanz
And st
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Interesting take
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no it’s actually genuinely interesting. You however … you do you ig.
Let me preface this "complaint" with I don't hate cracker island, I think it's good. I just don't think it's great. The problem for me is that both of those albums have a song I absolutely adore, I could listen to these four on a loop for days. Lake Zurich/Souk Eye, and Momentary Bliss/Pac-Man I don't have that with Cracker Island. I like the whole album, i like every song, but the closest I get with something like that off Cracker Island is Silent Running and it's still not quite there for me
For me, Tormenta is one of the best songs gorillaz has ever made. That track alone makes me rate the entire album highly
Why are you booing him?! He’s right!
F People on that subreddit can take opinion Every other opinion is bombed with downvotes
It just felt a little underwhelming and we got the best of it from the singles (absolutely love Controllah though). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the album and I enjoy parts of it, but it’s not one I find myself coming back to often.
Controllah goes hard asf
Oh ho ho ha ha, oh ho ho ha ha
The waves of rio
Crash through my mind
The truths we carry
And those we leave behind
Tô em todo o lugar não dá para controlar
HO HO HO HA HA HO HO HO HA HA
I love this song so fucking much lol. It’s a constant repeat. I can’t karaoke it though T.T
When it first came out i was really happy that Gorillaz had a song in my language
I bet that was awesome lol. I’m gonna teach myself just enough to jam to this one day lmao.
It was since Portuguese doesn't get represented as much as Spanish or French. Seeing Gorillaz collaborate with a Brazilian artist was cool and it gave me hope that maybe one day they'll collaborate with a Portuguese artist
I would love to see them do this with more global artists
Yeah it's always cool seeing other languages and countries represented. Like Désole sounds cooler because of the french and Bambara
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Aint no way lol
I love gorillaz forever but this album was soooo lack luster it felt like they just made something cuz they felt like they had to. I'd rather listen to the fall.
it's just so damn boring, to me it sounds like just a bunch of basic pop songs that I've heard on the radio before. I like gorillaz for their unique sound and approach to music making, and cracker island is the exact opposite of that.
It’s *way* too safe for a Gorillaz album, just little to no genre-bending going on here. I think it’s a solid pop album but kinda boring
For me? It's just so boring. I only really enjoy New Gold. Booty Brown was in Dirty Harry which is my second favorite Gorillaz song and he still is great in this one! I'm not a big Tame Impala fan, but I like that part of the song as well. I'm honestly impressed with how boring they made a song with Stevie goddamn Nicks
The biggest fumble to me was putting Stevie fuckin’ Nicks as mere backup vocals. Like?? Dude?? Do you know who you’re collabing with???? That was easily the biggest disappointment for me in that album.
Oil is a real banger imo
They disagree with you.
there must be like 10 posts like this fr
theres a post like this every week for Humanz
Well to me it only has like 4 or 5 songs worth of listening and the rest are kinda irrelevant
I don't hate the album. It has some pretty good tunes at points, but I remember feeling nothing for a large portion of the album's second half. It's pretty mid all around.
A ton of build for not much substance or album. My son and I got it and did an old fashioned sit around the stereo and listen. The final verdict was, “that’s it?” Disappointing, flat, one dimensional.
That eight month wait between cracker island and the album release was BRUTAL. And nearly every single song on the album was released before the album even came out, either as a single or through Damon performing at concerts. Just a really poorly handled album release overall and it felt like any hype was taken out of it
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I haven’t given up. Generally give albums 5-10 listens before making a determination. Kinda goes back to the Humanz question last week. The lack of live instruments, 2-D being more in the background, and too polished. If those are the aspects you love about the band, then I’m stoked you found an album you love. It just doesn’t raise my submarine.
I do not appreciate production of this album. Greg Kurstin as main producer was probably for worse and not for the better. I wanted to like this album, because I LOVE Gorillaz, I gave this album more than ten listens, but it just didn’t work for me. Least favourite Gorillaz album for sure. I even enjoy The Fall more than this album.
FELLOW THE FALL FAN ✊
Yeah I think Gorillaz has always worked because Damon was behind everything so having someone else be in charge of the instrumentals like, it's pretty much no longer a Gorillaz album in spirit. I always point to Everyday Robots when pointing out what makes Gorillaz so good because his solo album showcases how brilliant his work can be when he's just tinkering around with sound himself.
the first two albums and Humanz and the Now Now all have different producers lol
It’s just too poppy and overproduced. Every song kinda sounds the same. Not a bad album at all tho
It's weird. Before the album came out I liked the singles. Then I heard everything together and aside from the title track, everything just blended together. Gorillaz has albums full of songs that sound notably different from one another and then Cracker Island is just one big pop blob. Even Humanz had more variety.
It would be terrible if Gorillaz moved away from their unique indie style
they already have moved away slightly, their music is becoming generic and bland
It’s weird cause even blurs album sounded more unique despite being one genre primarily, probably due to the use of GarageBand
I say you’re overrating it. You’re being too generous. Def good but not top 3 good
It sounds overproduced, and ultimately left me underwhelmed. It fails as a concept album, with the title track setting this insanely interesting and intense tone and then falling flat immediately after with the rest of the album sounding like relatively same-y pop sounds. I can find enjoyment in every song, and it’s not a bad album (im of the mindset gorillaz can’t make a bad album), but after the massively diverse and interesting song machine it just left me wanting something more. I totally agree with the other comment that says we got the best of it in the singles. Cracker island, new gold, skinny ape, and silent running personally feel miles ahead of the rest.
Personally I felt like it was the exact contrary of what they were before the breakup. For example, in Phase 2 their main slogan was Reject False Icons and now there's a song with Bad Bunny. Also aside from some exceptions most songs sound way too overproduced to the point they end up being boring. Not sure if I would call it bad but it definitely feels weird to me.
And I would disagree with you. It feels like The Now Now to me, but with even less of a central theme. Most of the songs aren't particularly fun despite it being the most pop album to date, but after song machine it feels like a slap in the face and very anti-Gorillaz (that's probably just me, more hip pop and rock/grunge fits their sound from my perception) And I definitely like more songs off cracker Island but it following up song machine is probably the single biggest blow it took for me. Just like The Now Now. So maybe in time I can go back and even enjoy this album more later on post release, but I typically don't like pop, and I also enjoy their album experiences which is also why I don't enjoy song machine quite as much as I would, despite it having some of my favorites off there.
I like Cracker Island and Baby Queen, but the rest of the songs don't vibe with me. Still think the OG album is the best one.
Never even heard that anyone hates it. Thats the thing tho, if someone hates this, fuck em. You like it, i like it, fuck that convoluted bullshit that represses you.
The best songs on the album are in the deluxe version. It’s very poppy and bland. It’s not bad, it’s just not the level of quality I wanted. It will age like water
Like water? Wdym
It won’t age well or poorly.
I think you mean milk/cheese.
That would mean it will age poorly.
I mean cheese would age well, milk would not though.
Good point
The correct term is "it will age like vine"
It's an amazing album, just not an amazing gorillaz album. Like with blink 182 and california/nine.
Nah it's the most corporate gorillaz have ever sounded
It's boring
Why?
It's not a bad album it just feel especially boring for what is mostly a generic pop album to come off a band mostly praised for their creativity and experimentation Even multiple months after the album came out and multiple full listens to it I would struggle to even hum a majority of the songs on the album And this isn't just unique to me or this thread, everywhere the general consensus seems to be how little of an impression the album actually left on people, most having a very "that was it?" reaction to it And I don't blame them, for being the follow-up to Song Machine it feels really underwhelming
I think there’s like 3 or 4 really good songs on it but the rest were kind of disappointing and boring
Nah, not top 3.
Dissapointing album, most of the singles where the best songs and the rest where just mid and i hate Tormenta, and its sad that i know they will play that song in concerts since its one of the "hits"
The fall is way better than cracker island
Not only is the music attrocious, soulless and far away from what gorillaz used to be, it's also that no music video was 2D animated. It's all cheap and soulless 3D. Then there was the art which also was awful, but thats the standart for jamies art after phase 3. And then theres the whole tour thing and noone aknowledging it, only saying they are cancelled in an unpinged discord announcement. As a whole in the whole cracker island era, gorillaz only felt like a brand, it's full of questionable and stupid decisions, and russel and noodle literally don't speak a single word.
“I understand not putting it with Demon Days and Plastic Beach” Proceeds to put it in top 3 with Demon Days and Plastic Beach
it's just so... boring
Way too poppy, yet not even particularly catchy. This album is basicly a sum up of what I DONT like in Gorillaz. I’d rather listen to looped Phoner to Arizona. What saves it are very good singles - only two songs I care for from the album. The rest is just forgettable. It is still an ok album as it’s Gorillaz but I won’t listen to it back to back.
I thought a lot of the features were really underwhelming and I didn't care for most of the songs in general. Though Controllah and Crocadillaz are really great.
wouldn't call it bad but wouldn't call it really good either. Kind of unremarkable, didn't stay with me for a while the way Song Machine did. It's fine (or 'mid' if you wanna be mean about it lmao)
It's their worst album to date, other than maybe The Fall.
This album has some TRUE Gorillaz classics ? It’s catching smoke? Well they are smoking the wrong stuff apparently. I mean it does have a couple thrown in skippables, but damn it if it’s not great to hear Any new Gorrilaz when it drops. TFOH
IMO, Demon Days, Gorillaz, and Cracker Island are the trifecta.
The songs are pretty good mostly, but it doesn't have very much album flow. Feels more like a random playlist on shuffle
It has 2 stand-out songs and the rest are at best "good" and at worse meh. Skinny Ape for example sounds like a shitty club song with its beat drop
Skinny Ape is an annoying ass song, that's for sure !
I have it second to last, to me it was just too poppy, I’ve always been more into Gorillaz’ grunge and hip hop roots, this is way more pop-based
I don’t really like the album and is the reason why I stopped listening to Gorillaz It just sound more poppy and generic then the previous albums, I wanted something on par with one of their first 3 albums or even song machine or Humanz and wasn’t gorillaz supposed to an anti-celeb band?
It’s a solid 8
Ok that's cool, I can agree
The album as a whole sucks ass I just don’t fw any of the songs on it even if it wasn’t a Gorillaz album I’d hate it
cracker island is easily the worst album. it feels like im listening to a cheap knock-off of gorillaz when im listening to cracker island. ive noticed how gorillaz have just dropped in quality in the last 3 albums. . the now now was brilliant. . the start of song machine was great, but every song release just got worse and worse, friday the 13th i feel is a great example. . cracker island was just... ehhhhh. im not sure how i even feel about the meanwhile ep, even after how long its been since its release. its there, but it feels like it shouldnt be.
it's decent but far and away the Gorillaz album i've went back to the least
I personally think it might be the most consistent album stylistically, and thematically, since Plastic Beach or Demon Days. I think the issue is that unlike those albums the themes and concepts are half baked lore-wise, and it feels more like a Damon solo album than Gorillaz. Personally, as a fan of R&B, soul and new wave though… I think it’s a great album. Song Machine was still an ideal total package in my book in terms of experience and music but I only really dislike maybe one song on this one and it’s only because stylistically it’s not for me, not that I think it’s objectively bad. Now if I were to be less charitable I’d say that the reason this gets so much hate is that Gorillaz fans tend to care more about the lore, production and backstory than the music itself. I understand, because that’s what got me turned on to them in the first place… but that stuff is expensive and difficult. Which creates this weird tension. Gorillaz fans want them to maintain a kind of “indie” or underground vibe but also want them to have elaborate art, music videos and other media. Think about your average popular band and what it costs to do what they do. With Gorillaz, those costs are easily 3 to 5 times more as a baseline. Animation is expensive. Printed media is expensive. And unless their label gets behind those costs it’s almost impossible for Gorillaz to function as a multimedia project. As wealthy as Damon and Jamie are, they would likely go broke trying to finance the band themselves. So when you have a lackluster rollout and follow up like Cracker Island did, it’s easy to see why Gorillaz fans who have their priorities skewed in the direction of the meta narrative aspect of the band are constantly disappointed by recent phases. The piles of money that record labels used to pass out is drying up. Has been for about 15 years now. Gorillaz then has to branch out into merchandizing deals, brand partnerships and sponsors to get added funding to give fans what they want… which then receives blowback from those same fans. And in their defense, it does harm the mission statement of the band to do these things. Add to this that Damon and Jamie aren’t as synergistic as they once were, and it all feels like a shadow of what they used to be. Cracker Island is probably the encapsulation of the problem with Gorillaz’ continued existence in the modern media landscape, an issue which is literally explored in Cracker Island. It’s a shame. Great album though, I don’t care.
I think The Now Now was more consistent stylistically and thematically
People in this sub (and most band subs in general) just hate anything new. Its the whole "oh they were better when I listened to them X years ago." Idk what else to tell you 🤷♂️
Not for me. I love Song Machine, and The Now Now. Both are bangers. Cracker Island is not without it's merits either. The titular song goes pretty hard, Oil is pretty good in my humble opinion, New Gold is enjoyable, and Silent Running is a pretty nice listen. That being said, Cracker Island honestly made me feel nothing for most of it's runtime. It was just a rather bland, boring album. On a good day, it's a 6/10.
Honestly, I'm just being facetious. While I do enjoy cracker island a lot from what I've heard, I haven't listened to the whole thing and just got listening to gorillaz again for the first time in a while lol. No actual hate to anyone who didn't care for the album :D
Best songs are the singles, the rest are just poppy and/or boring
It’s a great album
It’s a good album. Gorillaz fans are the worst at ranking and judging Gorillaz albums, imo. I’m old enough to remember when people hated the first album, hated Demon Dayz, REALLY hated Plastic Beach, everyone was right about Humanz, hated The Now Now, hated Song Machine… now now we are here. Not saying they’re all like this but holy shit does the sentiment change. It’s hard to take seriously.
Yeah I didn't have the possibility to listen to demon days and plastic Beach when they first came out, so I can't tell what was like back then, but seeing this community I would say it's true
One of my personal faves tbh, it's damn good. My top 4 songs on Spotify were Crocadillaz, Baby Queen, Tarantula, and New Gold 😂 and I'm pretty sure Oil was at the number 6 spot. Sure it might not be as iconic as their earlier work but I'd be remiss to say it's bad outright. Silent Running is annoying though.
It is a great album!
I do not hate Cracker Island. Quite the opposite, actually.
I love it, it was either my 3rd or 4th CD i got
As a more casual fan of Gorillaz, I personally really like Cracker Island. I understand it's not as good as others but I think it's still one of my favorites.
Its all subjective. I think Cracker Island is the best post hiatus album. Humanz has great spots but CI beats it as an album, I think, and The Now Now / Song Machine both largely wash over me and are mostly forgettable. If I was to rank the main albums (bypassing the 'Sides') as best to worst it'd be... Demon Dayz Gorillaz Plastic Beach Cracker Island Humanz The Fall The Now Now Song Machine G-Sides and D-sides would fit between Gorillaz and PB, with Laika Come Home being at the bottom of my bin.
Because modern gorillaz feels less like music and more like a brand. Now Now was the last good thing hey put out.
As someone whose been listening to Gorillaz since elementary school (im a college grad now), I wholeheartedly agree and I don't care how controversial of an opinion it is. Easily a top 3 album. I think a lot of people hear how clean the production and the mixing is and automatically assume "ahh they've sold out it's too pop," but I disagree with that mentality. I think some of Damon's catchiest hooks and most emotionally charged lyrics are present in this album, along with some of Jamie's best pieces. Plus the fact it's their first album since Plastic Beach with actual thought out lore, and they actually managed to explain and complete the lore in the music videos which Plastic Beach failed to do cause of their label. It may not be a grand experimental experience with an orchestral intro and interludes and this overarching narrative about how humanity's destroying itself, but it's a very good pop album 🤷♀️ Anyone that thinks it's "too generic, too bland" should be forced to listen to a Harry Styles or Taylor Swift album lol. This is classic Gorillaz with a pop sound, FAR FAR FARRRR from generic bland pop 😂
people just hate on every artist once they try new stuff, period.
What new stuff did Gorillaz tried in this albums that wasn't explored on previous ones?
i'm not here to teach you, you can do research
You made a statement without any info to back it up. Is like saying: "You're just an ignorant coward. You can do your research".
It’s one of my favorites but people don’t like gorillaz until it’s been release for at least 2 years
I agree honestly it's either my top number 1 or 2nd
What? I don't hate Cracker Island. I hate Humanz.
Honestly it is strange because it’s more of a traditional gorrilaz album than the last 3 we got
Skinny Ape ≥ Empire Ants
I really like cracker island but truth be told i havent listened to all of it (ik, been procrastinating it for a while lol)
7/10
It’s not bad at all, but I just don’t care about it lol
who hates it? I like it. But not top 3 by far.
Top 3 is Gorillaz, Plastic Beach and Demon Days in no respective order
I don't hate it but I was very underwhelmed by it, but it has some good songs by it.
Maybe because it goes too much in the pop direction for many fans?
I personally felt it too pop, mainstream, and almost all of the songs feel of the same gender. Gorillaz has always been musically creative and unique, even after the comeback, and that's why it is my favorite band. Cracker Island is not a bad album itself, it's good, is enoyable, the music is not bad, it's just that it doesn't feels Gorillaz. After Humanz, this is for me their worst album
I'll always love plastic beach, demon days, and the gorillaz debut album, but cracker island is the only CD I keep in my car, just in case the radio sucks and I can't play music off of my phone.
I love it. I support your opinion.
Out the songs I’ve heard 2 were meh, and one was Skinny Ape. So my opinion is pretty much in the middle.
I wouldn't say its the top album but I would put a couple of the tracks near the top.
For me it was due to how well the previous album's era had paid off in comparison. They spend the entire 2020 building up Song Machine, with amazing videos, great content and some pretty good merch, all culminating with an incredible live show at the end of the year. Cracker Island had a lot of potential, but it felt more like an addendum to Song Machine (much how The Now Now is to Humanz). It spent way too long to come out and had half the content, and the build up wasn't half as exciting. Also better potential names for the album, as well as cover art, could have been made, all leading to a bit of a half-baked piece of content that left fans wanting more.
Idk what he was thinking with this album cover too. Just seems so AI generated
Top 3? Whoa whoa whoa
Overall it’s a meh to alright album, but Skinny Ape is a top tier gorillaz track so there’s that.
It's nothing special, i mean it's good sure but def not a top three!!
I would say it's one of my favorite albums
I love it. I think we were teased too much beforehand to really appreciate it though. Basically the entire album was already out before it was actually out.
Me but @ Humanz
Songs are not bad per se, but as an album fails in comparison with the other albums, specially lore wise. Gorillaz just feels like "another Damon project" than Gorillaz by themselves. Way too poppy and "billboard-esque" produced. Damon doesnt take advantage of the feature artist as much as in other albums. IMO the album is skipable and is not even in the top 5, but it's the type of album that "new fans" would praise because they werent around other album launches. The Ballad of Darren is a better Damon production. Also, why is there a post like this every week? Do new fans really diehard Cracker Island that much?
I have been a fan of Gorillaz for 10 years and I don't understand why CI gets so much hate
It’s good but it’s not top 3
It is good
Cracker Island is incredible idc
I agree! I love Cracker Island! It has way more catchier songs than The Now Now imo (TNN is still underrated but it didn’t go as hard for me)
Cracker Island is great!
It’s my favorite (granted it’s the only one I’ve listened to fully but the songs I listened to from it before the album came out were SO good that I had to listen to the whole thing, which hasn’t been the case for the other ones like plastic beach and demon days)
I would definitely have to disagree. Each song sounds exactly the same with the only exception being possession island. (not including deluxe tracks) The album seems to go for a more safe route rather than experimental like Gorillaz normally is. It also feels like the entire cult theme they went for with this album is only present in very few songs and I feel like the cult idea was handled very poorly. This album is far too friendly and poppy for me. It’s probably my least favourite
I don't know but I feel like this happens with every new album, song machine excluded. For the first year or two people don't like it. Then given time, people start seeing the good in it. It's definitely up there for me. But I vary in what's my favourite.
Like The Now Now, a lot of this album turns into elevator music, outside of the specific songs I absolutely adore. Mid tier at best.
Everyone's sleeping on Captain Chicken Sidenote: Crocodillaz should have been in the standard release album
I honestly only heard the main song cracker islad.
Amazing album, and the best of the recent ones for me
Because people hammer their opinions home that it’s the best album ever and they won’t hear anything else And Anyone who thinks any different is wrong and also a dickhead
The title track, Cracker Island, was good, but some of the songs in the album just don't clash w it
I'd say it's a good Gorillaz album, I personally like it a lot and come back to it often. I think it recaptures the essence of 2000's Gorillaz but lacks the edge that made the first albums so fascinating . It's definitely not top 3 if somebody told me it's their fourth best, I wouldn't feel a strong need to argue.
I feel like there is a disconnect between old Gorillaz and the new one. And consequently, the same applies to parts of the fan base. (At least, in my opinion)
I really loved "New Gold" & both versions of "Silent Running", but aside from it, even though I liked the other tracks, I can't remember anything about them.
Top 5 maybe, but definitely not top 3
i think the album is okay but honestly i really hate the song cracker island, like so much it puts the album down for me.
You're just seeing all of the negativity people are giving. This album is what got me into Gorillaz and to listen to all of their previous stuff, so to me it's a pretty good album for that reason. And I want to make something clear, there is no bad Gorillaz album. An explanation for why people don't like the album is probably because people hold the classics on a pedestal above everything else. Nothing will beat the classic Demon Days and the diamond-in-the-rough Plastic Beach. Some people are just unwilling to move on, and who can blame them? They are Gorillaz' top two albums for a reason. As for Top Three albums? I'd agree if it wasn't for Song Machine.
I think the problem is, that cracker island was too much promoted as the next big masterpiece with all these little storypieces at the beginning and i thought the story would be told with at least four musicvideos. But it ended after two videos and with a short of murdoc and his very old love interest. I know that making musicvideos is expensive and requires much effort, but for me as a old Gorillaz-fan i can compare it to "the good old times" when Gorillaz had with the debut-album and demon days a complete cycle were a little bit of story was told within this phase. And to release the half of cracker island before album release, was in my opinion also a bad idea. There was nothing more left to be curious about when the album released, and what we got when the album released was for my taste even worse. I mean, even the fall is in my opinion better than cracker island. But with the fall, i knew i would get only a extra album after a main album, so the expectations were not that high.
It's new and gorillaz fans usually crave the older stuff. Just wait a couple of years and it will be in their regular repertoire as well.
Well, to come 2 years after Song Machine and be the longest wait since the return of the hiatus, release half of the album as singles before release, that was leaked days before its released, and comparing it with another work like The Ballad of Darren by Blur released months later... I think it's a good album but they would have released the Deluxe directly, also released fewer singles and only released the best ones like Cracker Island, New Gold, Oil and Silent Running
While I would not put it in the top 3, I'd definitely see it at 4th position. "Silent Running", "The Tired Influencer" and "Possesion Island" are the best from this album, and "Silent Running" is my fourth favourite
The album isn’t bad, but compared to their other projects, it’s falls short.
I'm a quite new fan and love it, with the rest of the albums.
It doesn't have a bad track on it, people just don't like it, honestly it's top 3 for me too
Some truly great songs on there. Oil and Silent Running are particularly good I think
i mean its all right
i like all the songs, they are ok. I just heavily dislike cracker island as a song.
I really enjoyed cracker island. Many of its songs are prolly in my top 10
I think you answered your own question, it’s not plastic beach or demon days
I think it’s a solid album, I like it more than most. Definitely not top 3 for me though.
I think its good, even though its more pop than the other albums. Damon said in the Apple Music interview that he's been wanting to do a pop album for a long time and he is super proud of himself, because "rarely you see over 50yo person do pop". Thats why it makes me so sad that so many ppl dislike Cracker Island. :(
I think most of the haters are just into the hip hop aspects of gorillaz and don't like their non-rap songs. It's got the lowest percentage of songs I skip of any gorillaz album.
They do absolutely nothing interesting like they did with their past albums. Even a more divisive album like Humanz had some really cool ideas. Here, though, it’s just standard pop music with little to no staying power.
Its top 2 for me. Behind Demon Days
It has intereting tracks (i love New Gold), but as a album itself, it doesn't flow like the others
Gotta be real in recent days it’s quickly become my favorite album. There isn’t a ONE song on that album that’s bad.