It might come as a bit of a surprise to some of the readers, but Damon Albarn has never done a solo album before, despite the fact that one has been mentioned for well over three years now, which is why the impending release of Everyday Robots is such a big chunk of music news. Having had a whole lot of success with Blur in the 90s and then going on to form the virtual band, Gorillaz, he’s a significant force when it comes to British music.
Set for release on the 28th April 2014, there will be a few iterations to be aware of before you head down to the shops or click on the download button. Everyday Robots, will be released as a standard edition with twelve tracks, along with a Special Edition with a couple of extra tracks (see the tracklist for both versions of Everyday Robots below) and a whole host of video content, including a number of the tracks played live in L.A.
The title track single is already out, having been released on the 3rd March 2013 on 7″ vinyl and digital download and it’s a sharp and melodic track that verges on the realms of being semi-discordant. It may jar some, but it grew on us the more we heard it and we’d probably put a lot on the reality of the full album release doing something similar.
It features piercing violin loops over a mellow guitar riff with Albarn’s relaxed vocals anchoring the song right the way through over a random drum track that all seems to work well together. The snippet of sampled dialogue is apparently from an old recording of the American comedian, Lord Buckley, for anyone that’s interested.
The music video for the Everyday Robots single, which you can see in full below, is just as left-field as the combination of the music itself, continuing the extension of Albarn’s surrealist imagination. It’s a bit like a how to draw a 3D human skull how-to video, but with freaky robotic additions to the skeleton of the structure. It’s been directed by artist and designer Aitor Throup and uses CGI technology, along with actual cranial scans of Damon, exemplifying the personal investment in the album from the former Blur front man.
Everyday Robots isn’t the only single out already from the album, as Lonely Press Play was released at the end of February. It’s a fairly simple track that continues on with some of the more chilled out tones of the title track. Damon has also got plans to release at least a couple more of the songs from the album as singles in the not too distant future.
Damon Albarn, Everyday Robots album tracklist:
1. Everyday Robots
2. Hostiles
3. Lonely Press Play
4. Mr. Tembo (featuring. The Leytonstone City Mission Choir)
5. Parakeet
6. The Selfish Giant (featuring. Natasha Khan)
7. You and Me (featuring. Brian Eno)
8. Hollow Ponds
9. Seven High
10. Photographs (You are Taking Now)
11. The History of a Cheating Heart
12. Heavy Seas of Love (featuring. Brian Eno & The Leytonstone City Mission Choir)
Special Edition Bonus Tracks:
13. Father’s Daughter’s Son
14. Empty Club
