Sofia Martinez
Plastic Beach is the name of the third studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 3 March 2010. The album was created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett and features a large roster of guest artists, including Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, and De La Soul. The album is an environmentalist concept album, presenting the titular Plastic Beach as a secret floating island deep in the South Pacific. The music video for the album's final song, The Lost Chord, was released in December 2020 and depicted the destruction of the island. The video served as an attempt by the creators to put the project behind them, as they felt ensnared by the unfinished plot lines and things that were left unsaid. In addition to the album, a video game was also released on the Gorillaz website, which was lost when the website was updated in 2016.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the movie | Plastic Beach |
| Type of movie | Short documentary |
| Year of release | 2011 |
| Creators | Judith & Richard |
| Theme | The creators started collecting plastic that washed up on a small section of Kehoe beach in northern California. They made a piece of art from the plastic and raised awareness of the issue of plastics in the ocean. |
| Related projects | Plastic Beach is the third studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 3 March 2010. |
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What You'll Learn
The Plastic Beach album
Plastic Beach is the third studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 3 March 2010 internationally by Parlophone and on 9 March 2010 in the US by Virgin Records. The album was conceived from an unfinished project titled Carousel, which Gorillaz co-creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett began working on in late 2007. Unlike previous Gorillaz albums, which were recorded with outside producers, Albarn chose to self-produce Plastic Beach, recording from June 2008 to November 2009 in various locations, including London, New York City, and Damascus.
The album features a larger roster of guest artists compared to previous Gorillaz albums, including Snoop Dogg, Kano, Bashy, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Lou Reed, and Mark E. Smith, among others. Plastic Beach is a concept album with environmentalist themes, presenting the titular Plastic Beach as a "secret floating island deep in the South Pacific", constructed entirely of consumer detritus. The album explores the melancholy beauty of mankind's interaction with the natural world and the idea that plastic is a product of nature, not something that goes against it.
Albarn has described the album as a way to "keep reminding people that we need to change our habits" regarding plastic pollution. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, appearing on various lists of the best albums of 2010, and has sold over 1.45 million copies worldwide. Four singles were released from the album: "Stylo", "Superfast Jellyfish", "On Melancholy Hill", and "Rhinestone Eyes", along with the minor single "White Flag".
Plastic Beach is notable for its seamless blend of artists, cultures, and themes, resulting in a cohesive and eclectic sound that draws from various genres, including hip-hop, funk, alternative rock, pop, world music, and electronica. The album's strength lies in its ability to invite repeated listens, with each track complementing the other and creating a cohesive and unique listening experience.
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The Lost Chord music video
The video explores the aftermath of the events on Plastic Beach, with band members facing various challenges. 2D, one of the band members, finds himself stranded on a beach after being swallowed by a whale. He survives by cutting up and eating pieces of the whale, believing himself to be isolated. However, he eventually discovers that he has washed up on the shore of Mexico and makes his way back to London to reunite with his bandmates.
Noodle, another band member, washes up in Japan, where she accidentally releases a Japanese hell demon named Mazuu. She embarks on a mission to track down and defeat Mazuu, ultimately succeeding and returning home to her waiting bandmates. Meanwhile, Murdoc, who had escaped with Cyborg Noodle in a submarine, is picked up by the British Navy, leaving Cyborg Noodle behind.
The video also showcases the emotional state of the characters, with Murdoc at his worst and 2D at his lowest point. The destruction of Plastic Beach serves as a closure moment for the characters, allowing them to reflect on their dark times. The video features a mix of live-action and animation styles, aligning with the project's initial vision.
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The Plastic Beach game
The game consisted of three chapters, each with a unique gameplay style. The first two chapters were released simultaneously as free-to-play online games in February 2010, while the third chapter was released as a pay-to-play game costing 1.49 euros. By purchasing the game on the Gorillaz website, players also received an MP3 download of the single Superfast Jellyfish, featuring De La Soul and Gruff Rhys.
In the first chapter, players are tasked with driving the Stylo car down a highway while dodging obstacles. The second chapter is water-themed, likely situated on the music video of the song On Melancholy Hill. The final chapter is flight-themed, where players control Gorillaz's fictional bassist, Murdoc Niccals, as he glides around Plastic Beach in his Doom Glider. The goal is to stop 2-D from escaping the island while avoiding obstacles and battling ghost pirate ships.
The game received mixed reviews from fans and critics. It received a BT Music Digital Award for "Best Artist Promotion" but was rated less positively by critics, receiving a 4.5 score from IGN. Unfortunately, due to compatibility issues and the shutdown of the web version of the game, it is currently unplayable on modern devices.
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The Plastic Beach movie concept
The movie concept is centred around the theme of a "secret floating island deep in the South Pacific", known as Plastic Beach, which serves as the base for the Gorillaz in the story. The island is described as a place where all the plastic detritus in the Pacific Ocean has collected, alluding to environmental concerns. The narrative structure is described as “loud but not clear”, with various characters and storylines intertwining in a chaotic yet captivating manner.
One of the central storylines revolves around the character 2D, who, after being swallowed by a whale, ends up stranded on a beach. Believing himself to be isolated, he survives by cutting up and eating the whale until he realises he is just two miles away from civilisation. Meanwhile, the character Noodle washes up on the shore in Japan and accidentally releases a Japanese hell demon, Mazuu, setting off on a mission to track it down and eliminate it.
Another storyline involves Murdoc and Cyborg Noodle, who escape the island in a submarine. Murdoc is picked up by the British Navy, while Cyborg Noodle is left behind in the submarine. The band members eventually reunite in London, residing in a rundown flat. However, there seem to be multiple endings to the overall narrative, with variations in the fate of the characters.
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The Plastic Beach project's origins
The Plastic Beach project began as an idea for a film by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, co-creators of the virtual band Gorillaz. In November 2007, the pair started working on a new Gorillaz project called Carousel, which evolved into Plastic Beach. Albarn described the project as "sort of like a film, but not with one narrative story". He envisioned it as a collection of stories told around a bigger story, set to music, and presented in various styles, including live-action and animation.
The inspiration for Plastic Beach came to Albarn while he was on a beach next to his house. He noticed all the plastic within the sand, and this sparked the idea for the project. In an interview, Albarn said, "If you meditate on plastic or the sea, I think all the songs kind of fit into that in one way or another". The project aimed to address environmental themes in a fun and engaging way, presenting Plastic Beach as a "secret floating island deep in the South Pacific" where plastic detritus in the Pacific Ocean had collected.
Plastic Beach featured a larger roster of guest artists compared to previous Gorillaz albums, including Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Lou Reed, Mark E. Smith, Bashy, Kano, and Little Dragon. The album was self-produced by Albarn and recorded in various locations, including London, New York City, and Damascus, from June 2008 to November 2009. It was released on 3 March 2010 by Parlophone internationally and by Virgin Records in the United States.
Plastic Beach received mixed reviews from critics. While some praised its unique blend of musical styles and subtle environmentalism, others found it dull and disjointed. Despite this, Plastic Beach appeared on several critics' top-ten lists of the year's best albums at the end of 2010. The project also included a videogame aspect, with interactive features on the Gorillaz website, and a video game called Plastic Beach that was lost during a website update in 2016.
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Frequently asked questions
Plastic Beach is the name of the third studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 3 March 2010.
Plastic Beach is a concept album with environmentalist themes. It presents the titular Plastic Beach as a "secret floating island deep in the South Pacific" where all the plastic detritus in the Pacific Ocean has collected.
There are several different stories about what happened at Plastic Beach. One story involves Cyborg Noodle killing the real Noodle and the band leaving together. Another story involves the band leaving separately, with Cyborg Noodle surviving with Murdoc. In another version of events, 2D is eaten by a whale, which later dies, and 2D escapes.
No, but there was a video game on the Gorillaz website for 7 years after the album came out. It was lost when the website was updated in September 2016.
