Omar Khalid
Plastic Beach is the third studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 3 March 2010. The album was created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett and was recorded between June 2008 and November 2009 in various locations. The album takes influence from the plastic that Albarn saw on the beach near his house and presents a secret floating island deep in the South Pacific, made up of plastic detritus, as its titular setting.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type | Studio album |
| Band | Gorillaz |
| Genre | Electronic, synth-pop, hip-hop, funk, orchestral |
| Release date | 3 March 2010 |
| Record labels | Parlophone (UK), Virgin Records (US) |
| Producers | Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett |
| Guest artists | Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Lou Reed, Mark E. Smith, Bashy, Kano, Little Dragon |
| Themes | Environmentalism, consumerism, post-apocalyptic |
| Location | Point Nemo, Pacific Ocean |
| Inspiration | Plastic pollution on beaches |
| Lyrics and interpretation | Rhinestone Eyes, Empire Ants, Glitter Freeze, Some Kind of Nature |
| Promotion | Multimedia, interactive websites, animated music videos, short cartoons |
| Singles | Stylo, Superfast Jellyfish, On Melancholy Hill |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
The album's environmentalist themes
Plastic Beach, the third studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, was released on 3 March 2010. The album, which was self-produced by Damon Albarn, adopts environmentalist themes. Albarn was inspired by the plastic he saw on the beach near his house in Devon, UK, and wanted to capture listeners' imaginations with an enjoyable pop record that also conveyed environmental messages.
The album's titular Plastic Beach is a "secret floating island deep in the South Pacific", made of plastic detritus, debris, and washed-up remnants of humanity. The island is described as looking almost idyllic from a distance, but upon closer inspection, it is revealed to be a cluster of trash. This theme of a seemingly idyllic but ultimately degraded environment is reflected in the song "Pirate Jet", which has been interpreted as a laid-back ode to the continual degradation of the environment.
The song "Superfast Jellyfish" also contains an environmentalist message, featuring a sample of David Attenborough saying, "The sea has gone silent". Additionally, the song "Rhinestone Eyes" references the strange skies and loyalties that arise from the storms of climate change, suggesting that people are more loyal to their products than to the environment.
Plastic Pollution: A Global Crisis
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The story of Plastic Beach
Plastic Beach is the third studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 3 March 2010. The album was created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett. It was recorded between June 2008 and November 2009 in various locations, including London, New York City, and Damascus.
The concept album adopts environmentalist themes, presenting the titular Plastic Beach as a "secret floating island deep in the South Pacific," made up of "detritus, debris, and washed-up remnants of humanity." In the narrative of the album, Plastic Beach is the new base of the Gorillaz, located at Point Nemo, the most remote island on Earth.
The inspiration for the title and theme came from Albarn's experience of recording seagulls on a beach near his house in Devon, where he noticed the abundance of plastic in the sand. While Albarn wanted to incorporate environmentalist messages, he also aimed to make Plastic Beach "one of the most pop records" he had ever done, capturing listeners' imaginations with a fun and enjoyable sound.
Plastic Beach grew out of an unfinished project entitled Carousel, which Albarn and Hewlett began conceptualizing in late 2007. Unlike previous Gorillaz albums, which were recorded with outside producers, Albarn chose to self-produce Plastic Beach. The album features a larger roster of guest artists compared to previous Gorillaz albums, including Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, and De La Soul, among others.
Upon its release, Plastic Beach received mostly positive reviews and was later named by several critics as one of the best albums of the 2010s. It debuted at number two on both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200 and reached the top 10 in 22 countries.
Rigging a Crawdad: The Ultimate Guide to Plastic Crawdad Success
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The album's production and promotion
The album "Plastic Beach" is the third studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 3 March 2010 internationally by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. The album was self-produced by Damon Albarn, one of the band's creators, and recorded from June 2008 to November 2009 in various locations, including London, New York City, and Damascus.
The idea for the album came from all the plastic that Albarn saw on the beach near his house in Devon, UK. He wanted to create an environmentalist message with the album, but knew that listeners might not respond well to it, so he aimed to make it one of his most pop-focused records. In an interview with Wired in April 2010, Albarn explained that the titular Plastic Beach is the new Gorillaz 'base' at Point Nemo, the most remote island on Earth, made of plastic detritus in the Pacific Ocean.
The album features a large roster of guest artists, including Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Lou Reed, Mark E. Smith, Bashy, Kano, and Little Dragon. It adopts a primarily electronic, synth-pop sound, with additional influences from hip-hop, funk, and orchestral music.
The album was promoted through various multimedia created by Jamie Hewlett, the other Gorillaz co-creator, including interactive websites, animated music videos, and short cartoons. The official Gorillaz website was revamped to fit the Plastic Beach theme, featuring short clips showcasing a large Plastic Beach model backed by segments of new Gorillaz music. The album produced three singles: "Stylo", "Superfast Jellyfish", and "On Melancholy Hill". Future single releases and promotions were planned but ultimately canceled due to budgetary issues.
Lawn Mower Carburetors: Plastic or Metal?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The album's critical reception
Plastic Beach, the third studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, received mostly positive reviews upon its release on 3 March 2010. The album, which was self-produced by Damon Albarn, was recorded between June 2008 and November 2009 in various locations, including London, New York City, and Damascus. It debuted at number two on both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200 and reached the top 10 in 22 countries.
Critics praised the album's electronic, synth-pop sound, as well as its influences from hip-hop, funk, and orchestral music. The album also 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, and Mark E. Smith, among others.
In an interview with Wired in April 2010, Albarn explained that the titular Plastic Beach is "the new Gorillaz 'base' at Point Nemo [the most remote island on earth] ... a plastic detritus in the Pacific Ocean." He also revealed that the inspiration for the title came from seeing all the plastic on the beach near his house in Devon, UK.
Jordan Blum, writing for Consequence.net on the 10th anniversary of the album, described Plastic Beach as a "dreamily surreal and weightless genre-splicing adventure from beginning to end." The album was later named by several critics as one of the best albums of the 2010s.
Despite the positive reception, Plastic Beach's sales underperformed compared to the band's previous two albums. The album's promotion and future single releases were also canceled due to budgetary issues.
ABS Plastic and UV: Degradation and Discoloration
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The island's design and inspiration
The Plastic Beach is a secret floating island deep in the South Pacific, also known as Point Nemo, the most remote island on Earth. It is the former studio and secondary home of Gorillaz, a British virtual band. The island was created from various discarded items that floated in the ocean and stuck together, forming a large landmass held together by oil and tar.
The inspiration for the island came from the plastic that musician Damon Albarn, one of the creators of Gorillaz, saw on the beach near his house in Devon, UK. Albarn knew that listeners might not respond well to an overtly environmentalist message, so he aimed to make the album fun and captivating, while still including environmental themes.
The island was designed by M.C. Escher, who was fired due to his obscure building design, which included endless stairs and doors. The island resembles a mushroom cloud from a detonated atomic bomb, and it is mostly submerged underwater. Murdoc, one of the band's cartoon avatars, claimed to have purchased the island with insurance money and painted it pink. He also built a Playboy-like mansion on top of it, though the mansion was later destroyed by pirates.
Plastic Beach is located directly above the sunken city of R'lyeh, a lost continent that first appeared in the H.P. Lovecraft short story, "The Call of Cthulhu". It is also said to be supported by a windmill from the "El Mañana" video, although this theory has been disproven.
Plastic Fan Football: A Fun, Affordable Sport for All
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Plastic Beach is a concept album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released in 2010. The album is about a "secret floating island deep in the South Pacific", made of plastic detritus, debris and washed-up remnants of humanity.
Damon Albarn, the co-creator of Gorillaz, revealed that the idea for Plastic Beach came from seeing all the plastic on the beach near his house in Devon. He wanted to create an environmentalist message, but knew that listeners might not respond well, so he aimed to make the album fun and imaginative, with depth and environmental themes scattered throughout.
The island is made of various discarded items that floated in the ocean and stuck together, held together by "a sticky gloop of oil and tar from a million untold disasters".
The album has a primarily electronic, synth-pop sound, with additional influences including hip-hop, funk and orchestral.
