Damon Albarn

The Golden Miller

This should probably be in the general music forum, but this forum is clearly more active. Started the conversation on the Slane thread, but be interested to hear people's opinions on him more specifically.

Id regard him as arguably the greatest songwriter of all time, if not, definitely the greatest of his generation. He chose to take himself from the limelight and the publics consciousness in the late 90s, which resulted in many forgetting his genius.

I couldn't name you another man who covered so many genres, and all to critical acclaim. When the first Gorillaz album was released, he made a point of it not being revealed it was him, in other words, he "made it" twice. Since then, he refused to write a "hit", as he hates the commercial side of the industry, yet his band the Good and the Bad and the Queen charted at number 2, despite no promotion or airplay, or the general knowledge he was involved.

He continues to evolve, and even when people aren't aware, their listening to songs he's wrote and singing, and despite attempts to leave the limelight, his talent is such, that he continues to get thrown back into it.

His biggest adversaries, the Gallagher's, have both conceded he's the greatest songwriter of his generation, and pretty much every peer he's had has stated the same. I don't think there's a man who has had so many strings to his bow, but unlike other multi talented musicians, everything he's touched has garnered critical and commercial acclaim.

The sad thing is his persistence to pull himself out of the limelight and the publics glare, which by default means many will forget and pass over him. But he wants that and his work to stand the test of time itself.

And thinking of that, I ask myself how many young people "know" Blur. Not many. But you show them their hits, and everyone knows them, infact their all household songs. The guy is a genius, and I don't think we appreciate as a generation how fortunate we are to have him!

brocbrocach

I'd regard him as arguably the greatest songwriter of all time"

No. He's great. He's a special talent and amazingly good at writing a hook. I listen to his stuff regularly but... He writes a lot of 7/10 songs, a fair few 8/10s but he's never really hit 9/10, definitely not 10/10. He'd fit into a 2nd tier with the likes of Elvis Costello, Cobain, etc

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058298865/damon-albarn

There was serious promotion of Gorillaz as Albarn's project if I remember correctly. The whole oh he doesn't want anyone to know it's him promotion. His not shy of the media - loves being in The Sun and The Mirror talking shite. This would also suggest Albarn's voice is not that recognizable ...

He's pop song man. A very good one. But the greatest song writer of his generation? Come on. He wouldn't be allowed to make a cup of tea for the likes of Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Sufjan Stevens, or Bjork. Tom Waits was doing good **** in the 90s. Max Martin?

Is he even as good Jack White?

Is he even the best English one? Radiohead? Spiritualized? The Jesus and Mary Chain? Someone like The Beta Band would be far more interesting to me. And that's without going into all the best Scottish and American bands around at the time...

I can't have someone who wrote: "Girls who are boys who like boys to be girls

Who do boys like they're girls, who do girls like they're boys

Always should be someone you really love

Girls who are boys who like boys to be girls

Who do boys like they're girls, who do girls like they're boys

Always should be someone you really love" - as the greatest song writer of all time...

Thanks for taking me down memory lane.

p.s. The Oasis lads wouldn't know a good song writer if it hit them in the tits.

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120668647#Comment_120668647

Girls and Boys was an early song in his development, yet funnily enough has become a classic in many ways.

I liked Radiohead and left them after "In Rainbows". The most self serving pretentious rubbish I've ever heard, and I listened to it 4 times.

Think Tank by Blur was the obscure album they were trying to make, and Albarn nailed it. Out of Time, Sweet Song, Ambulance and everything else was gold

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120668624#Comment_120668624

The only song I'd ever give 10/10 to is Sonnet by the Verve. Melody, emotion and power without even trying.

Them I heard a Blur song called Pyongyang. You can visualise North Korea it's that apt and cutting. It transports you there.

Who writes consistent 9/10 songs 30 years in?

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120668647#Comment_120668647

No the Gorillaz stuff came out after it was released, I remember it as clear as day. People questioning who are they but didn't take long to find out in fairness

Count Dracula

Definitely underrated, he is a great songwriter.

I think the real musicians will always have an initiative to produce more music. The best from Albarn may be yet to come.

Never met him, apparently very aloof and shy.

I would love to see some sort of 3rd millenium Travelling Willbury's band set up, he would have to be in it.

Blur are playing Wembley Stadium this summer. They can drum up a crowd for sure. Malahide castle if you want ---- don't get the Dart home, arrange a lift.

Wooderson

Its all subjective but mostly agree, Albarn's peers over the last 30 years are few - certainly in a UK context.

If he could have flexed his Blur, TGTB&TQ, solo and Gorillaz material into a single conventional project banner (somehow) that body of work would be viewed much differently.

American peers like Jack White and Joshua Homme are similarly driven workaholics and have consistently achieved but neither have the range or vision to do what Damon has done repeatedly. There's a fearless inventiveness to Damon's work that puts earlier comparisons to the likes of Noel G on the back foot.

Bowie, Radiohead, Weller, Kate Bush, Richard D James, Albarn - think history will view these artists similarly in due course.

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120668652#Comment_120668652

I was half giving you the benefit of the doubt with your Albarn comments. But then you go an ruin it all with your In Rainbows comment.

Reckoner is one of my favorite ever tunes.

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120669595#Comment_120669595

I think Albarn became what Radiohead envisioned themselves becoming to a great extent, but his reach and pull over a far greater scope in music, sets him well apart from Radiohead.

As I said I listened to In Rainbows 4 times, and everything they've done since, and they've had their moments, but I feel they try too hard to create this obscure genius tag with later work. And as I said, this is someone who's listened to all their stuff, and several times at that, it's not as if I don't give it a chance or time to grow

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120668720#Comment_120668720

There's Rocket Juice and the Moon too, plus operas. And he's stated several times, he actively tries not to write a "hit". Yet regardless of that, continues to garner critical acclaim.

Contrast that to Coldplay, who over time, became rubbish. They actively tried to cultivate their music to any style that's popular in the moment, even going on xfactor, shameless in their mission to sell as many records as they can.

I often wonder if Albarn didn't take himself out of the limelight, and actively tried to write commercial hits which he withdrew from doing, just how popular would he be now?

We're comparing him to bands and artists, his peers, who he's outlasted and outsold, despite actively trying to do the opposite, and in most cases, the rest are actively trying to write commercially successful music. It just sums up his genius.

And his latest song "the narcissist", is starting to get alot of attention and airplay, and as the wembly gigs and album release get closer, it could be the surprise hit of the summer. It's better than anything out there, and shows the continued genius of Albarn/Blur. A once in a generation band imo, no one comes close in scope, range and diversity, and most importantly, it's all critically acclaimed