Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
by Gorillaz

It’s certainly not a bad album. In fact it’s in my top 5 Gorillaz albums! However the deluxe version of the album has some of Gorillaz best work in my opinion… So if you’re going to listen to this album make sure it’s the deluxe version… It’s brilliant!

Didn't enjoy it on first listen but on second listen I did - there are plenty of catchy pop tunes on this album. It's nowhere near as good as their first three albums but still enjoyable. Desole is my favourite, but also liked Pacman, Lost Chord and Valley of the Pagans.

This is the best Gorillaz album, IMO, and it remains pretty underrated on here. Possibly a top 150 album of all-time. If you haven't heard it yet and you're trying to make up your mind, please listen to this one. It does have a pretty contemporary sound, though.

There is a lot of reasons to love this record such as the diverse feature list and also crisp sound that is due to the production. However, on the whole I think it is a bit confused and feels a bit lost. There are a lot of songs that just don't hit and feel like they lack substance. Also, I don't think the feature performances are really very good at all, bare a couple which are amazing, and they let down the album on the whole. Furthermore, it just isn't as cohesive as their other records, such as Plastic Beach, which is disappointing to say as I love Gorillaz. Despite this, there are great moments and still a lot to enjoy about the record. This includes the variety on the album with every song being unique and so it is very tough to be bored. Overall, I was let down by this record but it does have it's redeeming moments.

Super weird but super cool! Only the Gorillaz could swing this kind of project.

Really, really pleased with these songs. Surprised it didn't get more recognition on the year-end lists. A long-listen with some less-than-stellar tracks, but it does genuinely feel like a 'song machine' on shuffle. Everything sounds really crisp, even the ones I don't like as much.

Favorite songs: Dead Butterflies, Aries, Chalk Tablet Towers

From mdbaxter 01/06/2021 20:45 | #263945

Not my favorite but not bad. An interesting concept but ultimately I just don't think many of the songs are that good. I'm not impressed with a decent amount of the features. The deluxe version is more of the same.

This is the Gorillaz album I’d been waiting fifteen years for. Demon Days felt like the ultimate pleaser and the best, most distilled record Gorillaz could have released. I loved Plastic Beach and has some real moments of genius, but just seems a little high concept and disjointed in places.

Humanz and The Now Now had decent moments but were not great albums.

With Song Machine, Damon has truly perfect the craft of what Gorillaz should be in 2020. Playful, daring and the bi-monthly “single” format allows them to fully immerse on a single track - carefully curated guest stars, artwork and a video to tie it together.

The only real criticism I have is the artwork and title... if it read less like a compilation and had a great Jamie Hewlett cover then I strongly feel it would’ve charted higher in end of year lists.

Song Machine in a lot of ways feels like Gorillaz self titled. It is a collection of wonderful tracks without a narrative cohesion. The features are managed very well, with each guest adding an effective flavor to their track. In particular, I have to compliment Leee John's breathtaking voice on "The Lost Chord". I do not think all the tracks work with "Friday 13th", "Dead Butterflies", and "Chalk Tablet Towers" feeling subpar.

From Strangel 11/19/2020 10:00 | #261077

This feels like more of a cohesive Gorillaz album rather than a playlist of random artists. Sits third in my reckoning behind the first 2 albums that were truly pure Gorillaz albums.