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Well maybe I am overstating the point a little... I have to admit that I am a touch biased. I am a immensely big fan of Albarn’s varied musical output. I think also, as is customary in our society, you will always remember your first...and it was Damon Alban that gave me my first truly euphoric live musical experience. Glastonbury 2009 was without doubt one of the most significant events in my musical life and, amidst the plethora of prodigal sons & daughters of music old and new, Blur’s headline performance shone the brightest. They stole the festival and with that show they stole my musical innocence I was completely and utterly overtaken with them and will always hold Albarn in a special regard so forgive my bias here.
I would be the first to admit that Damon Albarn is not the most affable guy in the world, often outspoken, even a little self important. However, for the man behind such fantastic projects as Gorillaz, Monkey, The Good, the Bad & the Queen and of course, Blur I can forgive a little arrogance. It also helps that in comparsion to his ‘Battle of Britpop’ combatant Noel Gallagher, Albarn is meek and retiring!
Simply being the chief creative talent of Blur would have been enough to propel this great man into superstardom. But Albarn is full of hunger and a desire to keep on creating. A visionary who seems infinitely creative and metamorphic in his ability to adopt many different styles. The product of his diverse projects have on the whole been excellent, never failing to yield work that is at the very least interesting, but more often than not brilliant and surprising.
Albarn’s greatest assets are his versatility combined with the ability to work with a huge range of different artists and styles of music to such great effect. This skill is demonstrated most prominently in his work with Gorillaz. The collaborating artists only add to the rich tapestry of Albarn’s recording career; the Gorillaz, like Albarn are truly original in a new technological age of music. The idea of a virtual band is Albarn’s innovation at its best. Their latest album ‘The Fall’ was composed entirely on Damon’s iPad!
At the core of Damon Albarn’s success is simply his talent and musical instinct. His lyrics are so often moving, poignant and paint a very unique picture of the world we live in. I also believe he deserves a great deal of respect for his bold challenges to the status quo. Back in the 90s ‘Modern Life is Rubbish’ protested against the loss of British identity in a haze of American trash and last year the urban orchestral masterpiece ‘Plastic Beach’ challenged our mindless wasting of Earth and it’s many natural beauties.
Few artists garner such high praise from me, but Damon Albarn is, in my mind, a living music legend. A truly remarkable figure. He worships at the altar of music, great music regardless of popularity or fashion. His confidence in his own ability is sometimes a barrier for public appreciation; nevertheless any lover of music must respect his invention and adventure.
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