The Good, The Bad & The Queen

iTunes Review

Formed in 2006 by Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz, Mali Music) The Good, the Bad and the Queen is a crack collective that features Paul Simonon of the Clash on bass, Simon Tong of the Verve on guitar, and Tony Allen, the drummer from Fela Kuti’s Africa 70 band of Nigeria. This is a diverse and talented group, and even listeners familiar with all of the individual musicians will be pleasantly surprised at what they create together. Moody, dark, and textured, the album is kept afloat by lots of hooks and catchy melodies and the highlights are many: the guitar figure that frames “History Song,” the drowsy doo-wop of “’80’s Life,” the keyboard riffs on “Northern Whale,” and the hypnotic drive of “Behind the Sun” to name but a few. Still, as strong as each track is on its own, it’s the lush and loopy atmosphere created by producer Danger Mouse (Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley) that ties the album together. A lot of sonic territory gets covered as one song flows smoothly into the next with ambient noise fading in and out of the studio murk alongside thick bass lines, slinky percussion, and organ fills that sound straight out of the circus. Imaginative and dense, the album is a gauzy gold mine of heavy grooves, sly drumming, intriguing lyrics, and dramatic vocals. Albarn once again makes a big statement with a so-called side project.