Ode to Albarn

With each and every day, I fall deeper into love with Damon Albarn. My adoration is stemmed from the man's insatiable quest for thoughtful and prolific music. His tenacity and grace warms my arctic heart. 

Regardless of departing from the Gorillaz project, I am comforted that Damon will be out there making more music for the world….more importantly, for me. Unlike Thom Yorke, who releases sparingly with Radiohead and has minor flare ups of individual projects, Damon has a voracious appetite to create and contribute to music culture. The man is unstoppable. More importantly, the quality and substance of his projects never suffers with the start up of a new endeavor. In fact, some of the finest work is released while other groups have been manifested. 

For example, Blur's last album, Think Tank released in 2003, was highly regarded and somewhat unprecedented: the album served as somewhat of a modern day opera, comprised of progressive taste and tempo.  However, do recall that this impressive album came on the heals of two other projects: first, the explosive 2001 debut of the "super group", Gorillaz, meaning multiple musicians; thereafter, Albarn's solo album, Mali Music, was released in 2002 and ended up another collaborative piece. That is not only three albums, but with three different group within three years.

Between then and now, Albarn has released two standout Gorillaz albums, an award winning, orchestral solo album (The Good, The Bad, & The Queen) and scored the play "Monkey: Journey to the West", a collaborative adaptation of the Chinese book, Journey to the West. I would just like to emphasize that throughout all of these projects, all have been predominantly collaborative, even his solo releases. 

Now to add to the list, Damon is kicking off the new decade with a new, secret project, which is rumored to involve Flea and Afrobeat extraordinaire, Tony Allen. 

Before Gorillaz considers their hiatus, as I refuse to believe the band will simply end, they leave behind an album recorded on Albarn's iPad during the North American leg of the band's 2010 tour. The album is The Fall and it's free for the listening on the Gorillaz website. 

After winning the Young Composer of the Year contest at the age of fifteen, Albarn has evolved into the mastermind of multiple successful bands well into his forties. Today, as an industry-regarded catalyst for world music, I covet Albarn's work ethic, integrity in the art form, and foresight for cultural influences in western music. Whether it be storytelling or composition, Albarn's music efforts all achieve the highest marksmanship.