One of the most popular musical acts of the 2000s has been the fictional group known as the Gorillaz. The group has been critically acclaimed for their entire tenure; the unique nature of their presentation and the experimental style of their music leaves them standing out among modern popular music acts. The animated band is presented as a conventional group of four, but in reality, the Gorillaz is a musical project created by one man—Damon Albarn.  

Albarn is most known outside of his work on the Gorillaz for being the frontman of the band Blur, which gained popularity in the mid-’90s. Since the beginning of the Gorillaz, he has been part of both projects. Despite similarities between the two, many do not know that Albarn is responsible for both, and the Gorillaz remains a much more recognizable name. At the time of writing, the Gorillaz get about 22 million streams on Spotify monthly, while Blur gets 11 million.  

In 2023, both bands released new albums: “The Ballad of Darren” by Blur on July 21 and “Cracker Island” by Gorillaz on Feb. 24. For the first time in their history, Blur took a similar tone and style to the Gorillaz, and surprisingly, may have made music that makes for a better listening experience for Gorillaz fans. 

To explain why “The Ballad of Darren” is the better album, “Cracker Island” must first be analyzed. The theme presented is grand, as usual for the band. The tracks focus on the culture that America has created through the entertainment industry, relating it to a cult and pointing out discrepancies in equal treatment among individuals in entertainment. The ideas track with past themes in Gorillaz’s music, and the criticism of the idealistic consensus of how the industry operates is the best part of the album. The delivery of the theme on “Cracker Island” is what makes it stand out, though. The album could be the least genuine project has sounded.  

One of the best parts of the Gorillaz is that their music pushes boundaries. It’s unique and is different enough between albums that each one is an entirely different experience. Every time they release music, they create something completely new. It doesn’t sound like an attempt to imitate previous albums. One album will be completely made up of a conventional rock style, and another will be almost entirely rap features. 

“Cracker Island’s” most significant flaw is that this does not seem to be the case.  

Instead of coming together and trying to make a unique album, it sounds like they just tried to make a Gorillaz album. The Gorillaz have released four albums in six years, and a lot of the music between these albums is indiscernible. All four albums take on an increasingly less impactful version of a pop style that was a small part of one bigger vision in their earlier works. Instead of expanding upon new ideas, they resorted to the same idea. It feels as though it’s meant to be marketable instead of feeling sincere. 

The problem with “Cracker Island” isn’t that it doesn’t sound good; there actually isn’t anything terribly wrong with the songs. A consumer could listen to “Cracker Island” and come to the conclusion that Albarn may never lose his touch when it comes to producing music. The problem is that among the rest of his catalog, the album is boring and nowhere near innovative.  

Because of this, no matter how good the music is, it defeats the purpose of the Gorillaz. As one single musical experience, “Cracker Island” is low quality. While it makes sense for plenty of artists to stick to one style throughout their career, staying within boundaries ruins the Gorillaz. Despite the individual tracks being well made, “Cracker Island” is worth skipping since most will have heard similar music from the Gorillaz before. 

“The Ballad of Darren” is very unlike most other Blur albums, specifically when compared to their earlier material that casual listeners will be more aware of. Like the Gorillaz album, what the lyrics mean is a massive highlight of the album. The songs take place from the point of view of a man who puts himself through unfortunate situations but refuses to admit responsibility. Albarn adapts Blur to better fit his unique storytelling, which takes advantage of skills more often seen utilized on Gorillaz. 

The reason why “The Ballad of Darren” may be a better listening experience for a Gorillaz fan isn’t just the quality of the storytelling. The tone of the music is more like how “Cracker Island” should have been. 

The usual excitement and speed of Blur’s music is put through a modern filter. Albarn’s voice is floaty, sometimes coming across as more of a speaking voice than anything else. It feels like someone is confiding in you rather than singing a song. The instrumental never strays too far from its base, and the songs keep an authentic form built on acoustics and backed up by a soft synthesizer.  

Some of the best songs on the album are “The Narcissist” and “Goodbye Albert.” These songs play back-to-back and are the best examples of what makes the album special. There’s definitely part of the style of the songs that hint at the experience of the band, but there is no question that it is music released in 2023. The mood set recognizes what is expected of new music. It doesn’t feel like music made to sell; it feels like music that embraces what it is without trying to be something else. The laid-back presentation of these songs is perfect for listening both casually and mindfully.  

If someone searching for new music is looking for something that they’ve never heard before, they’re more likely to find it here than on “Cracker Island.” 

Albarn took a risk in changing the tone of a band not known for making music that is far out of the ordinary. By embracing more of a modern sound and changing Blur’s usual style, he created an album that works far more in his audience’s favor.