I know why some people underrate this splendid album from Gorillaz. It's because Plastic Beach brings pop music to a new level and some people still can't admit it, or let's say, they still can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. It sounds different from any other pop album, and of course Gorillaz album, but it doesn't mean that it's bad. This album may not have singles like "Feel Good Inc." and "Clint Eastwood", but it's been rewarded with songs like "On Melancholy Hill" (my favourite), "Some Kind of Nature", "Superfast Jellyfish" and finally "Empire Ants", which from my point of view are the climax of this album (or should I say, the cherry on top of the cake?). I agree that Stylo isn't a really strong single compared to any other singles Gorillaz made, but it has its moments. The rest of the songs are also great (not the best of course) but magnificent. Put them all the songs together (aka Plastic Beach) and you'll see something new, unique and refreshing for pop music. Better than Demon Days? That's what people ask for ages. I will say, with all my heart, yes. As I said above, Plastic Beach might not have 'strong' singles, but, it brings something new and unique. Something which Demon Days didn't really bring. It was and still is a great album from Gorillaz, but unfortunately, I don't think it brought pop music to a new level like Plastic Beach. Indeed, this is one of the best albums which came out in 2010. Maybe the best.… Expand

this time around the gorillaz got it right with fresh sounds and new collabs. this time around i can;t help but find these tracks being set to repeat on my ipod songs like "Rhinestone Eyes" or "Stlyo are already imprinted forever in my head. Good job Gorillaz.

The variety in this album is incredible. Wide range of appeal.

Hardly a lagging moment on Alburn's finest work since 13. Lush. Vibrant. Genius.

This is the pop filling I've been waiting for the past 3 years. Very experimental and I absolutely adore the overall volume that this kicks. Nom nom nom to your ears.

This is the first 10 stars out of 10 album since M.I.A.'s "Kala". It's certainly the poppiest Gorillaz album, but it's the best. There is no Hit songs like "Dare", "Feel Good Inc." or "Clint Eastwood"; so it's not so immediate, you can't judge it by the first listen. It's more Pop. But who said Pop music couldn't be demanding? The whole album is perfectly balanced and constant in its grandeur. The only thing that wasn't excellent, in my opinion, was the choice of Bashy as a featuring. The rest is pure genius.… Expand

OK I had to create a Metacritic account just because I saw so many favorable reviews of this horrible drek. I keep trying to like it because I love this band. But I keep clicking next next next. You people should come to my house and share whatever illegal substance you took to enjoy this because it's just awful. If you added up all the essence from this entire album it still wouldn't be close to being as good as Dare.… Expand

Quite dissappointing. While the production, artwork, videos and list of guest appearances may be amazing, the quality of individual songs is very poor and even after a few months of listening I can not remember what the majority of songs sound like. Highlights however include "Stylo", "Superfast Jellyfish", Glitter Freeze" and "Empire Ants".

Amazing album, how amazing is only revealed with repeated listening.

The greatest album I have ever heard to date. Gorillaz have always been a creative and unique band but i never seen something like this before. My favorite song is White Flag, the flowing beats and lyrics just tie in so perfectly and well done. This album is definatly worth buying.

This album sounds different from other Gorillaz albums but if your a fan of how they tend to bring something new in each album then you might like it. This album is for people with certain tastes that can appreciate the sound, style and mixes it offers. I actually want more.

Album of the year(possibly). Hopefully Albarn's next project will be to produce a solo Womack album or more duets with Little Dragon.

Best album of 2010 and best Gorillaz album. Smooth and melodic with lots of changeups. Musical fusion at it's best.

When I had only heard the album a few times, I thought about just giving it a 9. There are some low points, but each time you listen to the album, the low points seem to get better and better. And now, after several listens, it can't be anything but the highest grade. Gorillaz' greatest so far (and that says a lot, Demon Days being completely magnificent as well), and also the greatest album of this year so far. It's going to be tough to drag this album down fro it's top position of 2010. Damon Albarn is a musical genius.… Expand

Gorillaz’s Plastic Beach sounds like a soundtrack — so cohesive. Compare to Demon Days, it’s considerably chiller and quirkier. A+ Damon :) What a lovely treat for the ears.

Brilliant! what i expect from gorillaz.listen to the entire album more than once to understand what is going on.

Finally the wait is over and these gorillaz keep on giving out their best!

Flawless album as well as brilliantly thought out and executed. Definitely contender for best album of the year and by far best Gorillaz album to be released.

Has all the elctro glitz and glam of great bands from the 80's. Love all the cameos. Plastic Beach is much better than their debut and Demon Days!

Outstanding trip hop. We want more of this, Gorillaz!

Really brilliant album. Superior to their first album and equal with Demon Days. This album takes longer to warm up to then Demon Days, but if you did enjoy either of Gorillaz's past albums, you will eventually love this album. The song's I really warmed up to first were Rhinestone Eyes, and Sweepstakes. So if you're having a hard time with the album, try those two songs some.

As brilliant an album as anything else I've heard this year. Fantastic collaborations and Albarn's signature melodic charm. Wonderful.

Staggeringly good. If you don't give this 10 out of 10 then shame upon your musical soul.

This album is their best so far.

I have to say I am disappointed. Having listened to the whole album leaves me with not remembering a single song. I also found the album pretty much all the same. It was pretty relaxing listening to the first few songs but then the album just became plain boring. Come on Gorillaz! You can do so much better than this!

Most albums that require relistens are fabulous. The Good, the Bad, and The Queen took some time get into and this does as well. It's brilliant. It's wonderful that we have tracks like these.

Disappointed. Lacking any standout hits that I am used to from this band. After Gorillaz and Demon Dayz I had high hopes for this album and got it because I simply trusted the Gorillaz to provide top quality. Quantity seems more important here as there are 16 tracks, 4 of which I would consider catchy enough to cruise around to, but the album as a whole is a major dull let down smothered by mediocrity and a possible sense of accomplishment overshadowing the need to produce quality hits. Instead we are introduced to the singer we love surrounded by guest star cameos. I feel like i was tossed a piece of bologni when I clearly wanted steak.… Expand

Gorillaz third studio release does not disappoint. With a more 80's, electronica feel than the previous album Demon Days; Plastic Beach will draw in a different crowd while maintaining the original Gorillaz fan base. With a wide range of celebrity cameos and great production value this album will have you humming its contagious beats long after listening.

Trials off in the end, but is still extremely fun throughout. Superfast Jellyfish and Empire Ants are amazing songs.

I reviewed the album at the amazon.com website. I think it's an excellent piece of work. Requires two listens to begin to get how really good it is.

By all means an enjoyable album, Plastic Beach never comes close to Gorillaz' previous efforts. Something is missing, and many of these professional reviews may be spot on when they claim this is because Plastic Beach has no memorable beats or "Hits." My favorites from this album so far are White Flag, Superfast Jellyfish, and Plastic Beach. Some of these songs are just plain weird in their delivery, IE Glitter Freeze, Sweepstakes. The latter of which attempts social commentary, but struggles, in my opinion, to match clarity of contemporary artists efforts; I'm thinking of 'Gotta Eat' by Lupe Fiasco.… Expand

Better than Demon Days, great job, Damon Albarn did it again!

Absolutely awesome. The most balanced, consistent Gorillaz album and each track complement each other while the whole album flows like a clean stream. There might be no Feel Good or Clint Eastwood but that's why it is so good because there is no big hitting song that throws the album off. Buy it. Now.

This album left me in complete awe. They did it again, changing up their style, and it still sounds awesome. Songs like White Flag are completely original combining an Arabic Orchestra with British hip hop. Songs like Broken are lyrically genius with dual meaning to life and love. I strongly encourage buying this album.

I loved it, possibly the Gorillaz best yet. My friend's favourite thing ever by Damon Albarn, I don't know yet, but I do know it's the best of '10 for me so far.

Great Album. Better to listen it with your headset on. Beautiful fine textures, smart lyrics...feat artists are amazing too.

Literally can't believe the bad reviews. It's bloody brilliant.

Its just like the gorillaz never finished this album . They take no chances .

First of all, I'm a longtime Gorillaz fan. But I am by no means biased. If this album wasn't good, I would say it wasn't good. Fortunately, that is not the case. This album is well worth the almost 5 year wait. The guests are better than ever, and the musicianship is incredible. Like Muse's most recent album, this album (especially the iTunes Deluxe Version) has a good orchestral feel to it. It's very laid-back, and is more poppy than their previous albums. However, that is not a bad thing. In short, a must-buy for anyone who enjoyed Demon Days even a little. Track by track: Orchestral Intro: 9/10 Great. A perfect intro, that is only brought down by a short length. Welcome to The World of The Plastic Beach: 7.75/10 This track also feels like an introduction, and it's a pretty good one at that. The beat is GREAT, but something about it is a bit out of place. Snoop does a good job, but I feel like he should have had a chance to really rap, at least for a moment. White Flag: 8/10 A pretty simple hip hop track, featuring Bashy and Kano, backed up by some great music by the National Orchestra for Arabic Music. Rhinestone Eyes: 10/10 One of the best tracks on the album. A laid-back song with some awesome music and lyrics, with no guests to clutter the simple layout. Stylo: 10/10 The first single from the album, and another one of my favorites. It's an electro-pop dance song with a bit of singing from Bobby Womack. Superfast Jellyfish: Yet another.. 10/10 I love this song. Great raps, hilarious samples and ad-libs, and a catchy chorus too. Empire Ants: 9.5/10 One of the slower songs, but also one of the best. Very laid-back, with a very well-done change of pace about halfway through, where some electronic beats come in with vocals by Little Dragon. Glitter Freeze: 8.5/10 Very poppy, mostly instrumental track with an awesome synth line that can get stuck in your head for hours. Some Kind of Nature: 7.75/10 Good song, a bit odd, but in a good way. Another somewhat poppy song, but also very laid back. On Melancholy Hill: 10/10 Very slow song, but amazingly good. I just love it. Broken: 8.5/10 Very laid-back. One of the slowest songs here. Sweepstakes: 6.75/10 Don't really like this one. It has it's redeeming points though. Plastic Beach: 8/10 Like it. Not up to the standards of some of the other tracks, but it's good. To Binge: 8/10 Very mellow track. It's not great, but like every other track on this album, it's at least GOOD. Cloud of Unknowing: 8.5/10 Pirate Jet: 9/10 iTunes Bonus Tracks: Pirate's Progress: 10/10 Great orchestral track, reprise of the intro. Three Hearts, Seven Seas, Twelve Moons: 9.5/10 Great. That's all.… Expand

Not a 10 but not bad at all, jeez the LAcTimes who ever wrote that must be on rock.

Ever since NPR has been streaming the album, I have not been able to stop listening. I wish I could put into words how much I love this album. Beautiful, captivating music right here. Whenever I listen, I want to vomit a rainbow. Album of the year.

Mixes hard electronic beats with smooth melancholic melodies, Gorillaz best album yet, the onl thing missing being the big single (such as feel good inc. or Dare) but, what it lacks there it makes up for by being the most 'together' album yet of the gorillaz, mixing a range of artists with classic gorillaz sounds.

Gorillaz haven't lost their magic. I have been a true gorillaz fan for years now and I still listen to all their old songs. This album is a must-buy for anyone that appreciates music.

Pretty good album but not as good as their two previous. On Melanncholy Hill, Broken and Empire Ants are prob the stand out tracks for me. Superfast Jellyfish is a song that will grow on you as i hated its novelty feel at first but grew to like it. Sweepstakes is terrible and no matter how many tmes i listen to it, i just cant get into it. Plastic beach definitely feels more Pop than Demon days and Self Titled, however the nice ensemble of Guest Artists is nice.… Expand

Plastic Beach has a few low points where the songs sound slightly unpolished, but overall the album is very well done. The mellow beats and ambient vocals sound great, and there's a lot of really catchy tracks on here.

Probably the most overlooked CD of the year! Whenever I ask someone if they've heard the new Gorillaz album, all I get are blank stares. Perhaps it's because Plastic Beach lacks a single like "Clint Eastwood" or "Feel Good Inc." However, I think this is Gorillaz's best album as a whole. It maintains a theme (in this case environmentalism), which keeps the CD consistent. And this is arguably the most varied Gorillaz ablum yet. Damon Alburn (singer and main guy of Gorillaz) said he wanted Plastic Beach to have a mix tape feel - he certainly accomplished it. There are so many genres represented here including rap, funk, rock, electronic, soul, and alternative. Guest appearances by Snoop Dog, Bobby Womack, and Lou Reed (and many more) are complimented with some of the catchiest Gorillaz beats to date. One of the best of 2010, but be warned: this album is more electronic than Gorillaz's previous. RECOMMENDED TRACKS: Rhinestone Eyes, Stylo, Empire Ants, Some Kind of Nature, On Melancholy Hill… Expand

This isn't crappy commercial pop, this is full on, clever pop. Sure, the collaboration with snoop dog is not the best but the rest of the album is brilliant and onces again, innovative. 'White Flag' is an interesting piece of cross culture hip hop and 'Sweepstakes' is driven by some jazzy horns. 'Stylo' and 'Cloud of Unknowing' feature Bobby Womack, a move that seems perfect when hearing the two songs. On Stylo, Womack produces almost a wail to drive the song whilst 'Cloud of Unknowing' sounds beautiful with the strings and a softer voice. Albarn takes gambles and they always seem to pull off. Whether it be trying new genres, pulling in guest stars or just being himself. It just always works.… Expand

i was really happy when this album came out. it had been five years since demon days came out, which was quite possibly one of the best albums i've ever heard. and plastic beach was good, but i noticed that i was hearing a lot of other artists singing on the tracks insted of damon alburn. that was disapointing but it was still good, and a lot different than the previoius two albums

the best Gorillaz album to date. I especially like Superfast Jellyfish, To Binge, and Broken....who would have thought that Lou Reed and Snoop would be on the same record?

77!!!!!!!! What you've got to be joking! This album does not deserve that rating. Murdoc Niccals, Stu- Pot, and Cyborg Noodle. have done it again (except not Cyborg Noodle). This album is at least as good as Demon Days. There is such a good variety in this LP that even Yukimi Nagano (Little Dragon) is on two tracks 'To Binge' and one of my favourites 'Empire Ants'. Legendary rapper Mos Def also has his contribution to this memento, in the single Stylo he raps through a voice distorter and turns the song into a kind of deep electric dark, mini-anthem. Then its the return of De-La soul, super fast ,super fast, super catchy. There song is a great contribution the the album and possibly "brightening up the album". The highlight of the album is 'Melancholy Hill' Gorillaz on there own with 2D singing about a hill and being in love? 8 ½ / 10… Expand

Pop, guests, plastic. That's all you need to really know about this album. This album really said "We are the Gorillaz and we can do whatever we want!" This album features a ton of new guests: Snoop Dogg, Little Dragon, Gruff Rhys, etc. This album was really fun, and contained new emotions for my Gorillaz experience. This is the easiest album to get used to yet, so don't worry. Standouts : "Rhinestone Eyes", "Stylo", "Empire Ants", "On Melancholy Hill" Overall Score : 8.8… Expand

Great album! Gorillaz deliver a lot of harmonic, melodic elements that make their music catchy and very original. Their arrangements are great and all the synth work is very reminiscent of the best new wave music of the early 80's. Definitely a must hear and of the best albums of 2010, thanks for such great music!

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. wasn't to found of this album at the beginning, but as i listened to it over and over, i just told myself dude why didn't i liked it o.0 this is not a love at the first time album. It doesn't get empty like many other album, it fill itself. Anyway, i don't think this album need a hit. Yes it's different, but it's what we all always want : something different and besides JELLYFISH. so 10.0… Expand

This is probably the last hope for humanity when it comes to music. With all this crap on the charts, it's annoying not to see this album anywhere up there. Absolutely amazing.

Gorillaz can bring the funk, even on this more serious and chillout set. Bringing the theme of the environmental health of the planet, there is a lot to talk about. Gorillaz brings listeners wonderful melodies and calming rhythms. The only dissapointing thing is that when the album has to come to a close.

Plastic Beach was no doubt a good album, but it slightly loses it's edge towards the second half of the album. The first half was really great though. "Stylo" is a great jam and "Superfast Jellyfish" is another great track. The production is amazing. And some guest rappers really know how to make it all sound good. Especially Snoop Dogg in the first song "Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach". All In All, no Demon Days but Plastic Beach was nevertheless a good jam to listen too. B… Expand

A little long for my taste. Though that's what you come to expect now with a Damon Albarn album, the man loves to load his albums full of songs. I'm almost tempted to call it a concept album because of the song subjects and because it flows so beautifully track to track.

This is my favorite release from the Gorillaz and in my top ten for 2010. It's dance-club ready, re-mix ready, just straight up party ready. The production is carefully thought out and put together nicely, whereas Demon Days was kind of all over the place and not a bad thing.

This album is a strange adjustment for the average Gorillaz fan. I didn't catch on right away, but now I feel that this is their best album. By far.

Good diverse collection of tracks here with a wide range of A-List collaborators. Wasn't a big fan of Demon Days but this is much more consistent. A few tracks do meander off track but overall the quality is maintained. On Melancholy Hill is the best thing they've put out in my opinion.

I love all of Gorillaz previous work, and after reading many positive reviews, I gave this album many honest listens over few months, hoping it would grow on me, but it didn't - there are some interesting moments, but it's mostly quite bland and forgettable - none of the songs really sticks.