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Apr 19, 201183The Fall at first listen seems more interesting as a concept than as music. Still, there are plenty of rough-cut pop gems.
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Apr 20, 201180No, it isn't as good as that, but getting anywhere close is proof that Damon Albarn remains a musical alchemist, turning what could easily have been crude and leaden into something that often gleams like gold.
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Apr 19, 201180Made on an iPad during the band's autumn tour of America, this hastily constructed, bleepy sketchbook of a record is a delight.
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Apr 18, 201180Though there's no smash hit leaping out, with its consistent unity of atmosphere, The Fall is the most cohesive Gorillaz album yet.
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Feb 18, 201180Packaged together here, The Fall does not feel like a proper Gorillaz album, but more like a musical scrapbook of the tour. Fortunately for us, even Damon's scraps are worthy of a casual listen.
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Jan 26, 201180So there aren't any retreads of 'DARE' or 'Clint Eastwood' but it is a stunning album from start to finish.
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Apr 20, 201170While it is impressive how much Albarn squeezes out of a piece of equipment that most would assume isn't up for the task, this is ultimately a tour-bus album--several songs are even named after the cities in which they were likely conceived.
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Apr 19, 201170Genius, as you know, is all about the detail. The backing vocal on 'Revolving Doors' – if you're still struggling with the 'song' thing, this and 'Amarillo' offer consolation in the form of two of Albarn's loveliest unfinished melodies.
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Apr 11, 201170An electronic album that manages to sound intimate, late-summer warmth turning to autumnal melancholy, and a cartoon band that suddenly seems a little fragile.
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Jan 26, 201170Albarn isn't trying to say much, but The Fall is pretty consistent, from the country-radio sampling dub of "The Parish of Space Dust" to the Rust Belt planet-rock of "Detroit."
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Apr 14, 201167There are a few moments of brilliance, like Bobby Womack's spirited crooning on "Bobby in Phoenix." Hopefully that energy will spill into their next effort--in a studio.
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Jan 26, 201165The strange, yet awfully satisfying, collection of tracks certainly won't attract new listeners to the Gorillaz catalogue, but synth-infused pop tracks like "Revolving Door" or "Hillbilly Man" will appease most listeners.
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Apr 18, 201163Mostly, this is Albarn making one for the headphone-obsessed in his fan base, a soundtrack for kicking back in the back seat and watching the world drift past.
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Dec 19, 201160The Fall winds up a little ephemeral, its pleasures as fleeting as the scenery passing outside the windows of a tour bus.
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May 3, 201160In form as well as content, The Fall is more like a pet project than a full-fledged release.
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Apr 14, 201160It shouldn't work, but ultimately it does, which is pretty much The Fall all over.
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Feb 25, 201160Given that Albarn recorded the album solely using iPad applications, and that this seems to be a ubiquitous suffix to any discussion of the album, it's difficult not to dismiss The Fall as a gimmicky concept album or even a shameless 45-minute Apple advertisement, but there are just about enough interesting moments here to dispel that cynical view.
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Feb 1, 201160It's a sequel of sorts to Democrazy, but sounds infinitely more accomplished--undoubtedly part of the technological point that he's making here. [Mar 2011, p.91]
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Jan 26, 201160There are a lot of innovative ideas, some strong moments, but also a good amount of filler. If you give it a spin, though, you'll probably find some hidden treasures in these songs as well.
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Jan 26, 201160It's your quintessential on-the-road/off-the-cuff indulgence, a sometimes successful merging of traveling-band existentialism and boredom-killing filler.
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Jan 26, 201158Despite the emphasis on atmosphere that pervades the album and that seems like a necessary byproduct of its creative technology, The Fall may be the most earthbound Gorillaz album yet--and at times, therefore, the most banal.
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May 23, 201150The sluggish vibe on The Fall was obviously part of Albarn's intention in creating a meandering sonic travelogue, but you end up wishing he'd pressed the gas pedal a little harder.
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Apr 15, 201150It opens the door to tantalising, exciting possibilities, but it's also fragmented, distracted and indulgent.
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Jan 26, 201140Strictly speaking, it's a Gorillaz album in name only. You could commend Albarn on one hand, but then slap him with the other; the use of a 'rolling studio' and the latest in technology is inspired, but it ultimately represents the downfall of the album.
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Jan 26, 201140As you'd expect, it relies heavily on programmed beats of spare simplicity, and layered dubstep synth riffs over which Albarn sketches his impressions of life on the road.