The Fall
by Gorillaz
  • Record Label: Gorillaz
  • Release Date: Apr 19, 2011
User Score
6.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 112 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 112
  2. Mixed: 38 out of 112
  3. Negative: 11 out of 112

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  1. Soulrain
    May 21, 2012
    8
    This album is a great experiment on creating a very special type of music. Even if you don't like the songs of Gorillaz's latest album 'The Fall' you have to admit, that Damon did a great job by risking a step in a musical direction not many people are listening to.
  2. Helucinate
    Apr 23, 2011
    4
    As a huge Gorillaz fan, I highly anticipated another release from Albarn under the Gorillaz brand. However this release was a massive disappointment and it kills me to say it. Every album released previously under the Gorillaz brand had a story behind it. You were never just listening to music, it was more like following an Anime show through sound right from the self title album with theAs a huge Gorillaz fan, I highly anticipated another release from Albarn under the Gorillaz brand. However this release was a massive disappointment and it kills me to say it. Every album released previously under the Gorillaz brand had a story behind it. You were never just listening to music, it was more like following an Anime show through sound right from the self title album with the introduction of the concept of Kong Studios; Demon Days with Feel good inc being a centre point for th action, which is seen through the music videos of 'Feel Good Inc' and 'El Manana'; in Plastic Beach we find that Kong has burned down and that the Gorillaz are on the run which can be seen in the 'Stylo' music video and they set up shop on plastic beach which is also a political reference to the ever growing mass of the plastic island in the middle of the ocean (don't believe me? google it), and so the story continues. The Fall, had nothing, no hype; no excitement; no mood; and most of all no story! this was, I felt Albarn using a serious successful brand to release his experiment under. well all artists sell out eventualy. But musically, I give Albarn his dues for producing this on an Ipad, however as far as the tunes go, they are pretty porno, and a serious let down to the previous Gorillaz releases.… Expand
  3. j30
    Dec 9, 2011
    2
    The Fall doesn't belong anywhere in Gorillaz's already strong discography. The LP (if you want to call it that) feels more like an afterthought rather than a carefully well made release that we've come to expect from Damon and Co.
  4. MirceaC
    Jan 30, 2011
    7
    Not a totally awful album. It's lacking the polish and feel of previous albums, that's for sure, but people need to keep in mind that it was all done on a iPad. Plus, the album was not intended to be better or as good as the previous albums. It was all an experiment, and most likely done for fun. Nevertheless, it's quite an unique album. To summarise it all, it's an "awfully good" album.
  5. Lenamic
    May 7, 2011
    5
    It's disappointing since Gorillaz used to make whole new sounds. I feel that every piece of the album is completely disconnected. Even though it's not a massive disaster I was expecting more.
  6. Amathev
    Feb 9, 2013
    0
    The album was made on an iPad, and what can you say other than it sounds like it was made on an iPad.
    It came out of nowhere as a complete surprise and yet you felt incredibly disappointed.
    I liked one track on the album, but it really doesn't justify the fact that this has "Gorillaz" marked on it.
  7. harlanpepper
    Apr 21, 2011
    8
    While this album lacks the cohesive and catchy brilliance that "Plastic Beach" held for me, it's still a good listen. The sounds are much more ambient, the beats more deliberate and slow. Overall, the album is a good follow-up to the success of their last, yet it still leaves me wanting just a bit more of what we saw then.
  8. Flowone
    Jun 15, 2011
    7
    Its not the best album up to date from the Gorillaz, considering that it was all done on a iPad and it is FREE to download on the Gorillaz official website, but with some of the hidden gems such as Revolving Doors hidden in this experimental album, The Fall gives you more tracks to add to your Gorillaz collection. There's something for anyone to like in this one.
  9. HomicidalHugz
    May 9, 2011
    0
    IMO I thought this album was a waste of time. I LOVE the Gorillaz but they're straying FAR from their roots and don't even sound anything like they used to. Plastic Beach was a new step but The Fall was a far cry from any of their more original tunes. For example lots of their songs told "stories" that were a tad bit confusing but open for interpretation, now on The Fall, you hear songsIMO I thought this album was a waste of time. I LOVE the Gorillaz but they're straying FAR from their roots and don't even sound anything like they used to. Plastic Beach was a new step but The Fall was a far cry from any of their more original tunes. For example lots of their songs told "stories" that were a tad bit confusing but open for interpretation, now on The Fall, you hear songs like Plastic Bags and Revolving Door...that are just what the titles say. If anything, it sounded like an Elevator Music artist "breaking out". Over all, what I'm trying to say is that this was a GOD AWFUL album.… Expand
  10. ShankYouKindly
    Oct 14, 2013
    10
    You must understand that this album is a musical experiment, not an official Gorillaz "Album" per say. This is a bonus collection straight from the mind of Albarn and absolutely raw. I honestly did not like The Fall at all on the first couple of listens, but it grew on me every time i played it over again. Its at the point now that, for me at least, this is one the strongest entries inYou must understand that this album is a musical experiment, not an official Gorillaz "Album" per say. This is a bonus collection straight from the mind of Albarn and absolutely raw. I honestly did not like The Fall at all on the first couple of listens, but it grew on me every time i played it over again. Its at the point now that, for me at least, this is one the strongest entries in all of the Gorillaz catalog. True fans will love this, you must give it some time and effort though.… Collapse
  11. StaticTonality
    Mar 26, 2013
    10
    A supremely clever album for what it is. It's simply Damon Albarn goofing around with an iPad on tour. The outcome is an American sonic journey that is well worth a listen. To the haunting/soothing rhythm of "Revolving Doors", the heartbreaking ballad that is "Amarillo", the somewhat uplifting "Parish of Space Dust" and the underground-style experimentation of "The Speak-It Mountains" andA supremely clever album for what it is. It's simply Damon Albarn goofing around with an iPad on tour. The outcome is an American sonic journey that is well worth a listen. To the haunting/soothing rhythm of "Revolving Doors", the heartbreaking ballad that is "Amarillo", the somewhat uplifting "Parish of Space Dust" and the underground-style experimentation of "The Speak-It Mountains" and "The Snake in Dallas" this album is a unique and interesting work of art.… Expand
  12. SuperJstar
    Nov 19, 2016
    8
    This may be Gorillaz "least good" album but still... it was made on an iPad, what did you expect? Another Demon Days, this album may not as good as their other ones but still many good songs like Amarillo, Hillbilly Man and Revolving Doors with this last one being one of their best ever.
  13. Hendo250
    Mar 29, 2021
    6
    this album is a 6 this album is a 6 this album is a 6 this album is a 6 this album is a 6
  14. RedLemon
    Aug 5, 2017
    7
    I wouldn't say this album is bad or good in any ways but i did like a few songs on here like revolving doors and Amarillo. Personally it isn't my favourite album from gorillaz but it is worth listening to,
  15. md5fungi
    Jun 1, 2020
    4
    Gorillaz is a band that relies on clean, synthetic production, so recording an entire album on an iPad might seem apt; however, The Fall feels minimalistic to the point of being completely hollow. The real problem with The Fall is that it isn't a Gorillaz album, but instead a musical experiment that Damon Albarn wanted to throw out into the world "just cause". This directly contradicts theGorillaz is a band that relies on clean, synthetic production, so recording an entire album on an iPad might seem apt; however, The Fall feels minimalistic to the point of being completely hollow. The real problem with The Fall is that it isn't a Gorillaz album, but instead a musical experiment that Damon Albarn wanted to throw out into the world "just cause". This directly contradicts the band's statement that the Gorillaz are [more like an organization of people doing new projects]. The Fall is most definitely a Damon Albarn solo album with very few guest artists and very little to fill out the space. The songs are bleak and lethargic, similar to the band's debut, but with less engaging melodies and interesting structures. Overall, The Fall is an underwhelming con of a Gorillaz album. It's not completely without merit as it's audacious and sometimes almost good, but it's a puzzling choice for Albarn to make after the band had already solidified its identity.… Expand
  16. Le_Username
    Nov 9, 2020
    5
    It's a decent album to listen to while studying, it doesn't have any of the ambition that other projects had, it's pretty much a compilation of ideas that Damon Albarn had during the Plastic Beach Tour, actually, it is that. For a album it's very average, it's not something I'd listen to normally though, so it's a very ok, very average album. 5/10.
  17. Charlesghost
    May 29, 2021
    7
    the fall sem duvidas é o álbum que causa mais polemica, muitos falam que o álbum é mal interpretado e outros que sentem que o álbum é mal acabado, mesmo no meio de tanta polemica, a minha experiência me impressionou de forma positiva.
    pontos positivos:
    é importante dizer que pra experiência ser de fato agradável, você DEVE escutar o disco na sequencia proposta, isso vale pra todo disco    the fall sem duvidas é o álbum que causa mais polemica, muitos falam que o álbum é mal interpretado e outros que sentem que o álbum é mal acabado, mesmo no meio de tanta polemica, a minha experiência me impressionou de forma positiva.
    pontos positivos:
    é importante dizer que pra experiência ser de fato agradável, você DEVE escutar o disco na sequencia proposta, isso vale pra todo disco de um artista.
    quando se fala em the fall se fala em um disco experimental, com esse traço bem marcado, sendo o álbum referencia nesse quesito, o álbum começa de forma bem estranha porem com uma estranheza que causa curiosidade. Levando em conta o aspecto musical, é um disco muito rico, consegue te prender de fato quando você esta disposto a escutar ele, além de ter uma das maiores musicas da banda que é revolving door, então esta longe de ser um disco experimental que no fim não tem nenhuma musica com potencial de se ouvir fora do álbum.
    pontos negativos:
    o disco é um pouco confuso em algumas partes, alguns cortes bruscos de clima podem confundir o ouvinte e deixar mais complicado de se reconectar com o disco, não é de forma nenhuma um disco que é fácil de ouvir, isso não o torna ruim, é uma características única e uma das propostas do projeto gorillaz, mas não da pra deixar de lado pois isso acaba confundindo principalmente ouvintes novos da banda.
    considerações finais: escutei no total umas 3 vezes esse álbum novamente pra escrever a critica e o que posso dizer é que não é um disco fácil de entender e de fato é muito confuso, mas de forma nenhuma é um disco mal acabado, o trabalho minucioso e detalhes que eles colocaram é o que torna o álbum maravilhoso, é uma experiência única e um prato cheio pra quem gosta de algo experimental,    … Expand
  18. GorillazUnoffic
    Aug 21, 2022
    10
    This album is hugely underrated. This album shows how experimental Gorillaz are and paved the way for more people to write songs on iPads.

Awards & Rankings

69
#69 Most Discussed Album of 2011
53
#53 Most Shared Album of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. AllMusic
    Dec 19, 2011
    60
    The Fall winds up a little ephemeral, its pleasures as fleeting as the scenery passing outside the windows of a tour bus.
    Read full review
  2. Under The Radar
    May 23, 2011
    50
    The 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.
    Read full review
  3. PopMatters
    May 3, 2011
    60
    In form as well as content, The Fall is more like a pet project than a full-fledged release.
    Read full review
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