Finally, Gorillaz has returned.
Damon Albarn has resurrected his famed virtual band to release “Hallelujah Money,” their first new song in six years, featuring singer and songwriter Benjamin Clementine.
For those who are unfamiliar, Gorillaz is a virtual band of characters created by musician, Damon Albarn and comic artist, Jamie Hewlett. Their debut album saw popular and critical success with seven million copies sold. Since then, the band has released various albums, music videos and cartoon short videos.
Purposefully released on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration, the song is a sharp rebuttal of the president’s policies and language. The music video begins with Clementine standing inside Trump Tower as he sings about building walls stronger than “the walls of Jericho” and corporate greed. As the camera pans inside the gold-plated elevator, Clementine stands in and ascends to the floors above as the background changes to a series of poignant projections. The projections include images such as the KKK and the Liberty Bell.
This particular release seems to be for political aims rather than mass success. Clementine’s singing style here can be unappealing to most, and the lyrics are poignant and hard to grasp upon the first listen. This song certainly gears up fans of the acclaimed band for their expected album release sometime this year.
