News
The Ballad of Darren Due Out July 21 via Parlophone
May 18, 2023
By Mark Redfern
Britpop icons Blur have announced a new album, The Ballad of Darren, and shared its first single, “The Narcissist.” More
Slugs of Love Due Out July 7 via Ninja Tune
May 03, 2023
By Mark Redfern
Swedish electro-pop band Little Dragon have announced a new album, Slugs of Love, and have shared a new song from it, “Kenneth,” via an animated music video. Slugs of Love features Damon Albarn on one song. More
Cracker Island Due Out February 24, 2023 via Parlophone
Dec 08, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Damon Albarn’s virtual band Gorillaz have shared a new single, “Skinny Ape.” The song will be performed live by the band at 2:30 pm ET on December 17th in Times Square and 14:00 GMT on December 18th in Piccadilly Circus. Directed by Jamie Hewlett and Fx Goby, the ‘Skinny Ape’ performances are created by Nexus Studios and utilize Google’s ARCore Geospatial API, using AR to transform public spaces. More
Tickets Go On Sale This Friday
May 16, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Damon Albarn’s virtual band Gorillaz have announced a North American tour for fall 2022. Tickets will go on sale this Friday (May 20) at 10 a.m. local time. More
Also Watch Him Perform Blur’s “This Is a Low” from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
Oct 14, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz is releasing a new solo album, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, on November 12 via Transgressive. Now he has shared its fifth single, the horn-backed “The Tower of Montevideo.” He’s also shared a separate video where he performs the song live with his backing band. Also, Albarn recently performed a show at London’s iconic Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and has shared a video from the show of him playing Blur’s “This Is a Low,” from the band’s 1994 album, Parklife, as well as “The Moon Exalted” from his 2012 album/opera soundtrack Dr Dee and “Royal Mountain Blue” from the new album. More
The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows Due Out November 12 via Transgressive
Sep 22, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz is releasing a new solo album, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, on November 12 via Transgressive. Now he has shared its fourth single, “Royal Mountain Blue.” He’s also shared a separate video where he performs the song live with his backing band. More
Plus Damon Albarn, Proper., Suuns, The Dodos, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 03, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 33rd Songs of the Week of 2021. We liked enough new songs this week to form a Top 11. More
The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows Due Out November 12 via Transgressive
Sep 01, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz is releasing a new solo album, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, on November 12 via Transgressive. Now he has shared its third single, the haunted ballad “Particles.” He’s also shared a separate video where he performs the song live with his backing band. More
Featuring Artists AJ Tracey, Jelani Blackman, Barrington Levy, and Alicai Harley
Aug 26, 2021
By Joey Arnone
Damon Albarn’s virtual band Gorillaz have shared a new three-track EP titled Meanwhile after performing all three songs at a live concert at O2 Arena in London two weeks ago. The EP features guest appearances by artists AJ Tracey, Jelani Blackman, Barrington Levy, and Alicai Harley. More
Plus Nation of Language, Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 09, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 26th Songs of the Week of 2021. The American music industry pretty took Monday off due to Sunday’s July 4th holiday, so we expected slimmer pickings this week. It was not to be, thanks for some exciting album announcements. We settled on a Top 11 this week. More
The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows Due Out November 12 via Transgressive
Jul 06, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz is releasing a new solo album, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, on November 12 via Transgressive. Now he has shared its second single, “Polaris.” He’s also shared a separate video where he performs the song live with his backing band. More
The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows Due Out November 12 via Transgressive; Listen to the Title Track
Jun 22, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz has announced a new solo album, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, and shared its title track. More
McCartney III Imagined Due Out April 16 on Capitol
Apr 08, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Paul McCartney is releasing McCartney III Imagined on April 16 via Capitol. It features remixes and covers of songs from McCartney’s 2020 album, McCartney III. Now he has shared a remix of the album’s “Slidin’” done by Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien (who also releases solo music under the name EOB). More
Plus Sons of Kemet, CHAI, Storefront Church, POND, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 02, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Emma Goad)
Welcome to the 12th Songs of the Week of 2021. In the nation was gripped (or more accurately, traumatized) by the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd. More
A Tenuous Tale of Her Due Out June 4 via Outlier
Apr 01, 2021
By Emma Goad
Sylvern Mathurin, also known as Poté, has announced his new album A Tenuous Tale of Her, which will be coming out on June 4 via Outlier. He has also shared a new song “Young Lies,” which features Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), with contributions by Gorillaz producer Remy Kabaka Jr. More
Song Machine: Season One - Strange Timez Due Out October 23
Oct 01, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Damon Albarn’s virtual band Gorillaz have shared a new song, “The Pink Phantom,” via a video for it. The song and video features Elton John and 6BLACK. It’s episode seven of their Song Machine video series. Watch it below. More
Episode 5 of Song Machine
Jul 20, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Damon Albarn’s virtual band Gorillaz have shared a new song, “PAC-MAN,” via a video for it. The song and video features Schoolboy Q. It’s episode five of their Song Machine video series. More
Episode 4 of Song Machine
Jun 09, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Damon Albarn’s virtual band Gorillaz have shared a new song, “Friday 13th,” via a video for it. The song and video features French-British rapper and singer Octavian. It’s episode four of their Song Machine video series. More
Billed As the First Ever Duet Between Albarn and One of the Virtual Members of the Band
May 20, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Damon Albarn’s virtual band Gorillaz were the musical guest on last night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! While the animated members of the band are usually front and center, this time Albarn performed their recent single “Aries” as a duet with his virtual doppelgänger 2-D. More
Episode 1 of Song Machine
Jan 30, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Damon Albarn’s virtual band Gorillaz have shared a new song, “Momentary Bliss,” that features slowthai and Slaves, via a video for the track. It’s also the first episode of their Song Machine video series. More
EGOLI Due Out July 12 via Africa Express Records
Jun 12, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Multicultural collective Africa Express, which was spearheaded by Damon Albarn, are releasing a new album, EGOLI, on July 12 via Africa Express Records. Now they have shared another song from it, “City in Lights.” The song features British singer Georgia, Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Mahotella Queens, and Otim Alpha. More
EGOLI Due Out July 12 via Africa Express Records
May 10, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Multicultural collective Africa Express, which was spearheaded by Damon Albarn, have announced a new album, EGOLI, and shared its first single, “Johannesburg,” which features vocals by Gruff Rhys (Welsh frontman of Super Furry Animals), alongside other featured artists Morena Leraba, Radio 123, and Sibot. More
Plus Ryley Walker; The Good, The Bad, & The Queen; The Twilight Sad; and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 16, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
This the closest we’ve come in awhile to skipping Songs of the Week due to a lack of truly worthy songs. But we were able to at least come up with a Top 7 (as opposed to our usual Top 10), even if it includes two covers and two album tracks. One thing that saved it was our #1 song, which was released this morning. More
Merrie Land Out Now via Studio 13
Nov 16, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
The Good, The Bad, & The Queen have released their long-awaited sophomore album, Merrie Land, today via Studio 13. Now that the album is out, you can stream the whole thing here. More
Plus Murray A. Lightburn, Julia Jacklin, Nilüfer Yanya, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 09, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
There might still be nearly two months left in 2018, but 2019 album announcements have been coming hard and fast of late. The Top 10 of this week’s Songs of the Week is packed with first and second singles from albums due out next January or February, although not our #1, that album is due out next week. More
Merrie Land Due Out November 16
Nov 05, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
The Good, The Bad, & The Queen are releasing their long-awaited sophomore album, Merrie Land, on November 16. Now they have shared another song from the album, “Gun to the Head,” via a video for the song that features a man pretending to be a puppet as he sings the song. The band features Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), Afrobeat legend Tony Allen, Paul Simonon (of The Clash), and Simon Tong (of The Verve). More
The Now Now Out Now via Warner Bros.
Jun 29, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz released a new album, The Now Now, today via Warner Bros. Now that it’s out, you can stream the whole thing here. More
The Now Now Due Out June 29 via Warner Bros.
Jun 21, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz are releasing a new album, The Now Now, on June 29 via Warner Bros. Now they have shared another song from the album, “Hollywood,” which features Snoop Dogg and Jamie Principle. Listen below via a “visualiser” video for the song that features Snoop Dogg, followed by Gorillaz’s upcoming tour dates. More
The Now Now Due Out June 29 via Warner Bros., They Have Also Shared "Lake Zurich"
May 31, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz released a new album, Humanz, just over a year ago, but now they are already returning with another new album, The Now Now. There have been Internet rumblings about the album in the last week, but now the album has been officially announced and the cartoon band has shared two tracks from it, album opener “Humility” (which features the great jazz guitarist George Benson) and “Lake Zurich,” which is a near instrumental track. More
Humanz Due Out Friday via Warner Bros.
Apr 24, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz are releasing a new album, Humanz, this Friday (April 28) via Warner Bros. and now they have shared another song from it, “The Apprentice,” mere days before the album’s release date. The track features Rag’n'Bone Man, Zebra Katz, and RAY BLK and appears on the deluxe edition of the album. More
Opening in Manchester Next Week, Coming to London in November
Jun 26, 2015
By Christopher Roberts
Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz has already composed two operas (Dr Dee: An English Opera and Monkey: Journey to the West), but now he’s set his sights on a musical. More
Award Announced October 29
Sep 10, 2014
By Laura Studarus
The Mercury Prize short list was announced today. More
Also See Albarn and Graham Coxon Peform "Tender" at Latitude Festival
Jul 21, 2014
By Mike Hilleary
Hardly sitting idly by after releasing his debut solo album Everyday Robots earlier this spring, Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn has revealed that he’s begun work on a new musical. More
Jul 02, 2014
By Cody Ray Shafer
Tony Allen, once described by Brian Eno as “the greatest drummer who ever lived,” just announced a new album, Film of Life, which will be out this October. As well as a brief teaser, he’s released a track called “Go Back,” which features vocals and keyboards from none other than Damon Albarn. More
Performs "Lonely Press Play" and "This Is A Low"
Jun 06, 2014
By Mike Hilleary
In New York to perform at the Governors Ball this weekend, Damon Albarn made a pit stop over to The Tonight Show last night where he performed tracks off his debut solo album Everyday Robots. More
May 13, 2014
By Mike Hilleary
Fresh off releasing his debut solo album Everyday Robots, Blur frontman Damon Albarn has premiered a loving music video for “Mr. Tembo.” More
Everyday Robots Out Tomorrow
Apr 28, 2014
By Mike Hilleary
Poised to release his debut solo album Everyday Robots in the states tomorrow, Blur frontman Damon Albarn has announced plans for a number of new U.S. shows set to take place this June. More
Apr 22, 2014
By Laura Studarus
Damon Albarn‘s new solo album Everyday Robots is due out April 28 on XL. More
Everyday Robots Out April 28 on Parlophone
Mar 24, 2014
By Laura Studarus
Damon Albarn’s new solo album Everyday Robots streets April 28 via Parlophone. More
Performs "Mr. Tembo" and "Lonely Press Play"
Mar 13, 2014
By Mike Hilleary
This week Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been broadcasting from Austin for SXSW. More
Announces Solo Tour Dates
Feb 27, 2014
By Mike Hilleary
Damon Albarn‘s “Lonely Press Play” marks the second single from Blur frontman and musical polymath’s upcoming solo debut Everyday Robots. More
Featured on Upcoming Solo Album Everyday Robots
Jan 24, 2014
By Mike Hilleary
Announcing just a few days ago the release of a new solo album, Everyday Robots, Damon Albarn payed a visit to this week’s Sundance Film Festival where he played an intimate set of songs, including new material from the upcoming LP. More
Listen to New Title Track
Jan 20, 2014
By Mike Hilleary
Damon Albarn has announced the upcoming release of a new solo album titled Everyday Robots. More
Album Due Out December 9 Via Transgressive also Features Members of Metronomy and Django Django
Nov 14, 2013
By Laura Studarus
As previously announced, Damon Albarn, Brian Eno, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner, Holy Other, and more had headed to Mali to record a collaborative album with local Malian musicians. More
As Part of the Africa Express Project
Oct 14, 2013
By Mike Hilleary
Continuing work with his Africa Express project, where western and African musical artists join forces for a musical collaboration, Blur’s Damon Albarn has recruited the likes of Brian Eno, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner, Holy Other, actor Idris Elba, and other special guests to work on a new album in Bamako, the capital of Mali. More
Provides More Blur Updates
May 28, 2013
By Mike Hilleary
Britpop veteran Damon Albarn has revealed plans to release his first proper solo album sometime this year. More
The Africa Express To Begin This September
Jul 25, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
After completing his obligations with Blur at this year’s closing ceremony celebration for London’s Olympic Games, the nonstop projects of Damon Albarn will continue when he joins Africa Express, a collective of African and Western musicians that Albarn himself helped put together, as they perform a series of live shows throughout the UK. More
Producer William Orbit Says Sessions Stopped "Suddenly"
May 23, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
In yet another mixed signal about the future of Blur, Damon Albarn has reportedly halted work on the band’s current recording sessions. More
Perform "Cruel"/“Apple Carts"
May 02, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
Last night UK program Later… with Jools Holland welcomed both St. Vincent and Damon Albarn for an evening of televised music. More
Backtracks On Earlier Comments
Apr 25, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
A few weeks back Damon Albarn was quoted by The Guardian saying that any potential work down the line with either Blur or Gorillaz was “unlikely.” Albarn has now come forward to say that neither project has reached their ultimate conclusion. More
Apr 23, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
While a number of its tracks have made their way across the web to listen to, Damon Albarn‘s forthcoming opera-work Dr. Dee is now streaming online in full. More
Dr. Dee Will Be Released May 8th
Apr 18, 2012
By Cody Ray Shafer
A couple of weeks ago we got the first listen from Damon Albarn’s soundtrack to his opera, Dr. Dee (due out May 8th). Now, following “The Marvelous Dream,” we can listen to the album’s closing track, “The Dancing King.” More
Blur's Last Performance Will Be At the Olympic Games' Closing Ceremony.
Apr 09, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
Despite showing little signs of stopping his obsessive, musicial multi-tasking, releasing two new albums this year (one from his Flea/Tony Allen supergroup Rocketjuice And The Moon and the soundtrack to his own Dr. Dee opera) songwriter Damon Albarn revealed over the weekend that the likelihood of doing anything after this year with his biggest projects, Blur and Gorillaz, is extremely unlikely. More
Mar 28, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
As previously reported, exceptionally busy Brit Damon Albarn will be releasing the soundtrack to his recent opera Dr. Dee, a stagework inspired by the life of the Elizabethan scientist and royal advisor. More
Mar 07, 2012
By Cody Ray Shafer
Last year, Damon Albarn wrote and starred in the opera Dr. Dee, and will be releasing the music in its entirety on May 8. Dr. Dee is based on the life of 16th century scientist and advisor to Queen Elizabeth, John Dee. More
Six-Minute Take on Now Familiar Single
Jan 23, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
Following in the footsteps of Clams Casino and Woodkid, Blur/Gorillaz songwriter Damon Albarn has produced a new remix of Lana Del Rey‘s single “Born to Die.” More
Aug 31, 2011
By Laura Studarus
As previously announced Damon Albarn has been hard at work on a “Congo” album—inviting musicians and producers to collaborate in the Democratic Republic of Congo.We have additional details. More
New Details on Forthcoming LP
Jul 22, 2011
By Margot Cooper Gruen
Damon Albarn is planning a unique way to make an album, inviting various artists, producers, and DJ’s to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and collaborate with the region’s local musicians. More
Hear Song from Forthcoming Opera
Jun 30, 2011
By Margot Cooper Gruen
Blur frontman and Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn has created Dr Dee: An English Opera in collaboration with director Rufus Norris. Check out the new song from the opera, “The Reigning Queen.” More
Reviews
Nov 12, 2021
By Lexi Lane
Throughout his decades-long career in music, from the lead singer of Britpop’s famed Blur to being the mastermind behind the collaborative Gorillaz, Damon Albarn has managed to maintain a global influence. Although such inspiration has taken varied forms with each passing year, Albarn’s artistry focuses on a constant global discovery of music that frequently crosses over into his own. More
Jun 10, 2014
By Austin Trunick
In its third year on Randall’s Island, New York’s Governors Ball—named for its previous setting, on Governors Island—seems to have finally found steady footing. More
Apr 28, 2014
By Billy Hamilton
It’s hard to believe 20 years have passed since Britpop turned the U.K.‘s music scene on its head. In the following two decades, many of the movement’s mainstays have either accepted defeat and returned to their day jobs or tried to rekindle their burned-out careers through shambolic reunions. More
May 07, 2012
By Jim Scott
There’s something noble about Dr. Dee, Damon Albarn’s latest passion project, a mostly folk record about 16th-century British mathematician and occultist John Dee. Albarn’s desire to rescue a critical historical figure (Dee served as advisor to Elizabeth I and once owned perhaps the greatest library in England) from relative obscurity is certainly commendable. As a piece of music, however, the operatic folk of Dr. Dee doesn’t leave much of an impression. More