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Nov 16, 2018 Ryley Walker By Christopher Roberts

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen released their long-awaited sophomore album, Merrie Land, today via Studio 13 and it’s our Album of the Week.

The band features Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), Afrobeat legend Tony Allen, Paul Simonon (of The Clash), and Simon Tong (of The Verve).

Previously The Good, The Bad, & The Queen shared the album’s title track (which was one of our Songs of the Week) and stopped by Later… with Jools Holland to perform it. Then they 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 (it was our #1 Song of the Week).

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen released their debut album way back in 2007 and have long been teasing its follow-up (of course Albarn has kept very busy in the last 11 years). Merrie Land was produced by the band with Tony Visconti (David Bowie). A previous press release said the songs were written as Brexit was being negotiated and as the UK is attempting to leave the European Union, which creates “a reluctant good-bye letter, a series of observations and reflections on Britishness in 2018.”

The previous press release further described the album: “Merrie Land‘s focus moves beyond GBQ’s London-themed first album to a wider land, with a beautiful and hopeful paean to the Britain of today, an inclusive Britain, currently in an Anglo-Saxostentialist crises at the end of a relationship, wondering what might be salvaged. Could there be a more perfect band - with their creative symbiosis of pasts and present and shared acclaimed music histories - to reflect on the anticipation, disorientation and confusion of current life.”

Gorillaz released a new album, The Now Now, back in June via Warner Bros.

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen Tour Dates:

November 26th - Tynemouth CIU Club, NORTH EAST
November 27th - Cullercoats Crescent Club, NORTH EAST
November 28th - Cullercoats Crescent Club, NORTH EAST
December 1st - The North Pier, BLACKPOOL
December 2nd - SWG3, GLASGOW
December 3rd - Hackney Arts Centre, LONDON
December 5th - Hackney Arts Centre, LONDON
December 6th - Hackney Arts Centre, LONDON

www.thegoodthebadandthequeen.com

Album of the Week Runner-ups (Also Released This Week):

The Smashing Pumpkins: Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. (Martha’s Music)

Ryley Walker: The Lillywhite Sessions (Dead Oceans)

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