Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (Japan Edition) (2010)

Plastic Beach is the third studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 3 March 2010 by Parlophone Records internationally and by Virgin Records in the United States. Conceived from an unfinished Gorillaz project called Carousel, the album was recorded from June 2008 to November 2009, and was produced primarily by group co-creator Damon Albarn. It features guest appearances by several artists including Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Lou Reed, Mick Jones, Mark E. Smith, Paul Simonon, Bashy, Kano, Little Dragon and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.

Plastic Beach debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling approximately 74,432 copies in its first week of sales. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart with 112,000 copies in its first week of sales; it also charted within the top ten in several other countries.

Plastic Beach received mostly positive reviews, and was named one of the year's best albums by several critics.

Plastic Beach debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 74,432 copies in its first week. The album also debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 112,000 copies, of which 62,000 were digital copies. As of 25 March 2010, Plastic Beach sold 8,136 copies in Japan and debuted at seventeenth place on the Oricon Albums Chart. Selling 13,822 copies in France, Plastic Beach debuted at second place on the SNEP albums chart.

Plastic Beach received generally positive reviews from critics; it holds an aggregate score of 77 out of 100 at Metacritic. In Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield called it "Gorillaz's third excellent album in a row". while Q magazine's David Everley described it as "some of the most forward-thinking pop you'll hear this or any year", and Uncut's John Lewis said it was "a brilliant concept album, full of perfect pop singles." AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the album's success depends on Albarn's growth as a composer: "he's a master of subtly shifting moods and intricately threaded allusions, often creating richly detailed collages that are miniature marvels." Pete Paphides wrote in The Times, "this concept group has delivered its most fully realised concept album". In the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot was impressed by Albarn's ability to produce exceptional music using "seemingly mismatched elements from different cultures, genres and generations". The Guardian's Alexis Petridis commended Albarn for his "kaleidoscopic musical ambition" and said despite some failed experiments, "there's something hugely impressive about Albarn's ability to coax artists out of their comfort zone."

In a negative review, Los Angeles Times writer Mikael Wood said that "too many of these 16 hazy, half-crazy tracks sound like undercooked studio goofs", panning its second half as "one long, jammy drone, with none of Albarn's melodic or lyrical gifts on display". Danny Eccleston from Mojo commented that "Albarn and co's eco-parable is loud but not clear." Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt viewed its "sonic drift" as "dull, and even dispiriting" in the album's second half, stating "In the end, Beach offers a vision of the future as digitised kitsch: groovy, yes, but lonely too". Jon Caramanica of The New York Times viewed its music as "thin and inconsequential, car-commercial electronic funk and tension-free hip-hop", while writing "It’s an appealing mess, moving at a fever pitch until swelling to something like an enthused climax. But still, a mess". Writing for MSN Music, Robert Christgau singled out "Some Kind of Nature" and "Superfast Jellyfish" as "choice cuts", indicating good songs on an album that he felt were unworthy of listeners' money or time.

At the end of 2010, Plastic Beach appeared on several critics' top-ten lists of the year's best albums. According to Acclaimed Music, it was the 16th most ranked record on critics' year-end lists. The album was ranked tenth best by both Hot Press and Slant Magazine, ninth by Rockdelux, seventh by Q, sixth by Filter, fifth by State, fourth by Consequence of Sound, and third by both Beats Per Minute and The Age. It was also voted the 30th best record of 2010 in the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics published by The Village Voice.

Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the experience edition of Plastic Beach.

Gorillaz – performers, production
Bashy – vocals (track 3)
Ted Chung – recording (track 2)
David Coulter – additional Jew's harp (track 16)
Jason Cox – mixing, recording
De La Soul – vocals (track 6)
Jamie Hewlett – artwork, design
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – additional brass (tracks 2, 12)
Chris Jackson – recording (track 2)
Mick Jones – additional guitar (track 13)
Kano – vocals (track 3)
Michael Makowski – recording assistance (tracks 5, 9, 12)
Mos Def – vocals (tracks 5, 12)
Yukimi Nagano – vocals (tracks 7, 14)
The Purple, the People, the Plastic Eating People – choir (tracks 9, 16)
Essam Rafea – conducting, orchestral arrangements (track 3)
James Redwood – orchestral arrangements (tracks 1, 15)
Lou Reed – additional guitar, vocals (track 9)
Gruff Rhys – additional guitar, vocals (track 6)
André de Ridder – conducting, orchestral arrangements (tracks 1, 15)
Stephen Sedgwick – programming, recording
Josh Shultz – recording (track 2)
Paul Simonon – additional bass (track 13)
Sinfonia ViVA – orchestra (tracks 1, 15)
Mark E. Smith – vocals (track 8)
Snoop Dogg – vocals (track 2)
The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music – orchestra (track 3)
Simon Tong – additional guitar (tracks 7, 8, 15)
Gabriel Manuals Wallace – additional drums (tracks 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 16)
Fredrik Wallin – additional keyboards (tracks 7, 14)
Howie Weinberg – mastering
Håkan Wirenstrand – additional keyboards (tracks 7, 14)
Bobby Womack – vocals (tracks 5, 15)
Zombie Flesh Eaters – artwork, design


Track List:
01. Orchestral Intro (feat. sinfonia ViVA) (1:09)
02. Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach (feat. Snoop Dogg & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble) (3:36)
03. White Flag (feat. Bashy, Kano, and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music) (3:43)
04. Rhinestone Eyes (3:20)
05. Stylo (feat. Bobby Womack and Mos Def) (4:31)
06. Superfast Jellyfish (feat. Gruff Rhys & De La Soul) (2:55)
07. Empire Ants (feat. Little Dragon) (4:44)
08. Glitter Freeze (feat. Mark E. Smith) (4:03)
09. Some Kind of Nature (feat. Lou Reed) (3:00)
10. On Melancholy Hill (3:54)
11. Broken (3:17)
12. Sweepstakes (feat. Mos Def & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble) (5:20)
13. Plastic Beach (feat. Mick Jones & Paul Simonon) (3:47)
14. To Binge (feat. Little Dragon) (3:56)
15. Cloud of Unknowing (feat. Bobby Womack and sinfonia ViVA) (3:06)
16. Pirate Jet (2:33)
17. Pirate's Progress (4:03)