Damon Albarn - Monkey : Journey to the West

by Maarten Schiethart

published: 2 / 9 / 2008

Damon Albarn - Monkey : Journey to the West

Label: XL Recordings
Format: CD

Appalling new album from Damon Albarn, who has turned his attentions to Chinese opera with absolutely dreadful consequences

Review

Never shy of travelling new roads, Damon Albarn has taken on main route China. Albarn then aimed to perform an opera. On XL Recordings no less; one of the world's crappiest music labels - the only label to ever have sent lawyers to harass John Peel it must be remembered. Albarn - 'albarn' means odd or weird in Deutsch by the way- was allowed to follow in the path of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 'Monkey Music' compares to Albarn's earlier Easy Jet escapade to Mali. 'Monkey Music' has neither to do with cross-culture music, nor with experiment. Just another filler on the XL roster. 'Monkey Music' is dreadful, to be honest. The album is as much about China as a Birmingham ceramics store actually is.

Track Listing:-

1 Monkey's World
2 Monkey Travels
3 Into the Eastern Sea
4 The Living Sea
5 The Dragon King
6 Iron Rod
7 Out of the Eastern Sea
8 Heavenly Peach Banquet
9 Battle into Heaven
10 O Mi To Fu
11 Whisper
12 Tripitaka's Course
13 Confessions of a Pig
14 Sandy the River Demon
15 March of the Volunteers
16 The White Skeleton Demon
17 Monk's Song
18 I Love Buddha
19 March of the Iron Army
20 Pigsy in Space
21 Monkey Bee
22 Disappearing Volcano