Gorillaz Brings Indian Flavors with 9th Studio Album featuring Asha Bhosle, Anoushka Shankar, Ajay Prasanna, and Others

English virtual band Gorillaz is best known for alternative indie works, which are designed by Damon Albarn, while the artist Jamie Hewlett offers the perfect representation of the members. The band is now all set to release their 9th studio album, which is called ‘Mountain’.

Not sure if the ‘Mountain’ here refers to the Himalayas or not, the album project is surely inclined toward Indian flavors and traditional roots. This album was recorded in different states of India, including Rajasthan, Mumbai, New Delhi, Varanasi, and many other places, to keep its Indian flavor intact.

They have creatively used the word ‘Parvat’, which means ‘Mountain’, for their album, and they put the name in Devanagari script (Sanskrit and Hindi) for the album cover. There is no doubt that there will be a heavy influence of India’s traditional roots in this English album project, which is offering a total of 15 brand new tracks. The lead single from the album, ‘The Happy Dictator’ (feat. Sparks), has already been released with an official video, and it is currently building much anticipation among the fans before the release. The song also offers a fair overview of the whole album project.

In order to create this album, the band has collaborated with legendary Indian singers, namely Asha Bhosle and Asha Puthli, as well as the daughter of the legendary Ravi Shankar, sitar maestro Anoushka Shankar. The list of collaborators also includes sarod experts, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, as well as versatile flautist Ajay Prasanna.

Other than the Indian artists, Gorillaz has also collaborated with Tony Allen and Omar Souleyman, and also with guitarist Johnny Marr from the band The Smiths. Jalen N’Gonda is also a part of the project. Clearly, the band is utilizing the instrumental effects of sarod, sitar, flute, guitar, and percussion along with beautiful vocals to create a masterful and Indianized alternative music project.

 

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There are four virtual members of the band, namely Noodle, Murdoc, 2D, and Russell Hobbs. According to the lore for the album, Murdoc gets four fake passports from his New York business acquaintance, and the four members make their way to Mumbai. And then embark on a new musical adventure, which the listeners can find through the album ‘Mountain’. Check out the complete tracklist with collaborators from below.

 ‘Mountain’ Tracklist

1. The Mountain (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali
   Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
2. The Moon Cave (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda
   and Black Thought)
3. The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks)
4. The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen)
5. Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar)
6. The God of Lying (feat. IDLES)
7. The Empty Dream Machine (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka
   Shankar)
8. The Manifesto (feat. Trueno and Proof)
9. The Plastic Guru (feat. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
10. Delirium (feat. Mark E. Smith)
11. Damascus (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey)
12. The Shadowy Light (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali
    Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
13. Casablanca (feat. Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr)
14. The Sweet Prince (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
15. The Sad God (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar)

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