Monkey – Journey to the West

Journey to the West – Monkey

by Aidan Roberts

Well, Damon Albarn seems to have found his subject – monkeys. At first I registered confusion about this project – had Albarn seemingly ditched the rest of the Gorillaz to pursue his solo Monkey career’ No, this is a very unique thing – Albarn has composed the score to a full-scale pop-art opera, currently enjoying successful runs in the London West End. The show is an appropriation of the Chinese myth of Monkey, Tripitaka, Sandy, Pigsy and all the beloved pilgrims that were so popularised by that insane 70’s TV show. Designing the show and this accompanying album’s artwork is the animation genius of Jamie Hewlett, so familiar for his work on the Gorillaz clips. The music itself is a wild trip; Albarn has employed a highly traditional Chinese melodic-ism coupled with whacked-out synth and orchestral experimentation, an all-Mandarin libretto sung by renowned Chinese Opera performers, reaching a euphoric high on the magical Heavenly Peach Banquet. Damon has conjured a truly bewitching musical world, which will stand as testament to his levels of creativity surpassing most of the other Brit-Pop era expatriates. This is weird, brilliant stuff.

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