Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (Deluxe)

The Needle Drop 8/10 Gorillaz compiles a bunch of damn good singles to make a damn good album.

NME 4/5 ‘Strange Timez’s real triumph is in the curation of its featured artists – a flagrant disregard for the rule of six has resulted in some spectacular moments.

The Line of Best Fit 8/10 Its maximalist aesthetics and musical creativity combine to make something intensely addictive and satisfying, but it’s still inherently hard to put your finger on what exactly it is.

Evening Standard 4/5 Possibly the strongest line-up yet.

Rolling Stone 3.5/5 As always, Albarn’s ability to create dubby, drifting synthetic beauty — a kind of futurist pastoralism — remains a key ingredient to his music’s distracted wonder.

Dork 4/5 Through the Song Machine, Gorillaz prove more so than ever before that in their world, they can do just about anything.

DIY 4.5/5 Gorillaz can often be a hard band to define, and their records haven't always fared well in the context they're released in - in 2020 though, it all makes perfect sense.

The Independent 4/5 Over time Gorillaz’ sonic cartoonishness has dissipated, as Albarn used the vehicle to express his political discontent and explore cutting edge sounds with freedom and abandon.

The Forty Five 3.5/5 An all-star cast of collaborators help the cartoon band tap into a new, spontaneous spirit.

All Music 3.5/5 Strange Timez may have followed a different template than previous Gorillaz albums, but it is unmistakably a Gorillaz album, a record that hides its melancholy among a series of sunny, genre-bending fusions.

Gigwise 7/10 The appropriateness of coining ‘Strange Timez’ at this moment doesn’t need an explanation, but Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s cartoon crew have always excelled at a particular brand of dystopia that feels all-too suitable for this year.

Clash 8/10 Gorillaz should be applauded for their virtuosity, and at its best ‘Strange Timez’ is a glorious document of pop-without-barriers.

The Observer 4/5 Damon Albarn is the melodic anchor to this pioneering album that balances concept with fun.

Loud and Quiet 6/10 Season One of Song Machine has a lot to offer in terms of inventive collaborations and experiments. It’s an intentionally mixed bag, but there’s surprising thematic consistency from Albarn, with his toybox approach to sound design and genre fusion. It’ll be well worth renewing a second season.

The Guardian 4/5 Damon Albarn’s cartoon band mark their 20th anniversary with a record whose star guests – Elton John, Robert Smith and St Vincent among them – are folded into a fluent, brilliant whole.

Spectrum Culture 87% Juggling a wide range of genres and features, Gorillaz return to peak form on Song Machine.

The Irish Times 4/5 Great songs sandwiched between the disposable and cartoonish.