Caught between an Albion idyll that never was and an apocalyptic future that may never be, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, is pure England’s Dreaming, a woozy, narcotised reverie. Modern life is not only rubbish, it’s menacing, malevolent; these are the end times. Our celebrated horsemen in this musical apocalypse are the shape-shifting Damon Albarn, The Clash’s Paul Simonon, former Verve guitarist and keys man, Simon Tong, and drummer extraordinaire, Tony Allen.
Delving into myriad genres, The Good, The Bad & The Queen have created an album that is more texture than tune led, unsettling, almost unsure of its footing and yet hugely rewarding. Opening chapter, ‘History Song’, perfectly captures this fragmentation – a bass rumbles ominously whilst guitars slip and slide, as greasy as the water in the old Thames Estuary. A cry against the “war that’s got no end”, ‘80’s Song’ utilises Beach Boys’ harmonies. It is one of a number of songs to make explicit reference to conflict. ‘Kingdom of Doom’ heightens the sense that we are sliding numbly towards disaster, old Londinium the epicentre of destruction, where people “drink all day ‘cos the country’s at war/you’ll be falling off the palace walls”. And if it’s not war, then it’s nature, “in the flood/you’ll be washed away”.
Death and destruction has never sounded so thrilling, spirits bleep and stammer amidst the electronic tapestry of ‘Herculean’ and ‘A Soldier’s Tale’. Here, the production of Danger Mouse adds to the fuzzy, ethereal feel. By the epic, closing title track it’s clear that come the day of judgement there can be only one verdict on The Good, The Bad & The Queen: Apocalypse Wow.
NINE/TEN
Francis Jones