Merrie Land

by The Good, the Bad & the Queen

Overview

Damon Albarn first convened the Good, The Bad & The Queen -- a collective featuring drummer Tony Allen, former Clash bassist Paul Simonon and ex-Verve guitarist Simon Tong -- in the mid-2000s, when a heavy cloud hung over the world. Things haven't gotten better in the decade separating the group's eponymous 2007 debut and its long-awaited sequel, 2018's Merrie Land. Nationalism swept across the globe, taking root in the twin 2016 disruptors of the election of Donald J Trump in the U.S. and the Brexit campaign in the U.K. Albarn designed the Good, The Bad & The Queen as a way of addressing the woes of England -- their first album was a song cycle about London -- so Britain's choice to leave the European union as a way to preserve their national identity proved to be catnip for the singer/songwriter. Merrie Land teams with diminishing expectations and heightened nostalgia, its songs challenging the notion that the good old days ever existed. Grim notions, to be sure, but Merrie Land doesn't sound especially bleak. Certainly, it isn't as spooky as the Good, The Bad & The Queen's 2007 affair, and that's partially due to the group choosing Tony Visconti as their producer instead of Danger Mouse. Visconti sharpens the articulation of Albarn's sad, sardonic songs yet also allows plenty of space for Simonon and Allen to roam, their freedom lending the music a suppleness that counteracts the album's inherent melancholy. Indeed, Merrie Land never feels haunted: Albarn faces the regressive politics of Brexit with gallows humor, resolution, empathy, and a stout heart that finds its match in the careening, evocative music of his group. He's mined this territory before, notably in Gorillaz's Demon Days, yet the very fact that the Good, The Bad & The Queen function as a band, drawing strength from their own interplay, gives Merrie Land a human resonance that echoes long after the final song ends. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/16/2018
Label:	Studio 13
UPC:	0190296941603

Tracks

1. Merrie Land
2. Gun to the Head
3. Nineteen Seventeen
4. The Great Fire
5. Lady Boston
6. Drifters and Trawlers
7. The Truce of Twilight
8. Ribbons
9. The Last Man to Leave
10. The Poison Tree

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Good, the Bad & the Queen   Primary Artist
Paul Simonon   Bass,Vocals,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Tony Visconti   Vocals
Stella Page   Viola
Kate St. John   Oboe,Cor Anglais
Antonia Pagulatos   Violin
Damon Albarn   Organ,Piano,Vocals,Theremin,Keyboards,Mellotron,Percussion,Farfisa Organ,ARP Synthesizer
Simon Tong   Guitar,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton   Trumpet
Isabelle Dunn   Cello
Chris Storr   Trumpet
Tan Tan   Trumpet
Michael "Bami" Rose   Saxophone
Tony Allen   Drums,Guitar
Gerry Diver   Tin Whistle
Kotono Sato   Violin
The Demon Strings   Strings
Owain Arwel Davies   Conductor
Lucas Petter   Trombone
Gareth Humphreys   Bassoon

Technical Credits

Paul Simonon   Artwork,Group Member,Creative Director
Tony Visconti   Engineer,Producer
The Good, the Bad & the Queen   Composer,Producer
Damon Albarn   Composer,Engineer,Group Member
Simon Tong   Group Member
Stephen Sedgwick   Mixing,Engineer
John Davis   Mastering
Tony Allen   Group Member
Stuart Lowbridge   Coordination
Robert Gordon McHarg III   Art Direction
Owain Arwel Davies   Score,Choir Arrangement
Sam Egglenton   Assistant
Noah Booth   Assistant
Herbert Mason   Cover Photo