Single from album “Cracker Island”
Released: June 22, 2022
Video Released: July 28, 2022
Length: 3:35
Genre: Alternative Indie Pop Funk
Written by: Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett, and Stephen Lee Bruner
Produced by: Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett, Stephen Lee Bruner, Remi Kabaka Jr. and Greg Kurstin.
When listeners see "Cracker Island" by Gorillaz featuring Thundercat, they are sure to open their window and scream, "FINALLY!" Yes, finally. Both prolific artists are renowned for their musical prowess (Gorillaz with the blending of genres and Thundercat with the funky bass licks). Still, they are also known for their large number of collaborations.
The Gorillaz do not discriminate; they work with everyone, from Schoolboy Q to Little Dragon, Billie Ellish, Bad Bunny, Dan The Automator, and the list continues. For a complete list, visit the Gorillaz Fandom page.
And Thundercat? Although Thundercat does not have a list as long as Gorillaz, his collaborations pack a Hollyfield punch. Coming out of California, Thundercat has worked with a talented musician collective, the West Coast Get Down, where he met Kamashi Washington, critically acclaimed for his album The Epic. Thundercat has also worked with Flying Lotus, Erykah Badu, and Kendrick Lamar (making appearances in his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly.)
With all these collaborations, what took Gorillaz and Thundercat so long to make a single?
Who knows, and who cares? These two prolific artists' debut collaboration is here, and it's something to be sipped like a tart Chambertin.
But before we jump into the review. What the *bleep* does Cracker Island mean?
"Cracker" is a well-known, often-used racial epithet employed to propagate racial inequalities by insulting those of caucasoid progeny. Is "Cracker Island" alluding to an island of white people? Is it an island constructed of crackers? Or is it something deeper?
[Intro]
"On Cracker Island it was born
To the collective of the dawn
They were planting seeds at night
To grow a made-up paradise"
[Hook]
"They taught themselves to be occult
They didn't know its many strategies
They taught themselves to be occult
They didn't know its many strategies (fantasies)
What world is this?
What world is this?"
Combining the opening lyrics and the hook, it's not hard to conjecture a group of people (a cult) that planted its seeds in "auto-toned" and "consumed…formats" long ago also created a zombie-like consumer who lives in a world in which engenders the reaction, "what world is this?"
On the lyrical level, "Cracker Island" is a dark and eerie track that places in one mind images of occults, the resurgence of white supremacy, and the notion of subliminal mind-control through the audio-visual arts. However, to conclude that this whole track is about a mind-controlling cult or a criticism of the white race is erroneous, as there aren't enough facts.
What are your thoughts on the title's meaning?
Although the track's lyrics allude to a deeper and darker social meaning, the music doesn't carry as much of a burden.
"Cracker Island" starts in a usual Gorillaz fashion: a quirky, psychedelic, synth piano. However, their typical enthralling and inviting introductions are absent in this track. There is no introduction.
"Cracker Island" propels the listener into the distorted world created by Thundercat and the best virtual band in the world with funk, pop, and soul. However, here is where the listener will stop with disappointment, thinking that Gorillaz and Thundercat could have waited a few more years to collaborate.
The Gorillaz's ebullient synth piano and Thundercat's funky bass are discordant and fail to mix right. Damon Albarn's singing does not sit snugly with the seemingly haphazard instrumental, as is typical for his vocal and collaborators. And for a moment, the song is desultory. The listener can't help but think: where the *bleep* are the Gorillaz and Thundercat taking me?
They aren't taking you anywhere! You are already there, breathing the foul Cracker Island air.
"Cracker Island" is art and poetry. The track is an aural personification of the confused and always-at-odds Cracker Island society. It's not a place where anything can settle down; it's not a place where things are understandable. Cracker Island is a hell where everything is so jumbled up that one cannot think or live straight.
But beyond all these social-political, esoteric interpretations written about "Cracker Island," the track is fun, energetic, and entertaining, as is expected from two top-selling musicians. A listener is sure to bop or dance while questioning the meaning of their place in modern society.
Liked this music review on the Indie track, "Cracker Island" by Gorillaz featuring Thundercat? Check out something similar with "Funny Girl" By Father John Misty“ - [Blazin’! - 5 boomboxes].
If you enjoyed "Cracker Island" by Gorillaz Ft. Thundercat, you can check out Gorillaz’ latest album, “Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez ," released October 2020.
Bolivar T. Caceres is a Bronx-based artist and writer. His poems appear on ShortEdition and Ariel Chart. He is also the author of the chapbook Outside My Garret Window, published in 2020. He currently writes for the quarterly film blog Film Studies 401 and the news blog New York Positivity. Connect with him on social media @BolivarTCaceres and at www.BtcArt.co.
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