As always, Gorillaz has shown up and shone out when least expected but most greatly needed.
Popular UK musical group Gorillaz recently dropped their first single since 2011 titled “Hallelujah Money.” It features Grammy award winning composer and artist Benjamin Clementine. The video was released exclusively on Uproxx, a news platform that partnered with Gorillaz for the release of this song. According to Uproxx, the video “was directed by Giorgio Testi and the Gorillaz, and edited by Sebastian Monk”. This single is a precursor to their highly anticipated album which has been announced to be released later this year by Gorillaz co-founders Damon Albarn, member of the British band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett. Their social media accounts have been animated with playlists, artwork and even books explaining the antics of our favorite digital musicians 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russell.
Unless you are already an avid Gorillaz fan like myself, you are probably wondering what the large significance of this song actually is. Well, I advise you to carefully listen to the song and watch the video with earnest, because this song speaks on the themes of “power, corruption, and compassion in the wake” of this undoubtedly historical time: the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States (I know, it hurts to even type it out).
Of course the inauguration has been on nearly everyone’s radar across the globe since November. We are so bombarded by the newscasts and think pieces and scandalous Twitter posts, so seeing political commentary transformed into art is something completely refreshing and desperately needed. The video depicts Clementine standing alone as a reel of somewhat disturbing video clips play behind him. The video included clips of the KKK, Illuminati imagery, killer clowns and more. The lyrics are haunting, reminiscent of words that would be spoken on the eve of an apocalypse, which quite frankly may be where we now lie. This anti-Trump anthem is exactly what we all need: a perspective on evil, a wariness of greed, and some damn good vocals.
Watch the video here and follow Gorillaz for more of their releases – trust me, you’re gonna want to be there.
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