With the news that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has lost more than 700 employees since the start of the year, climate advocacy groups are growing concerned about the agency’s effectiveness going forward. The Song of the Week explores environmental themes with “Plastic Beach,” the title track of the 2010 album by British virtual band Gorillaz.
Gorillaz was created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, featuring four fictional members who are represented as animated characters in various forms of media. Albarn has been the group’s musical constant, bringing in guest musicians on each album. For Gorillaz’ third album Plastic Beach, guests included Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mark E. Smith, Mick Jones of the Clash, De La Soul and Bobby Womack.
The release is a concept album about a secret floating island made of plastic trash that people are living on, loosely based on the real-life Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The sound is mainly electronic pop, with hip hop, funk, and orchestral sounds woven in.
For the Plastic Beach tour, the band played in full view of the audience, unlike previous tours when they played behind a screen on which was projected the animated band members.