ALBUM REVIEW: Damon Albarn – The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows

Transgressive

Released: 12.11.21

The long-overdue follow up to 2014’s Everyday Robots finds national treasure and relentless polymath Damon Albarn weaving together a vivid and awe-inspiring tribute to Reykjavík, the ethereal Icelandic capital which has had a profound impact on his work ever since portions of Blur’s 1997 self-titled LP was recorded there.

It is a rich and varied LP featuring euphoric, introspective pop (Royal Morning Blue), abrasive avant-garde noise rock (Combustion) and pensive, cerebral left-turns (Polaris). After the kaleidoscopic jumble-bag of Gorillaz’s previous Song Machine LP, The Nearer The Fountain… finds Albarn delving into the side of his songwriting that has long been neglected since the hazy, unforgettable introspection of Blur’s magnum opus 13. It is brave, bold and deeply engrossing.