Plateanmeldelse: Damon Albarn – «the closer the fountain, the purer the stream flows»: Lydfontene – VG

In stark contrast to brother-in-law Noel and William Gallagher, who have to be said to have embraced the role of “Muppets” characters in recent decades, Damon Albarn appears to have chosen to hide in Music In the wake of Blur’s career.

Reckless, colorful and “virtual” gorillasCollective is just one example. Here, Albarn manages to override his own laws of musical appeal, with dozens of inspiring collaborations as a win-win.

The Africa Express project he co-founded was at times genius (hear, say, “Terry Riley in C Mali”), and his solo debut “Everyday Robots” provided a series of fruitful encounters between this impulse to explore and the Albarn Arch- springboard English language.

However, the “closer to the fountain, purer flow of current” is a stronger version in all the core parts – more complex, but at the same time quite accessible.

Lyrically, Our Man is said to have been inspired by the English poet John Clare (1793-1864), who drew inspiration from the rural environment in which he grew up.

The music began as an orchestral act around the landscape in Iceland, Albarn’s second home, but fortunately it has grown beyond its limits – and the presence of guitarist Simon Tong has helped it as a regular collaborator.

The soundscape is organic and rich. Orchestra and piano tilt arrangements inject toward primitive individual rhythm boxes, and the generous use of ancient synths injects a ghostly nostalgia for the future in expression.

This results in slow-motion masterpieces brilliantly titled “Daft Wader,” “The Cormorant,” and “Darkness to Light,” which in the best possible way sound like the last karaoke night before the apocalypse.

All three instrument songs work in their own way – not least the Steve Reich-pulsating “Esja” drone, which sounds like the volcanic mountain range it is named after. “Royal Morning Blue” would be a highlight of any Gorillaz album, while “The Tower of Montevideo” is a welcome detour into more summertime musical waters.

An obvious reference point for this music is the late Bowie – not least the master’s last two albums, “The Next Day” (2013) and “Blackstar” (2016). Damon Albarn seriously deserves the comparison.

the best song: “From Darkness to Light”