The Fall

The Fall is the fourth studio album by English virtual band, Gorillaz. It was first released on December 25, 2010 on the band's website and physically on April 18, 2011 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. The entirety of the album was recorded and produced with group co-founder Damon Albarn's iPad during the North American leg of the Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour, from October to November 2010. It features fewer guest artists than previous Gorillaz albums, only featuring Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Bobby Womack.

The Fall peaked at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart and number 24 on the US Billboard 200, and received positive reviews from critics. "Revolving Doors" / "Amarillo" was released as a double-sided single from the album on March 14, 2011.

Track Listing

 * 1) "Phoner to Arizona" - [4:14]
 * 2) "Revolving Doors" - [3:26]
 * 3) "Hillbilly Man" - [3:50]
 * 4) "Detroit" - [2:03]
 * 5) "Shy-Town" - [2:54]
 * 6) "Little Pink Plastic Bags" - [3:09]
 * 7) "The Joplin Spider" - [3:22]
 * 8) "The Parish of Space Dust" - [2:25]
 * 9) "The Snake in Dallas" - [2:11]
 * 10) "Amarillo" - [3:24]
 * 11) "The Speak It Mountains" - [2:14]
 * 12) "Aspen Forest" - [2:50]
 * 13) "Bobby in Phoenix" - [3:16]
 * 14) "California and the Slipping of the Sun" - [3:24]
 * 15) "Seattle Yodel" - [0:38]

Analysis
Damon recorded each track throughout the course of the Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour as a music diary. Each track served as an entry during the course of the North America portion of the world tour.

Interpretations

 * Phoner to Arizona - May be a reference to when Damon was booking the gig for Phoenix, Arizona (the fourteenth location of the tour) while in Montreal (the first location of the tour).
 * Revolving Doors - Could be seen as a commentary to his routine of checking in and out of countless hotels throughout the duration of the tour or Damon feeling homesick; he probably missed the UK while recording The Fall in the US.
 * HillBilly Man - Alludes to what Damon could have been thinking about while the tour bus was stuck in traffic somewhere in the central United States.
 * Detroit - Alludes to the city of Detroit, Michigan which was the sixth location of the tour; the instrumentals being what came to mind while driving through Detroit.
 * Shy-Town - A direct reference to Chicago (where the track was recorded) which is known as "the Windy City".
 * Little Pink Plastic Bags - Second track recorded in Chicago, ties in with the theme of Plastic Beach
 * The Joplin Spider - A direct reference to Joplin, Missouri; a city adjacent to Chicago.
 * The Parish of Space Dust - Alludes to Houston which is home of Houston Space Center.
 * The Snake in Dallas - Dallas was the next stop of the tour after Houston.
 * Amarillo - The band traveled through Amarillo, Texas (where the track was recorded) on their way to Denver, Colorado; the next stop on the tour.
 * The Speak It Mountains - May be a reference to Damon and the band experiencing altitude sickness while in Denver, Colorado.
 * Aspen Forest - Reference to Aspens which are native to New Mexico (where parts of the track were recorded).
 * Bobby in Phoenix - Recorded with Bobby Womack while in Phoenix, Arizona.
 * California and the Slipping of the Sun - After one final great honest poignant jam, Gorillaz finds themselves at yet another train station, the formless impersonal voice of the station manager droning on. A feeling of termination comes into being. Without warning, we feel we are ending our time with this legendary cadre.
 * Seattle Yodel - Final track of the album, made with the use of Electronic Yodeling Pickle, a toy produced by Archie McPhee from Seattle.

Backstory
In relation to the virtual band's story, it is possible that 2-D recorded the album by himself after being kidnapped and brought to Plastic Beach and on the Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour. This theory is backed up by the album's cover art, which depicts 2-D in a state of distress or restless while his clothes (his hat especially) appears to be visibly disheveled (as though he was forced to wear them).

In the fifth installmet of Murdoc's Pirate Radio 2-D described the process of making The Fall on tour and the meaning of the album:
 * "It’s, uh, something I did on the, uh, iPad initially."
 * "So, some of it was, uh, recorded in dressing rooms, some in the mountains, some in the back of the bus, going through all of the towns."
 * "It’s more like a scrapbook with, some cuttin’s and sketches in, a diary! Yeah, it-it’s a tour diary, uh, I mean, someone’s said it’s like a sketchbook full doodles you find lyin’ about on the pavement."

Trivia

 * The Fall is the only Gorillaz studio album that's not included in the G Collection.