The Department Of Musical Corrections, also known as the Department of Music Correction (often abbreviated as DMC) is a secret organization located in London, England, which operates undercover in the music industry and is dedicated to the manipulation and re-forging of popular music aimed at molding people's minds and futures into their own image and ideals, with “sacred values of harmony, obedience and order”, accompanied by the motto "Always Listening".
The DMC, whenever speaking publicly, presents themselves as a benign organization with the intention to build a more harmonious future for everyone (as the “good guys”) and have had a key influence not just on Gorillaz and its music, ever since the band was formed, but also on various other pop music artists, which have been altered; re-educated or replaced with android clones (as they claim on official documents) in order to attend their wills and objectives.
Their website contains nothing but a still image with a message kicking off anyone who accesses it. [1]
Known Members[]
'?' stands for 'Unknown Date'.
- Anna Petrov - Staff Writer at the Ministry of Vacuous Platitudes (? - Febuary 2000 - ?)
- Brigadier Hubert Asquith - Government Relations Director (? - March 1999 - ?)
- Cedric Finkle - The Chairman's Spokesman (? - March 1999 - ?)
- Ian MacDibble - Head of Investigations (? - March 1999 - ?)
- Joyce O'Neil - Worker at the Ministry of Corrections & Quibbles (? - Febuary 2000 - ?)
- Lady Eleanor De Busom - Department Board Member (? - March 1999 - ?)
- Lydia Whitehead - Deputy Director (? - March 1999 - ?)
- Nasser Patel - Profanity Officer at Level 4 (? - March 1999 - ?)
- Peter Longbottom - Interrotagor (? - March 1999 - ?)
- Quentin Plug - Intern (July 2020 - November 2020) / Crisis Strategist (December 2021) / Auxiliary Bathroom Attendant at Lower Basement Level (December 2021 - Present Day)
- Reginald Pecker - Unknown Position (Febuary 1960 - ?) / Clerk at the Ministry of Office Supplies (? - Febuary 2000 - ?)
- Victor Fontaine - Jailer (? - Febuary 2000 - ?)
Involvement with Gorillaz[]
The involvement of the Department with the band was first mentioned in the announcement for the 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Vinyl Boxset of Gorillaz’ Phase One content, on the 20th anniversary of the release of the band’s debut album, Gorillaz, on the 4th of November 2021. On this same day, the Department of Musical Corrections made an announcement of previously sensitive documents being declassified and made available to the general public, which caused an uncovering of early demos and rarities from different artists.[2] Not much was known about the Department at this point, as the institution often remained hidden to avoid gathering unwanted attention.
A few days later, on the 7th of December, an anonymous user going by the name of GFlat emerged, who claimed to be an undercover agent from the Department of Musical Corrections and made a post on Reddit[3] and Twitter[4] (which was retweeted by the official Gorillaz Twitter account itself) presenting themselves and giving information related to the DMC. On these posts, GFlat stated that a package had been sent to the band on Kong Studios containing classified materials covertly extracted from the DMC, while also describing its operations to mold the minds of people to their own image, which they called “bland, safe, and harmonious”. They also informed that Gorillaz had been at the #1 spot on the DMC ‘most subversive’ watchlist, a list of all popular music artists who represent a menace to the achievement of the Department's goals, since the band's beginning, and announced more documents and information would be dropping soon.
Around this time, the Department Of Musical Corrections set up its own Linkedin group[5], in which they present themselves stating they seek only “to do good in the world”. The account was constantly maintained and updated by the Crisis Strategist at the Department, Quentin Plug. The first post by him was made on the 8th of December, and stated that the supposed screenshot from the DMC’s database was faked, a “crude fabrication” aimed at tarnishing the institution, while using an overly formal vocabulary and suggesting the person to spend an hour "inside an iron maiden for corrective purposes". User ! Lenaaa had been keeping close contact with Quentin Plug through Linkedin, often providing help and sending supportive messages, but also in an attempt to quietly gather more information, to which were occasionally responded.
The next post by GFlat was made on the official Gorillaz Discord server, on the 9th of December, the same day the boxset was shipped to many people. There, two identical images were shown by the user presenting themselves as classified surveillance logs from the DMC, revealing them to have been observing the band since their beginning. These documents, dated from the 23rd of August 2001, included information about regular activities being done by the band members before the arrival of multiple personalities from the music industry as guests to a gathering being organized in Kong Studios, alongside the Giant Moose (from the Music Video for 19-2000) and an anonymous cloaked figure. An agent of the DMC was also attacked and devoured by the Zombie Gorillas while collecting DNA samples from the ambient. The authenticity of the documents and the accusations made towards the DMC were all negated by Quentin on a Linkedin post, ironically giving more information about the supposed activities and instruments used by the department than the ones which were already revealed in the process. The boxset, on the other hand, contained 5 confidential documents (in a total of 7 pages) from the DMC that were never released before narrating their influence, observations, espionage activities and experiments on the band and its members - Murdoc, Russel, Noodle, 2-D and even Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett - during Phases One and Two, alongside two pictures of them on beaten-up states.
On the 10th of December, another document was leaked by GFlat, this time a memorandum listing the names of songs from December of 2021 and their respective authors which were censored by the DMC for being considered 'unfit' for public consumption, each one with their respective violations, and revealing their acts of engagement at algorithm manipulation to suppress all the titles' organic growth. The list included both artists who had previously collaborated with Gorillaz and others who had never worked with them before. After this leak, one last post was made by Quentin on the DMC's Linkedin group, mostly joking about the situation, insulting and making fun of GFlat and users from the Gorillaz Discord server and Reddit community, while reassuring the Department of Musical Corrections was no enemy of modern popular music (ironically using an example of a piece far from any sort of modern or popular music on such).
The last post by GFlat was made on the 13th of December, releasing another memorandum from the Department, this time confirming GFlat to be a real employee and whistleblower from the DMC, condemning them for them actions and sentencing them to be rooted out and punished with all available resources, including the use of the Pit Directly Below the Punishment Pit (a site used by the Department as a form of punishment, as the name suggests, for those who do not comply with its rules), which include a "wondrous array of ancient corrective technologies", once their true identity is discovered. The document ends with the sentence "Harmony shalt prevail!". After that, the user went inactive on Twitter, Reddit and on Discord. Coincidentally or not, on the same day another post was made on the DMC Linkedin group, but this time not by Quentin (despite still being on his account), but by another DMC employee, stating that, following an interview, Quentin had been reassigned to a new role on the Department as a Lower Basement Level Auxiliary Bathroom Attendant, a severe demotion, but thanking him for his work during the week and wishing the readers Happy Holidays and a "Harmonious New Year" too. This unpopular decision led many fans who were keeping up with the occasion to protest against Quentin's reassignment. No post has been made by the DMC on Linkedin since.
Songs Deemed Unfit[]
Monochrome logo
- Two Worlds Apart — Little Simz
- Quiet On Set — Remi Wolf
- RUN IT UP — Tyler, The Creator & Teezo Touchdown
- Chondromalacia Patella — Black Midi
- Model Village — Idles & Slowthai
- ARE U HAPPY? — JPEGMafia
- SYNCOPATE — MICHELLE
- Town's Dead — Kojaque
- Good Ones — Charli XCX
- Time (You and I) — Khruangbin
El Mañana Incident[]
An image of one of the pilots from The Gorillaz Art Book
Later on, in an illustration from The Gorillaz Art Book, it was revealed that the DMC had also been responsable fpr shooting down the Flying Windmill Island during the shooting for the music video for the single El Mañana, nearly killing Noodle in the process. For the longest time, Murdoc believed that this had been orchestrated by The Black Clouds, an underground network of mercenary pirates which he had previously encountered with a few years prior, which he angered further after a failed arms deal.
Following this event, with Gorillaz disbanding and Noodle missing, their mission came to a hault. Murdoc, however, continued to be chased by other entities, such as the Black Clouds themselves and the Boogieman during the events of Plastic Beach.
Boxset Documents[]
First Document[]
The first document revealed on the boxset is one from an emergency meeting from the Department dated the 9th of March 1999, labelled "TOP SECRET" and lists the names of some of the only known members from the DMC, alongside their respective occupations. The meeting's topic was the creation of an operation against Gorillaz themselves, referred to as 'The Subject' or 'Subject G', and the supposed threats the group was posing to the DMC, in order to "identify measures to disrupt, disband or destroy" the band. Attention was first brought to the band after several reports of rioting and gunshots during Gorilaz' live debut concert at the Camden Brownhouse pub in London, which is referred to in the document's second item (the first one being an apology for one of the members of the Department for not having attended the meeting).
The third item mentions "unnatural ceremonies" at the band's address in Kong Studios, related to Murdoc's satanic rituals, Del the Ghost Rapper's appearances and the Zombie Gorillas. Those activities were described as being "a crime against nature" by Board Member Eleanor De Busom, but as "quite good, in a weird way" by Profanity Officer Nasser Patel, who was subsequently dropped into the Punishment Pit also for corrective purposes. Such surveillance and footage of the location were made by an agent from the Department itself, who was, at the time, being treated for the shock of the experience and undergoing the DMC's re-education program.
The fourth item deals mostly with Murdoc. It states that he had been on the DMC's watchlist since 1995, on his two former groups "Crimson Backdraft" and "Two's A Crowd" for being a concern to them, however, they were both too "musically shit" to represent any threat. This explanation, made by Deputy Director Lydia Whitehead was unsatisfactory and led her to also be dropped into the Punishment Pit.
The fifth item describes the measures to be taken in relation to the band and the supposed threat it represents. Head of Investigations Ian MacDibble argued that no interference by the DMC was necessary because they were "like a driverless ghost train" (possibly referencing the name of the band's first song, Ghost Train) that would eventually crash and explode if left alone. This claim was heavily disputed by the board members, arguing their unique traits did not fit any of the DMC's modelling scenarios, and the band was proclaimed by Presiding Officer Cedric Finkle "the gravest threat to civilised order since Elvis PresleyW". This led to the creation of a task force of immediate effect to handle the 'Subject G' and the formulation of covert operations by an unnamed employee (referred to as "IC") to infiltrate Kong Studios and confiscate their master demo tapes.
The document ends with a sixth item regarding a denied permission for Government Relations Officer Hubert Asquith to attend a concert of a (name-censored) artist red-flagged by the Department for his niece's birthday, which led to him being placed on the Department's watchlist as well. The document is signed by Cedric Finkle, on behalf of The Chairman.
Second Document[]
The second document is the 265th edition of an internal Bi-Monthly Bulletin from the DMC, dated February 2000. The document starts with a speech by The Chairman, the head of the organization, classifying the new group 'Gorillaz' as a threat unlike anything the Department has ever recalled, and one that needs to be brought down through any necessary means, 'foul and feir'.
Various news from the DMC are also presented in the document, such as the eradication of a new emerging electronic music sub-genre, 'Garage Conversion', followed by the sentence "Truth conquers all!" written in Latin; the replacement of a pop music solo artist, whose name has been censored, with a clone built by the Department; an announcement that the company's team-building day at the Lawnmower Museum has been postponed indefinitely also due to the Gorillaz menace; one about a missing employee; job openings, which include Surveillance Officer for the Gorillaz Task Force and an inspirational quote by Soviet Prime-Minister Joseph Stalin.
Third Document[]
The third document is a top-secret fax dating from the 13th of April 2001, just over two weeks after the release of the band's debut self-titled album, about the DMC's responses to different neutralization proposals of Gorillaz, once again referred to as 'Subject G'.
Proposal #1 refers to neutralizing Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, marked as key Gorillaz collaborators, through a covert strategy, which was approved with haste.
Proposal #2 is about covertly inserting fanged snakes or a tiger inside Gorillaz' Tour Bus, which could lead to causalities which Murdoc could be blamed for. This proposal was rejected, and the agent behind it was sent to the Punishment Pit.
Proposal #3 is about tarnishing the band's anti-establishment credibility by having them win a mainstream music award, which was deemed promising.
Proposal #4 is about kidnapping Russel for his vulnerability to demonic and spiritual possessions, then exorcising him to remove Del's spirit and replace it with a DMC-approved one, which was promptly insulted and rejected.
Proposal #5 is to employ an actor to pose as a long-lost mother to Murdoc, reuniting them and nullifying his desire for fame and acceptance led by his unresolved abandonment issues, but this was also rejected due to his unpredictable profile.
Proposal #6, titled “Alter Ego”, proposes switching the band members with clones of them to attend the DMC’s demands, based on previous successful operations, but this would require further analysis due to Subject G’s “complex, unpredictable and unstable” characteristics. This proposal was deemed interesting and pitched to be revisited in the future if necessary.
Proposal #7, at last, is to potentially utilize the so-called “ZX Viral Prototype” (later referenced to as “ZX Biohazard” on the fourth document) to unleash a viral infestation across Kong Studios, which was asked for more information and elaboration on for a better analysis.
Ironically, the document includes the instructions "shred after reading" written in all caps, which were apparently not followed by whoever got a hold of it.
Fourth Document[]
The fourth document is a bill from the DMC's Department of Sabotage and Subversion, yet again regarding the 'Subject G', dated from August 2001, the same month as the surveillance logs leaked by GFlat. The notable entries on the document include surveillance and espionage instruments for an ongoing operation at Kong Studios, research and development payments to a company named Hiyatori Robotics for the 'Operation Alter Ego' and Fleisch Munchen Laboratories for the 'Operation Outbreak', a barrel of pig blood, a comission for a Zombie Gorilla disguise suit, slaughter & pendle socilitors, action against Subject G's legal team and bribes paid to smash hits reporters.
Fifth Document[]
The fifth and final document is an in-depth personality analysis of each one of the band members, listed by their full names, as part of the 'Alter Ego' or 'Alt.Ego' operation to replace the band members with android clones of themselves, similar to what was previously done by the Department, dated from November 2004.
Target #1 on the document is Murdoc. His behaviour is described as loud, erratic and unlogical with exaggerated mannerisms, similar to "a baby crying for attention" as a result of abandonment from his mother as an infant, which caused him deep self-loathing and a desperate need for approval and acceptance. It's also stated he often refers to himself in the third person and constantly emits a characteristically horrible odour, something worth investigating.
Target #2 is Russel. He's described as having hyper-awareness with constant paranoia, suspicion of most people, high commitment to social change, a tendency to neurosis and a strong bond to 2-D, Noodle and cats, alongside being an obsessive taxonomist and having caught the DMC's surveillance trail twice. His encyclopaedic knowledge of music and pop culture is also mentioned as an essential but potentially difficult factor to convincingly replicate.
Target #3 is Noodle. She's described as having a more restrained, enigmatic and generally inconclusive behaviour, speaking only when necessary and regularly sleeping during the day, as well as being proficient in various close combat techniques such as jujitsu. Because of this, she was proposed as the first prototype of the Alt.Ego project, as it would be more difficult for others to identify inconsistencies in her behaviour due to her impenetrable character and minimal speech.
Target #4, at last, is 2-D, addressed to with his full name, Stuart Tusspot. He's also described as having odd and erratic behaviour, a lack of apparent sense of direction, as well as often attempting to befriend animals and insects and having once starred at a wall for 347 minutes straight. It's concluded there's potentially no need to proceed with the Alt.Ego project on him, as he probably wouldn't notice the differences in the other subjects and can be easily manipulated when necessary, often times by Murdoc, as a result of his unusual thought process as if he'd undergone lobotomy.
Video[]
Trivia[]
Cover for the NME magazine from the 13th of October 2001
- The word "harmony" and its variations are often present on documents and announcements by the DMC, being used mostly to characterize their goals and ideals or at farewells.
- Despite the official Gorillaz social media accounts claiming lots of early demos and rarities to have been uncovered as a result of the DMC’s announcement, only Gorillaz' own uncovered songs have been shown to public thus far, and the full list of those songs and their composers has not yet been publicly given.
- Apart from the main page, the DMC's website only includes one outlink: a Shopping Cart page, despite the website not having a store or anything purchasable at all.[6] When acessed, it only shows the title "Shopping Cart" and the messege "You have nothing in your shopping cart. Continue Shopping".
- When seen through a web browser, the messege "The DMC are always listening." appears on the website's description, and no other information is present.
- The two pictures of Damon and Jamie had been previously included on the cover for the October 2001 issue of the New Musical Express Magazine, which featured both Gorillaz and the two of them, but in color instead of black-and-white.
- The two identical surveillance logs were probably intented to have their halves uploaded separately, hence why there files had two different names. In the end, however, the same surveillance log ended up being sent twice. When put through an image comparision software, they both appear to have no difference whatsoever.
- The expression "Pencil Sharper" appears to be an internal code from the department. It was first referenced by Quentin Plug on his fourth post on the DMC's LinkedIn, where he stated: "We sharpened our pencils in unison to a wonderfully rhythmic 1930s recording of Die Fledermaus by the Yugoslavian Glockenspiel Orchestra!", and was later adressed again on the first paragraph of the second page of the boxset's second document, under the entry "Look Sharp, People": "It has come to our attention that Pencil Sharpner #7 has been missing since Wednesday. A reward of one vending machine ration will be offered for information leading to its safe return". The meaning of the expression is still unknown.
- Murdoc later mentioned the DMC again on the Commentary Edition of the Stylo Music Video, while mentioning various organizations who, at some point, where trying to get a hold of the band, such as The Black Clouds, the FBI and EMI.
Gallery[]
All credits to the Linkedin screenshots go to user Lenaa Blythe, also known as ! Lenaaa.
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| The full image gallery for Department Of Musical Corrections may be viewed at Department Of Musical Corrections/Gallery. |
References[]
- ↑ "Access Denied". Department of Musical Corrections. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/gorillaz/status/1456316652799369226
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/gorillaz/comments/rb52oj/a_storm_is_coming/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/GFlat_DMC/status/1468282741028495367
- ↑ https://t.co/HEIM6Vuzh3
- ↑ "Shopping Cart". Department of Musical Corrections. Retrieved 11 December 2021.