Album Review: Damon Albarn - 'The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows'

The indefatigable Damon Albarn is back in action with this solo effort, for which the concept was simple but intriguing: the Blur and Gorillaz frontman decamped to his second home of Reykjavik, and had a group of musicians “play the landscape” as they surveyed the lunar Icelandic terrain.

The majority of the sessions were done in the depths of winter, and it certainly shows, with many of the tracks taking the form of baroque ambient soundscapes. The good news is they’re executed with Albarn’s usual immaculate taste, whether it be the haunting, Scott Walker-like ‘The Cormorant’, the Coil-go-jazz avant-garde number ‘Combustion’, or the plaintive waltz of ‘Darkness To Light’.

Best of all is the eerie instrumental ‘Esja’, named in honour of the majestic mountain range familiar to all who visit the Icelandic capital. One of the great English pop songwriters, it’s a shame Albarn doesn’t unleash his melodic gifts on the album, with the the electro workout ‘Royal Morning Blue’ the only concession to up-tempo danceability. 

Still, even if there isn’t a ‘Girls & Boys’ or ‘Dare’, Damon Albarn's The Nearer The Fountain… is never less than a pleasure to listen to.

Listen: ‘Esja’
8/10

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows is out now via Transgressive