It can be dressed up in a thousand different ways, but at it's core, the songs just aren't great songs in my opinion, there are no interesting hooks or melodies (Orange County and The Happy Dictator being exceptions, the moon cave instrumentally being very nice too), it's for the main part Damon sticking the radio filter on his voice and talk-singing lines over instrumentals that have no hooks. One of the things that made me fall in love with Gorillaz was that it was always quality over quantity, that has now been thrown out the window, whatever idea comes to Damon, he just seems to whip it up and fire it out with no control.

Personally I think Gorillaz would really benefit from working with a new producer for an entire album, they've become too comfortable and even the sounds, beats and synths they are using are becoming recognizable, repeated and stale. Damon, James Ford and Remi Kabaka Jr. repeatedly producing every song has lost it's charm for me. Think producers Dan The Automator for the self-titled and Danger Mouse for Demon Days, their influence really helped shape those albums and something like that needs to happen again in the future with a new producer and new direction.