12D3

12D3

"The palace we built has become a prison"
- 2D

The "Tomorrow Comes Today" EP, which was released about a year before their debut album, had 4 songs on it. The single itself, two tracks which made it on to the album (and will be covered later), and "12D3." The song name checks and is about the lead singer of the fictional group, Stuart "2D" Pot (the tall one with blue hair in the above picture.) 2D is often potrayed as a dim witted and cowardly character whose only talent is playing keyboards and writing lyrics. However 2D is far more than that. 2D is the character that is closest to the man behind the music, Damon Albarn. Both are sentimentalists raised on artsy post-punk and new wave music who have suffered heart breaks and have long standing addictions to drugs (for 2D it is pain killers, for Damon it is marijuana and for a while heroin.) The song can be seen as a test run for Damon to get into the character of 2D on the Gorillaz albums. When recording with Gorillaz, Damon Albarn often manipulates his voice to sound like it is coming out of 2D (whether through effects or through his own talent.)

It begins with the skips and pops of a record being put on the turntable and a simple acoustic guitar part that sounds like a combination of a Rolling Stones riff and Beck's "Loser." Both of these artists use acoustic guitar riffs that take inspiration from old blues musicians like Lightinin´ Hopkins and Son House, keeping in with the old school vibe Damon brings on this song. Soon quiet ambient synthesizers and a minimal percussion part enters, giving the song a subtle and depressing atmosphere. Damon's vocals are simple and repeated: "I'm 2D. Won't you buy me? Piano chord. Dictionary." Soon a simple electric guitar part enters along with a synthesizer that harmonizes with the main riff of the song. Then comes a jaunty piano riff which is similar to the piano parts played by Nicky Hopkin on The Rolling Stones' softer pieces. The song is similar to it's A-side "Tomorrow Comes Today" in that both are quiet and subtle pieces. However "Tomorrow" achieves this atmosphere through high tech equipment and samples, "12D3" achieves it by using acoustic instruments and lo fi production. "12D3" is also similar to "Tomorrow" in that both end with multiple layers of Damon's voices singing on top of one another. As the song´s brief finale the instrumentation suddenly stops, leaving us alone with Damon's vocals for only a brief second. A subtle ending for a subtle song.

"12D3" was never played live, however it's catchy melody must have been in Damon's head as he later reused the song's chord progression in a very different way on "Put It Back Together," his guest spot on Fatboy Slim's album "Palookaville." The song was later used in the Gorillaz documentary "Bananaz" where it was accompanied by still images of Jamie´s characters, leading one to wonder whether Damon considered playing the track live and if this would have been the visual that accompanied it. A fan favorite and forgotten gem, "12D3" is an important step in the Gorillaz journey. Now all they needed was a big hit...