Double Bass

Double Bass

"Lo Fi Thriller"

If "Punk" is the Gorillaz equivalent to Blur's one punk song per album rule, "Double Bass" is the equivalent to the instrumentals that are present on every Blur record. Like their punk tracks, Blur use their instrumentals as a way to take a break from the album's thematic idea or genre mood set. Blur's instrumentals are often freestyle jams recorded on the spot and often use Damon's organ as a central point, some examples include the campy brass heavy track "The Debt Collector" or the chaotic and trippy "Theme From Retro." "Double Bass" is no different.

"Double Bass" is Damon Albarn and Junior Dan jamming out on two bass guitars (hence why the track is called "Double Bass") while Jason Cox lays down a smooth beat on the drums. Damon Albarn later overdubbed some synthesizers and, of course, his organ to provide some more melodies for the song (he also may have overdubbed an actual double bass on to the track as I can hear one way in the background, but that may just be the sounds of Damon Albarn and Junior Dan's fingers sliding on the fretboards). Dan The Automator and Kid Koala must have thought this track had more potential, because soon they started majorly editing and reworking the track. Kid Koala added scratches on to the track's mix via his turntable, and Dan The Automator started taking instruments in and out of the mix as he pleased at various times. Dan The Automator also stopped the track mid way through, giving Damon the room to mutter in his quiet voice: "All of this makes me anxious, at times unbearably so" before the track resumes as if nothing was said.

According to "Rise Of The Ogre," the Gorillaz autobiography, this track was made by Russel recording the sounds inside 2D's head. 2D is a very anxious and paranoid character, so this may have been Damon and the crew's intention when making this song. The track's tense yet simple atmosphere works as the inner monologue of a a person consumed by paranoia. Everyone has a song that's constantly playing in their head, it's the brain's equivalent of "elevator music." Imagine the song playing in the head of a schizophrenic person consumed by anxiety, it would probably sound like "Double Bass."

"Double Bass" was never formally played live. During their first tour, the band played behind a screen to keep the illusion of the characters and their music present and not the real people behind the music. Instrumentals only work live when you can see the band playing them, that way you can feed in on their energy and see how they effortlessly work off each other as a unit. With the band behind a screen, the song would have gotten boring to most casual concertgoers, no matter how many exciting and brilliant visuals Jamie could produce for it. However during the tour's 2002 North American leg, "Double Bass" would play on the intercom between the main set and the encore while the band and crew set up for their last couple of songs. "Double Bass" is a brilliant and powerful jam from the band's early days which most people might not appreciate, but a true fan does.