Editing Gorillaz (section)

===''Plastic Beach'' and ''The Fall'' (2010–2012)===
Albarn and Hewlett's next project together was the opera ''[[Monkey: Journey to the West]]'' based on the classical Chinese novel ''[[Journey to the West]]'', which premiered at the 2007 [[Manchester International Festival]]. While not officially a Gorillaz project, Albarn mentioned in an interview that the project was "Gorillaz, really but we can't call it that for legal reasons".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gorillaz-unofficial.com/Jamie08/jamie.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327140329/http://gorillaz-unofficial.com/Jamie08/jamie.html|url-status=dead|title=Jamie Hewlett : The Gorillaz-Unofficial 2008 Interview|archive-date=27 March 2010}}</ref>

After completing work on ''Monkey'' in late 2007, Albarn and Hewlett began working on a new Gorillaz project entitled ''Carousel'', described by Albarn as being about "the mystical aspects of Britain". Hewlett described ''Carousel'' in a 2008 interview as "even bigger and more difficult than ''Monkey''... It's sort of like a film but not with one narrative story. There's many stories, told around a bigger story, set to music, and done in live action, animation, all different styles. Originally it was a film but now we think it's a film and it's a stage thing as well. Damon's written around 70 songs for it, and I've got great plans for the visuals."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://glidemagazine.com/12210/damon-albarn-jamie-hewlett-name-next-project-carousel/ |title=Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett Name Next Project – 'Carousel' – Glide Magazine |access-date=14 July 2020 |archive-date=16 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716051720/https://glidemagazine.com/12210/damon-albarn-jamie-hewlett-name-next-project-carousel/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The ''Carousel'' concept was eventually dropped with Albarn and Hewlett's work evolving into the third Gorillaz studio album, ''[[Plastic Beach]]''.<ref name="theguardian.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/audio/2009/nov/28/showing-off-damon-albarn|title=Audio: Paul Morley interviews Blur's Damon Albarn|first=Paul|last=Morley|date=28 November 2009|access-date=23 October 2020|website=The Guardian|archive-date=1 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801034629/https://www.theguardian.com/music/audio/2009/nov/28/showing-off-damon-albarn|url-status=live}}</ref>

Drawing upon environmentalist themes, ''Plastic Beach'' was inspired by the idea of a "secret floating island deep in the South Pacific... made up of the detritus, debris and washed up remnants of humanity" inspired by [[marine pollution]] such as plastic that Albarn had found in a beach near one of his homes in [[Devon]] as well as the [[Great Pacific Garbage Patch]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/37638-gorillaz-reveal-full-album-details/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123125020/http://pitchfork.com/news/37638-gorillaz-reveal-full-album-details/|url-status=live|title=Gorillaz Reveal Full Album Details|website=Pitchfork|archive-date=23 January 2010|date=20 January 2010}}</ref> Unlike previous Gorillaz albums, Albarn made the decision to produce ''Plastic Beach'' by himself, with no co-producer.<ref name="Plastic Beach">{{cite AV media notes |title=Plastic Beach |type=Experience Edition liner notes |publisher=[[Parlophone]] |year=2010 |id=5099962616720}}</ref> The album was recorded throughout 2008 and 2009 in London, New York City and [[Syria]] although production of the album was briefly interrupted so that Albarn could join Blur for a reunion tour in the summer of 2009, with Albarn explaining "there's no way you can do that and that [Blur and Gorillaz] at the same time."<ref name="theguardian.com"/> ''Plastic Beach'' saw Gorillaz move into a more [[electronic pop]] sound, with Albarn describing the album as "the most pop record I've ever made" and saying that he took special care to make the album's lyrics and melodies clear and focused compared to previous albums.<ref name="theguardian.com"/> ''Plastic Beach'' also featured the largest cast of collaborators featured yet on a Gorillaz album, fulfilling Albarn's goal of "work[ing] with an incredibly eclectic, surprising cast of people"<ref name="theguardian.com"/> including artists such as [[Snoop Dogg]], [[Mos Def]], [[Bobby Womack]], [[Little Dragon]], former Velvet Underground frontman [[Lou Reed]] and [[Gruff Rhys]] among others, and also included orchestral contributions from [[Sinfonia Viva]] and the [[Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music]].<ref name="Plastic Beach"/> Albarn explained the expanded roster of featured artists represented his and Hewlett's new vision of Gorillaz as a project, explaining in a July 2008 interview that "Gorillaz now to us is not like four animated characters any more – it's more like an organisation of people doing new projects... That's my ideal model."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://subjecto.com/the-production-of-gorillaz-album-plastic-beach/|title=The Production Of Gorillaz Album Plastic Beach Music Essay|website=Subjecto.com|date=4 April 2020|access-date=23 October 2020|archive-date=1 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801030521/https://subjecto.com/the-production-of-gorillaz-album-plastic-beach/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Gorillaz live 2010.jpg|thumb|left|The 2010 live shows supporting ''[[Plastic Beach]]'' saw the touring band performing in full view of the audience for the first time.]]Released on 3 March 2010, ''Plastic Beach'' debuted at No. 2 on both the UK Albums Chart and the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, the band's highest placing debut chart position. The album was supported by the lead single "[[Stylo (song)|Stylo]]" featuring Mos Def and Bobby Womack (with Bruce Willis appearing in the music video) released in January 2010 and the later singles "[[On Melancholy Hill]]" and "[[Rhinestone Eyes]]". To promote the album, the band embarked on the [[Escape to Plastic Beach Tour]], the band's first world tour and also their first live performances in which the touring band performed fully in view of the audience on stage with no visual obstructions. The tour, which featured many of the collaborative artists from ''Plastic Beach'' and saw the touring band wearing naval attire, was later described by Albarn as having been extremely costly to produce, with the band barely breaking even on the shows, saying "I loved doing it, but economically it was a fucking disaster."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-damon-albarn-on-the-future-of-blur-his-first-ever-solo-album-and-why-he-doesnt-hate-oasis-anymore-20130528|title=Q&A: Damon Albarn on the Future of Blur, His First Ever Solo Album and Why He Doesn't Hate Oasis Anymore|first=Jonathan|last=Tingen|date=28 May 2013|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=11 June 2018|archive-date=11 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180611121009/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-damon-albarn-on-the-future-of-blur-his-first-ever-solo-album-and-why-he-doesnt-hate-oasis-anymore-20130528|url-status=dead}}</ref> The tour was preceded by headline performances at several international music festivals, including the [[Coachella]] and [[Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury]] festivals. On 21 November 2010, while still on tour, the band released the non-album single "[[Doncamatic]]" featuring British singer [[Daley (musician)|Daley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gorillaz.com/news/news/breaking-news-brand-new-gorillaz-single-to-be-played-on-zane-lowe-show-youtube-tonight |title=News – BREAKING NEWS! Brand new Gorillaz single to be played on Zane Lowe show & Youtube tonight! |publisher=Gorillaz.com |date=5 October 2010 |access-date=18 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711113046/http://gorillaz.com/news/news/breaking-news-brand-new-gorillaz-single-to-be-played-on-zane-lowe-show-youtube-tonight |archive-date=11 July 2011 }}</ref>

During the North American leg of the Escape to Plastic Beach tour in the fall of 2010, Albarn continued recording Gorillaz songs entirely on his [[iPad]]. The recordings were later released as the album ''[[The Fall (Gorillaz album)|The Fall]]'', first released digitally on Christmas Day 2010 and later given a physical release on 19 April 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Damon Albarn reveals Gorillaz' free Christmas album details|url=http://www.nme.com/news/gorillaz/54286|work=NME News|access-date=26 December 2010|date=16 December 2010|archive-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219135842/http://www.nme.com/news/gorillaz/54286|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-Gorillaz/dp/B00EMKV55S | title=The Fall: Amazon.co.uk: Music | website=Amazon UK | access-date=7 February 2019 | archive-date=9 February 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124536/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-Gorillaz/dp/B00EMKV55S | url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Fall'' is also co-produced by [[Stephen Sedgwick (mix engineer)|Stephen Sedgwick]], the mixer engineer of the band.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=The Fall |publisher=[[Parlophone]]|type=CD liner|year=2011|id=5099909758827}}</ref> Albarn said the album served as a diary of the American leg of the tour, explaining that the tracks were presented exactly as they were on the day they were written and recorded with no additional production or overdubs: "I literally made it on the road. I didn't write it before, I didn't prepare it. I just did it day by day as a kind of diary of my experience in America. If I left it until the New Year to release it then the cynics out there would say, 'Oh well, it's been tampered with', but if I put it out now they'd know that I haven't done anything because I've been on tour ever since."<ref>{{cite news|title=Gorillaz to release new album free on Christmas Day|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/dec/10/gorillaz-new-album-free-christmas|work=The Guardian|publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited 2010|access-date=26 December 2010|first=Sean|last=Michaels|date=10 December 2010|location=London|archive-date=16 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216182306/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/dec/10/gorillaz-new-album-free-christmas|url-status=live}}</ref> The band later released a "Gorillaz edition" of the [[Korg]] iElectribe music production app for iPad, featuring many of the same samples and sounds used by Albarn to create ''The Fall''.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.gorillaz-unofficial.com/news/index.htm |title = GorillazUnofficial 100% unofficial. 100% Gorillaz |publisher = Gorillaz-unofficial.com |access-date = 18 July 2011 |archive-date = 30 December 2005 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051230165840/http://www.gorillaz-unofficial.com/news/index.htm |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/ielectribe-gorillaz-edition/id430288460 |title = KORG iELECTRIBE Gorillaz Edition for iPad on the iTunes App Store |publisher = iTunes Store |date = 26 May 2011 |access-date = 18 July 2011 |archive-date = 3 December 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111203010728/http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/korg-ielectribe-gorillaz-edition/id430288460?mt=8 |url-status = live }}</ref>

On 23 February 2012, Gorillaz released "[[DoYaThing]]", a single to promote a Gorillaz-branded collection of [[Converse (shoe company)|Converse]] shoes which were released shortly after. The song was a part of Converse's "Three Artists, One Song" project, with the two additional collaborators being [[James Murphy (electronic musician)|James Murphy]] of [[LCD Soundsystem]] and [[André 3000]] of [[Outkast]]. Two different edits of the song were released: a four-and-a-half minute radio edit released on Converse's website and the full 13-minute version of the song released on the Gorillaz website. Hewlett returned to direct the single's music video, featuring fictionalized animated versions of Murphy and André interacting with the Gorillaz' virtual members.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gorillaz-unofficial.com/news/ |title=GorillazUnofficial 100% unofficial. 100% Gorillaz |publisher=Gorillaz-unofficial.com |access-date=31 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326063451/http://gorillaz-unofficial.com/news/ |archive-date=26 March 2012 }}</ref> The song received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise given to André 3000's contributions to the track.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/23/doyathing-gorillaz-andre-3000-james-murphy_n_1295056.html |title='DoYaThing': Gorillaz, Andre 3000 and James Murphy Release Collaboration For Converse (AUDIO) |date=23 February 2012 |work=HuffPost |access-date=5 March 2012 |archive-date=3 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303104936/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/23/doyathing-gorillaz-andre-3000-james-murphy_n_1295056.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beatsperminute.com/reviews/track-review-gorillaz-doyathing-feat-andre-3000-and-james-murphy |title=Track review Gorillaz DoYaThing feat. Andre 3000 and James Murphy |publisher=[[Beats Per Minute (website)|Beats Per Minute]] |first=Brendan |last=Frank |date=24 February 2012 |access-date=5 March 2012 |archive-date=2 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302053531/http://beatsperminute.com/reviews/track-review-gorillaz-doyathing-feat-andre-3000-and-james-murphy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2012, Albarn told ''[[The Guardian]]'' that he and Hewlett had fallen out and that future Gorillaz projects were "unlikely".<ref name="harris1">{{cite news |title=Damon Albarn: Gorillaz, heroin and the last days of Blur |author=Harris, John |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/apr/07/damon-albarn-gorillaz-heroin-blur? |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |publisher=[[Guardian News and Media]] |location=London/Manchester |date=7 April 2012 |page=1 |access-date=7 April 2012 |archive-date=31 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031122252/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/apr/07/damon-albarn-gorillaz-heroin-blur |url-status=live }}</ref> Tension between the two had been building, partly due to a belief held by Hewlett that his contributions to Gorillaz were being minimised. Speaking to ''The Guardian'' in April 2017, Hewlett explained: "Damon had half the Clash on stage, and Bobby Womack and Mos Def and De La Soul, and fucking Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Bashy and everyone else. It was the greatest band ever. And the screen on stage behind them seemed to get smaller every day. I'd say, 'Have we got a new screen?' and the tour manager was like, 'No, it's the same screen.' Because it seemed to me like it was getting smaller."<ref>{{cite news |title=Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett: 'We fight over everything' |author=Sawyer, Miranda |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/apr/30/damon-albarn-and-jamie-hewlett-we-fight-over-everything-gorillaz-humanz-interview |work=The Guardian |date=30 April 2017 |access-date=30 April 2017 |archive-date=30 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430071547/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/apr/30/damon-albarn-and-jamie-hewlett-we-fight-over-everything-gorillaz-humanz-interview |url-status=live }}</ref> Albarn gave his side of the story in a separate interview, saying "I think we were at a cross purposes somewhat on that last record [''Plastic Beach''], which is a shame. It was one of those things, the music and the videos weren't working as well together, but I felt we'd made a really good record and I was into it."<ref name="harris1"/> On 25 April 2012, in an interview with Metro, Albarn was more optimistic about Gorillaz' future, saying that once he had worked out his differences with Hewlett, he was sure that they would make another record.<ref>{{cite web |last=Williams |first=Andrew |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/music/897126-damon-albarn-blur-and-gorillaz-arent-finished-yet |title=Damon Albarn: Blur and Gorillaz aren't finished yet &#124; Metro News |work=Metro |location=UK |date=24 April 2012 |access-date=27 December 2012 |archive-date=29 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129132257/http://www.metro.co.uk/music/897126-damon-albarn-blur-and-gorillaz-arent-finished-yet |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2013, Hewlett confirmed that he and Albarn planned to someday continue Gorillaz and record a follow-up album to ''Plastic Beach'', saying "We'll come back to it when the time is right."<ref>{{cite web |author=Guardian music |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jun/24/blur-gorillaz-new-albums-damon-albarn |title=Blur and Gorillaz will both make new albums, says Albarn collaborator |work=The Guardian |date=24 June 2013 |access-date=20 January 2016 |archive-date=27 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160227180559/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jun/24/blur-gorillaz-new-albums-damon-albarn |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/51295-blur-and-gorillaz-will-release-new-albums-gorillaz-jamie-hewlett-says/ |title=Blur and Gorillaz Will Release New Albums, Gorillaz' Jamie Hewlett Says |work=Pitchfork |date=24 June 2013 |access-date=20 January 2016 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305200741/http://pitchfork.com/news/51295-blur-and-gorillaz-will-release-new-albums-gorillaz-jamie-hewlett-says/ |url-status=live }}</ref>