Damon Albarn Unveils Unreleased Gorillaz Track ‘Whirlwind’

Blur frontman and Gorillaz co-project leader Damon Albarn has unveiled a previously unreleased Gorillaz track titled Whirlwind. Following their Plastic Beach tour, Albarn disbanded Gorillaz after a disagreement with co-creator Jamie Hewlett.

Albarn debuted the track while taking over for UK radio host Dermot O’Leary on his BBC Radio 2 program. The 90-second instrumental was recorded as part of the Plastic Beach sessions in Damascus, with the help of the Syrian National Orchestra.

Albarn dedicated the track to the members of the Orchestra with whom he worked, reportedly losing contact with them since the beginning of the two-year-old Syrian Civil War. Gorillaz played a show with the Orchestra at the Citadel in Damscus as part of their 2010 world tour.

Gorillaz disbanded last year citing differences between Albarn and Hewlett. While the former indicated that the two disagreed over the direction of Plastic Beach, Hewlett insisted that he was taking time to work on personal projects. The project is officially “on hiatus.”

Albarn is currently undertaking a world tour with his band Blur, who went on hiatus after the release of their 2003 album Think Tank. As part of the tour, the band will be heading Down Under in 2014 to headline Big Day Out with Arcade Fire and Pearl Jam.

Listen: Gorillaz – Whirlwind

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