Gorillaz + iPad = Win

Gorillaz’s follow-up album, “The Fall,” released in the shadow of its acclaimed “Plastic Beach,” had many listeners wondering what the group could possibly dish up after such an explosive release.

Debuted for online streaming in December, this piece doesn’t bank at all on commercial reception, which explains its lagged hard-copy release. This album is more of an electronic diary used throughout the group’s American tour rather than a bejeweled streamlined production.

It’s difficult not to compare the extravaganza of noise on the “Plastic Beach” album with the spooky and ethereal sounds on “The Fall,” but honestly, there’s no need to contrast. The Gorillaz have never attempted to be anything other than exactly what the group produces, which is both a mishmash of polar opposites and harmonious syncopations.

Recorded exclusively on iPads while traversing the American countryside, this album sails in its own creative vein, which is why it sounds so great. The simplicity of these elements has birthed an electronic soundscape that seems to meld inspiration from the natural world almost perfectly with the implemented digital instruments.

Many of the tracks harbor subtle melodies, like “Aspen Forest,” an instrumental track narrated by stinging chord plucks, and “Revolving Doors,” which is laced with melancholy vocals. The sublime “Amarillo” hypnotizes with its soft thudding and washy ambiance and even breaks your heart in the process.

A little more upbeat than the others, “The Snake in Dallas” shakes with Parliament Funkadelic-type sound. The entire mood of the album is far from the hyped-up tone of many of the group’s previous releases, but maybe that’s why this one is so entrancing. Without all the studio acts and instrumentation, maybe the listener scoots a little closer to the brains behind the elaborate technological beast that is Gorillaz.