I've been eagerly expecting this album since I first heard that Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz fame) was putting out a new album. What was originally intended to be a solo project turned out to be a supergroup.
The Good, The Bad, and the Queen consists of group consists of Albarn, former Verve guitarist Simon Tong, former Clash bassist Paul Simonon, and legendary afro-beat drummer Tony Allen - wrapped up in the production of DJ Danger Mouse.
This album, an album about London at war, is every good as it sounds. Better, even. The music is complex and tough to characterize, though Damon's influence is probably the greatest. The unique sound reflects the unique members, but result is beyond a formulaic "Blur + Clash + The Verve + Africa 70". The best way I can describe it is a toned-down version of the Gorillaz with less hip-hop influence. In other words, unique.
Herculean and Kingdom of Doom were already released as singles. Other standouts for me are Three Changes, History Song, Northern Whale, and the title track.
Highly recommended.