Damon Albarn: 'our album's a natural successor to Parklife'

Damon Albarn has declared The Good, The Bad & The Queen’s debut album “the natural successor to Blur's ‘Parklife’”.

Former Clash bassist Paul Simonon, who plays in the new band, also liken the new group's record to the work of his former band.

“If The Clash was the sound of the Westway, this music is strongly rooted in the same area. It’s a very London record,” he explained.

The album’s London-centric theme may not have occurred without the influence of American Dangermouse, who produced the record.

Albarn explained: “When Brian (Dangermouse) came into the picture, everything changed. He said ‘come on, let’s make a really great English record’. I’d been holding back on writing an album like that ever since ‘Parklife’…but I feel with people like Paul and Tony [Allen] and Simon around I can do it.”

The Good, The Bad And The Queen’s self-titled album will be released in January 2007, with single ‘Herculean’ out on October 30.

The tracklisting is:
'History Song'
''80s Life'
'Northern Whale'
'Kingdom Of Doom'
'Herculean'
'Behind The Sun'
'The Bunting Song'
'Nature Springs'
'A Soldier's Tale'
'Three Changes'
'Green Fields'
'The Good, The Bad & The Queen'

For the full article, including a track-by-track guide to the band’s new album, in this month edition of NME's sister Uncut, which is out now.