The Good, the Bad & the Queen

Damon Albarn assembled a supergroup with Fela Kuti’s bassist Tony Allen, The Clash’s Paul Simonon, and producer Danger Mouse for this 2007 Parlophone debut—a collision of post-punk, afrobeat, and dub reggae that feels more unified than its pedigree suggests. The rhythmic interplay between Allen’s polyrhythmic grooves and Simonon’s basslines anchors Albarn’s wry observations in a groove-oriented indie rock framework that avoids the expected jam-session indulgence.