What tends to happen with new Gorillaz albums is I think they're okay, then after a few months I realise some of the songs have stuck with me more than I realised, so I go back and up the rating by 1. This one left a much stronger first impression on me, with some excellent theming throughout. I'm also a huge fan of the short film they released with this. Despite this initial high rating, I still am tempted to revisit in a few months to see if tracks like Orange County stand the test of time.

A really strong album. Thematically it is excellent, and the construction of the tracks into an album, with structured open and close tracks which added to the ambience and setting, is majestic. For someone who chronically underweights Gorillaz, this was great stuff. Ok it doesn’t have the top quality singles, but I liked it

I think there's a lot of truth in the fact that Gorillaz album's take some getting used to. I have re-listened to this album enough times over the past week for me to think this requires a totally new review. The Mountain is a work of reincarnation - a theme that reemerges in multiple different ways. It is a reincarnation for the album itself, which reaches its crescendo with the sublime Orange County, only to restart its momentum again with the succeeding God of Lying. It is a reincarnation for it's many predeceased featured artists, for whom this album grants the opportunity for one final collaboration. And it is a reincarnation for the band, who seemingly meet their ultimate end in the gorgeously animated accompanying short film, only to be reborn as whatever will succeed it. While it may be a departure from what came before, there's a serenity and sense of identity in this that makes it a strong entry into the Gorillaz canon.