Damon Albarn - albarn (n.)

albarn, n. 

pronunciation: /ælbɑːrn/




1. a European surname

2. a musical interject reminiscent of a sigh or grunt that compliments and completes a melody. The impression is of the music producing a nonverbal indication that the preceding musical phrase was pleasurable. Derived from Damon Albarn, a 21st century musician whose compositions implemented this device. 

2010  GORILLAZ Plastic Beach in Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach    Damon’s autotuned “ooooo”s at 1:22, 1:27, 1:34, 1:44, 1:50, 1:54, 2:06, 2:11, 2:17, 2:27, 2:33, 2:38, 2:49, 2:54, 3:00, 3:11, 3:16 and 3:21

2010  GORILLAZ Plastic Beach in White Flag    The Psyduck moan at 1:42, 1:46, 1:51, 1:56, 2:00, 2:05, 2:09, 2:14, 2:20, 2:25, 2:29 and 2:34 

2010 GORILAZ Plastic Beach in Some Kind of Nature    The guitar fuzz hit at :00, :05, :10, :14,  :25, :29, :35, :45, :49, :54, :59, 1:04, 1:09, 1:51, 1:56, 2:00, 2:05, 2:10 and 2:15

2010 GORILLAZ Plastic Beach in Plastic Beach    The stuttered turntable at 1:32, 1:58, 2:09, 2:19, 2:30, 2:40, 2:50 and 3:01

2010 GORILLAZ Plastic Beach in To Binge     The beautiful descending keyboard at :14, :37, 1:47 and 2:57

2010 KANYE WEST My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in Gorgeous   The guitar breath at :04, 

:15, :25, :36, :46, :56, 1:07, 1:17, 1:28, 1:38, 1:48, 1:59, 2:09, 2:20, 2:30, 2:40, 2:51, 3:01, 3:12, 3:22, 3:32, 3:43, 3:53, 4:03, 4:15 and 4:25  

2005 GORILLAZ Demon Days in Kids With Guns    The guitar slide that sounds like a head whipping around at 3:04, 3:12, 3:21, 3:30 and 3:39

2005 GORILLAZ Demon Days in O Green World    The bass indigestion at 1:17, 1:21, 1:25, 1:29, 1:33, 1:37, 1:41, 1:45, 1:48, 1:52, 1:56, 2:00, 2:59, 3:02, 3:07, 3:10, 3:14, 3:18, 3:22, 3:26, 3:30, 3:34, 3:46, 3:49, 3:53, 3:57, 4:01, 4:05, 4:09 and 4:13 

2005 GORILLAZ Demon Days in Dirty Harry     Damon’s high-pitched “uhhh” at :47, :50, :55, 1:35, 1:40, 3:19, 3:22 and 3:24

2005 GORILLAZ Demon Days in Feel Good, Inc.    Damon’s “uh-huh” at :07, :10, :13, :17, :20, :24, :27, :31, :35, 2:07, 2:11, 2:14, 2:17, 3:13, 3:16, 3:20, 3:23, 3:27, 3:30, 3:33, 3:37 and the guitar bend up at :11, :18, :25, :32, :39, :45, :52, :59, 1:40, 1:48, 1:56, 2:03, 2:08, 2:15, 3:14, 3:21, 3:28 and 3:35

2005 GORILLAZ Demon Days in November Has Come    The high-pitched belch at :55, 1:06, 1:17, 1:40, 1:51, 2:02, 2:14, 2:25 and 2:37 

2005 GORILLAZ Demon Days in Demon Days     The echoing punctuation to the descending guitar at 2:27 and 2:30, 2:58 and 3:01, 3:28 and 3:32 and 3:58 and 4:02  

2001 GORILLAZ Gorillaz in Man Research (Clapper)    The venting guitar at :11, :23, :32, :43, :52,  1:01, 1:12, 1:22, 1:36, 1:47, 1:56, 2:07, 2:16, 2:26, 2:46, 2:57, 3:06, 3:16, 3:26, 3:36, 3:46, 3:56, 4:06 and 4:16

1997 BLUR Blur in Song 2    “Woo-hoo” at :14, :17, :21, :25, :43, :48, :51, 1:24, 1:27 and 1:31 

I love albarns, but they leave me feeling guilty. An albarn is just like sitcom canned audience laughter, isn't it? Like audience laughter damn well forces you to laugh, albarns force you to say “ooooooo” with them and admire the music. 

 Shouldn’t music elicit our own albarns, instead of forcing them on us? 

But Albarns differ from audience laughs. They’re tailor-made for their song. If you used the “Dirty Harry” albarn on “Feel Good, Inc.”, it wouldn’t sound right. A canned laugh is a canned laugh no matter what joke it is attached to.

So I take back the audience laughter analogy. An element is there. But there is craftsmanship in an albarn. 

I’ve traced albarns back to 1997. Do you know of any earlier ones (from Damon or any other artist)? Comment below.