Journey to the West

Asian edition of the 2008 album from this Damon Albarn-led project featuring one bonus track. Albarn has never had a problem proving his versatility. The Blur front man's side projects have encompassed everything from cult animators to African drummers, so it seems apt that his latest attempt at a cross-cultural balancing act culminates in a teetering tableau of spinning dishes. Monkey: Journey to the West features music by Albarn with designs by Gorillaz collaborator Jamie Hewlett, and was conceived and directed by the Chinese opera specialist Chen Shi-Zheng. Co-commissioned by the Manchester International Festival, the Theater du Chƒtelet in Paris and the Staatsoper Berlin, it's a high-octane Rock 'N' Roll circus, performed in Mandarin and featuring over 50 Chinese acrobats, martial arts experts and a team of tiny contortionists so pliable they could have flown over as cabin luggage. XL. 2008.