Damon Albarn - “Mr. Tembo” (Official Video)

I think I missed my chance to write at length about Damon Albarn’s solo debut, Everyday Robots, which I regret, because it’s a record deserving of meditation, and frankly, I have a lot to say about it! Oh well. For what it’s worth, my favorite track on the LP (or one of my two favorites, anyway) is “Mr. Tembo,” an unusually bright and cheerful song Albarn wrote for a baby elephant he met while visiting Tanzania. I’m not always partial to Albarn’s jauntier musical moments — I greatly prefer “The Universal” to “Country House,” for instance — but Everyday Robots is otherwise such a dour, introspective album that such a bright spot is not only welcome but pretty remarkable. Plus, I love elephants. (Who doesn’t?) Anyway, some grainy footage of the real-life Mr. Tembo is featured in Albarn’s video for the song — the small elephant certainly appears to be a worthy subject, and Albarn’s unusual, joyous ode captures the essence of his muse.