The Good, The Bad, & The Queen -- "Kingdom of Doom"
Here's how I see it. One night, the idea came to Damon Albarn in a vision: Take The Clash's "London Calling," the most archetypal of British alternative classics, and perform various experiements on it by changing the key and playing with the tempo and instrumentation. Get Paul Simonon to play bass. Since Topper Headon is no longer on the drumming scene, get reknowned Afro-beat drummer Tony Allen to play drums on the album (on the tracks that actually have drums, at least). Channel the spirit of The Clash, but never sound quite like The Clash.
Joe Strummer would have approved, one suspects. "Kingdom of Doom" is one of several TGTBTQ variants on "London Calling"; it drops into an almost-rendition of the song at the end. It takes the minor-key gloom of The Clash's signature track and expands upon the mood. Add some crackle from a spring reverb pan for effect, and you have the makings of a modern classic.
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