Merry Christmas From Gorillaz

The 15-track collection is titled The Fall and described as a “sonic journal” by Gorillaz’s website.

Sub Division fan club members will be able to download the tracks for free on Christmas Day. Non-fan club members can enjoy the tunes that same day when the music will be streamed on Gorillaz’s website.

The Fall was recorded on the road this autumn during the band’s North American tour.

“I did it because there’s a lot of time that you just spend staring at walls essentially. And it was a fantastic way of doing it,” said frontman and songwriter Damon Albarn in a statement on Gorillaz’s website.

“I found working in the day, whether it’s in the hotel or in the venue, it was a brilliant way of keeping myself well.”

Albarn added that the tunes can be compared to a diary.

“I literally wrote everything on the day in each place and there’s a strange sort of sound of America and its musical traditions that comes through. It feels like a journey through America.”

The band plans a physical release of the album in 2011.

Gorillaz wrapped up its 2010 tour schedule on Tuesday with a show at Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.

During the show Albarn told the crowd the show might be the band’s last live performance.

“For us, this is the last time… you know, we all hope and pray on this stage that all the people who work with us that we will get a chance to work together as a collective again.

But we may never do that again, so for us tonight is a very charged moment,” Albarn said, as seen in a YouTube video of the performance posted to ConsequenceOfSound.net.

Albarn, who is also the frontman and songwriter for Blur, handles vocals, keyboards, guitar and bass in Gorillaz. He created the band with Brit cartoonist Jamie Hewletton.

Click here for Gorillaz’s website.

Click here to listen to The Fall on Christmas Day.

Click here for the ConsequenceOfSound.net story.