Home All Artists Gorillaz
Like this? Leave a tip

Gorillaz

Gorillaz

2000 recording. Genres: Rock \ Electronic ~
Click for Album description from Plex
Gorillaz
It's tempting to judge Gorillaz -- Damon Albarn, Tank Girl creator Jamie Hewlett, and Dan "The Automator" Nakamura's virtual band -- just by their brilliantly animated videos and write the project off as another triumph of style over substance. Admittedly, Hewlett's edgy-cute characterizations of 2-D, Gorillaz' pretty boy singer (who looks a cross between the Charlatans' Tim Burgess and Sonic the Hedgehog), sinister bassist Murdoc, whiz-kid guitarist Noodle, and b-boy drummer Russel are so arresting that they almost detract from Gorillaz' music. The amazing "Thriller"-meets-Planet of the Apes clip for "Clint Eastwood" is so visually clever that it's easy to take the song's equally clever, hip-hop-tinged update of the Specials' "Ghost Town" for granted. And initially, Gorillaz' self-titled debut feels incomplete when Hewlett's imagery is removed; the concept of Gorillaz as a virtual band doesn't hold up as well when you can't see the virtual bandmembers. It's too bad that there isn't a DVD version of Gorillaz, with videos for every song, à la the DVD version of Super Furry Animals' Rings Around the World. Musically, however, Gorillaz is a cutely caricatured blend of Albarn's eclectic Brit-pop and Nakamura's equally wide-ranging hip-hop, and it sounds almost as good as the band looks. Albarn has fun sending up Blur's cheeky pop on songs like "5/4" and "Re-Hash," their trip-hop experiments on "New Genious" and "Sound Check," and "Song 2"-like thrash-pop on "Punk" and "M1 A1." Despite the similarities between Albarn's main gig and his contributions here, Gorillaz isn't an Albarn solo album in disguise; Nakamura's bass- and beat-oriented production gives the album an authentically dub and hip-hop-inspired feel, particularly on "Rock the House" and "Tomorrow Comes Today." Likewise, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Miho Hatori, and Ibrahim Ferrer's vocals ensure that it sounds like a diverse collaboration rather than an insular side project. Instead, it feels like a musical vacation for all parties involved -- a little self-indulgent, but filled with enough fun ideas and good songs to make this virtual band's debut a genuinely enjoyable album. ~ Heather Phares
Cover of 'Gorillaz' - Gorillaz
1. Re‐Hash [3m 40s]2. 5/4 [2m 42s]3. Tomorrow Comes Today [3m 14s]4. New Genius (Brother) [3m 59s]5. Clint Eastwood [5m 43s]6. Man Research (Clapper) [4m 32s]7. Punk [1m 38s]8. Sound Check (Gravity) [4m 42s]9. Double Bass [4m 46s]10. Rock the House [4m 11s]11. 19‒2000 [3m 29s]12. Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?) [3m 38s]13. Starshine [3m 33s]14. Slow Country [3m 37s]15. M1 A1 [4m 01s]16. Clint Eastwood (Ed Case/Sweetie Irie refix) (edit) [3m 43s]17. 19/2000 (Soulchild remix) [3m 27s]Total duration: 1h 4m 44s

Other Gorillaz recordings