UK reissue of the indie supergroup's 2001 debut album includes
two bonus tracks that aren't included on the U.S. edition, 'Clint
Eastwood' (Ed Case Re-fix), '19/2000' (Soulchild Remix) & an
interactive CD-ROM element.
.co.uk
------
The Gorillaz cl to have found their motley crew of cartoon
characters ing in Leicester Square but Blur (
/exec/obidos/artist-search/Blur/%24%7B0%7D )'s Damon Albarn (aka
2-D) and cult cartoonist Jamie Hewlett (Murdoc) are not fooling
anyone. As the ultimate experiment in manufactured image, the
Gorillaz are a virtual, cartoon-character-based hip-hop band
which bring together some of the wittiest, silliest lyrics and
the most seriously talented musicians. Infectious old school
hip-hop rhythms, rhymes and effects courtesy of Deltron 3030 (
/exec/obidos/artist-search/Deltron%203030/%24%7B0%7D )'s Kid
Koala and Del Tha Funkee sapien (
/exec/obidos/artist-search/Del%20Tha%20Funkee%20sapien/%24%7B0%7D
) (Russel) are combined with Albarn's passion for chugging lo-fi
and edgy melodies to create a seemingly raw but ultimately slick
blend of styles which is all their own. This is nowhere more
evident than on hit single "Clint Eastwood", which is carried
along by the sound of 2-D's slurred voice and a bluesy harmonica
melody interrupted by Russel's punching rhymes. But the surprises
do not stop there: Ibrahim Ferrer (
/exec/obidos/artist-search/Ibrahim%20Ferrer/%24%7B0%7D )'s
appearance on "Latin Simone" could have come straight from Buena
Vista Social Club (
/exec/obidos/artist-search/Buena%20Vista%20Social%20Club/%24%7B0%7D
) but for the obvious Blur-influenced piano style, while the
spooky intro to "M1 A1" wouldn't sound out of place on Michael
Jackson's Thriller. Backed up by Jamie Hewlett's death-wish
character on bass, Cibo Matto (
/exec/obidos/artist-search/Cibo%20Matto/%24%7B0%7D )'s Miho
Hatori (Noodle) on guitar and occasional hyperactive vocals and
produced by Dan "The Automator" Nakamura (
/exec/obidos/artist-search/Dan%20The%20Automator/%24%7B0%7D ),
it's hardly surprising that Gorillaz is marked both by a sense of
playfulness and a passion for experimentation. --Caroline Butler
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BBC Review
----------
History is littered with virtual bands. The 60s had The Archies
and The Banana Splits, the 70s had The Wombles and everything
created by Jonathan King. But by the 21st century the concept was
to become far more than a way of marketing pop to kids. Gorillaz
is most decidedly a grown-ups' affair. At the point where Blur -
bereft of guitarist Graham Coxon - decided to take a break and
Damon Albarn was still grieving both band and a long-term
relationship, instead of wallowing in a Lennon-esque 'lost
weeekend' he took a creative left turn. Sharing a flat with
friend and Tank Girl cartoonist, Jamie Hewlett, the pair decided
to create their own bunch of reprobate, porno-loving oiks.
Mis-Spelling the name with a 'z' in honour of the ultimate
cartoon band, The Monkees, Albarn and Hewlett joined forces with
San Francisco's hip hop genius, Dan 'The Automator' Nakamura and
the band was born. Hewlett created the visual identities of 2D,
Murdoc, Noodle and Russel while Albarn added the soundtrack to
their cartoon capers.
While Hewlett's graphics are amazing (the band's website was a
paragon of all the stuff we now take for granted in terms of
marketing a concept album), the album belongs to Albarn. His
vocals litter all but two tracks and the palette reflects his
divergent interests in everything from lo fi garage (5/4, Punk)
to wonky hip hop (Rock The House), dub (Sound Check (Gravity))
early electronica (Double and Man Research: a tribute to Raymond
Scott's Manhattan Research Inc.) and even krautrock (Starshine,
M1 A1). Nakamura's touch lends the album a spooky bottom end and
a host of stars willing to subsume their identities under the
band's two dimensional front (Talking Heads' Tina Weymouth,
Morcheeba's Skye Edwards, Del Tha Funkee sapien and even
Ibrahim Ferrer) mean that, while the diversity is a little
dizzying, any sidestepping is always in safe hands. Plus Albarn's
innate way with a tune meant that the tracks could handle any
a of mandatory remixing. The two-step version of Clint
Eastwood still stands as a classic get-out-of-jail-free moment
for any DJ stuck for a floor filler.
Regarded at the time as a successful if slightly self-indulgent
hobby/holiday for Damon and his stoner mates, in hind
Gorillaz holds up amazingly well: Better, in fact, than the
subsequent Demon Days, where the higher celebrity count detracted
from the album's coherence. It remains, primarily, some of the
best stuff that Albarn's ever done. --Chris Jones
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