General Article name: Gorillaz
Genre: Pop englischsprachig Product type: LP (Vinyl) Label: Parlophone Label Group (PLG) Number of tracks: 16 Tracklist - 1 Gorillaz - Re-Hash 3:39 Gorillaz - 5/4 2:41 Gorillaz - Tomorrow Comes Today 3:13 Gorillaz - New Genius (Brother) 3:58   Tracklist - 2 Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood 5:09 Gorillaz - Man Research (Clapper) 4:30 Gorillaz - Punk 1:34 Gorillaz - Sound Check (Gravity) 4:40   Tracklist - 3 Gorillaz - Double Bass 4:44 Gorillaz - Rock the House 4:08 Gorillaz - 19-2000 3:28 Gorillaz - Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo) 3:37   Tracklist - 4 Gorillaz - Starshine 3:32 Gorillaz - Slow Country 3:36 Gorillaz - M1 A1 3:50 Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood 4:27   Description Description

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

Heather Phares

Contributors Record Label: Virgin Artist: Gorillaz Guest Artist: Ibrahim Ferrer