Back when I was junior high school I remember Gorillaz making quite an impact on the radio and amongst my classmates, particularly the hit “Feel Good Inc.” What I don’t remember is ever really listening to them – just a group I never bothered to get into. So when their third LP (Plastic Beach) dropped earlier this month, I figured it was as good a time as any to start listening.
If you’re as ignorant as I am about the group, the first thing you need to know is that Gorillaz is a virtual band composed of animated characters. Created by former Blur frontman Damon Albarn – who handles most of the music – and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett (Tank Girl) – who give gives the band a unique animated aesthetic – Gorillaz are the most successful virtual band of all time (Others include Dethklok, Prozzäk, and Alvin & The Chipmunks). Members include 2D (vocals and keyboards – centre), Murdoc Niccals (bass – right), Noodle (guitar and vocals – lower left) and Russel Hobbs (drums – upper left).
While in music videos and live performances you’ll see the four animated bandmates singing and playing their instruments, in reality the instrumentation and vocals are provided by Albarn with a revolving door cast of musicians. On Plastic Beach, contributors include Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, and Lou Reed. Previous collaborators include De La Soul, Bootie Brown, MF DOOM, and Tina Weymouth & Chris Frantz of Tom Tom Club and Talking Heads.
The music of Gorillaz is difficult to categorize into a specific genre – pop, alt-rock, hip hop, etc… their music refuses to be labeled. Throw in some surprisingly intellectual lyrics with themes based on Damon Albarn’s observations of society and you get something very different and intriguing – I’m a bit surprised a band based on such a bizarre concept became popular enough to sell 15 million albums worldwide.
In any case, the music is quality and strongly recommended. Go buy it.
Check out the video (featuring Bruce Willis) for the new single “Stylo” here.
