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Vocalist
Damon Albarn must've felt a great sense of freedom executing this project
after a certain amount of limitations and expectations with his Britpop
superstar band Blur.
Essentially it is still very much a traditional pop-rock event but the
strategic electronics, sampling, DJ styles, programming, Trip- & Hip-Hop
infusions broaden the horizons somewhat. The stellar tracks include the
(now well known) Clint Eastwood and the mood drenched harmonica
cruising Tomorrow Comes Today. A quasi-punk trip pops up in a song
called, well, Punk, while a very exciting (far from the new Latin
wave) Spanish influence oozes from Latin Simone. With Albarn's
very familiar voice very likely to attract Blur fans, it might push haters
of the band away from the world of Gorillaz.
It should'nt, though, as this is hardly the same thing. While additional
vocals include some brutha-rapping, the excellent design makes up a lot
of the appeal - and why not? With the members all in the guise of cool,
funky, off-centre and very hip cartoon characters, the overall design,
artwork and concepts are brilliant, pushing the visual as much as the
sound. The above mentioned Clint and Tomorrow tracks have
slick, marvellous animated videos that truly lift the songs out of their
casings and squishes them into a more elevated existence. The enhanced
PC segment on the CD carries this mood through a very cool animated trip
that leads you to a website filled with a wealth of Gorillaz
interests via Murdoc's Winnebago. Pics and screensavers can also be had.
A refreshing breeze that wafts past the usual pop slop. - PB 4 / B
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This is the cover of Gorillaz's more extensive CD booklet, the one above (the display sleeve) also included. |
| 6 - Volcanic
5 - Blistering 4 - Hot 3 - Smouldering 2 - Room Temperature 1 - Fizzled 0 - Extinguished |
A - Multiple
Listening Possibilities
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