Gorillaz - Gorillaz
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Music Reviews of Gorillaz
Music Review: Ape technology
Rating: 4 Stars
At first glance, Gorillaz seems to be a novelty throwaway. After all, it IS a virtual band, comprised of cartoon characters, and the music sounds exactly like one would expect from a fusion of Damon Albarn and Dan the Automator: Brit-pop meets hip hop (Brit-hop?). So a side project? Perhaps, but with Blur virtually defunct, what else can Albarn do?
Truthfully, Gorrliaz debut is better than one might expect, and isn't that far off from the musical style of Blur's last (upcoming, then) album, "Think Tank." As a result, it succeeds more often when Damon overtakes the production. "Slow Country," "Tomorrow Comes Today," and "M1 A1" particularly stand out as winning moments in the collection, not to mention the irresistible groove of instrumental, "Double Bass," and the very fun hit, "Clint Eastwood." The sensation that you're listening to a debut album is clear; it has all the tendencies of a side project, all the way to the realized freedom of exasperated brain childs discovering an outlet to channel their more off-kilter tendencies. "Demon Days" is a narrowly better album, but those looking for some alternative hip hop experiments, both Gorillaz studio LPs fit the bill.
Better than the album, though, is the virtual part, including winning creations by "Tank Girl" creator, Jamie Hewlitt; the music video for "Clint Eastwood" is terrific.
Best cuts: "Double Bass," "Clint Eastwood," "Tomorrow Comes Today," "M1 A1," "Slow Country," "19-2000," "Re-Hash," "Man Research (Clapper)," "New Genius (Brother)," "Rock the House"
Music Review: An odd collection of trip-hop hits
Rating: 4 Stars
Like virtually everyone who has gotten into the Gorillaz, I discovered them while watching the 'Clint Eastwood' video on MTV. It was one of the most original songs and videos I had seen in a while, so I decided to buy the album, even after hearing that the rest of the songs on it were nothing like 'Clint Eastwood'. They were dead right, but they were definitely wrong about that being a bad thing.The whole background of this cartoon band is still a little sketchy to me... Damon Albarn is 2-D, then we have a 10-year-old Japanese girl as Noodle, a rapper by the name of Del the Funky Homosapien as Russel, and the animator/cartoonist, Jamie Hewlett, as Murdoc. Yet what really strikes me is that they've actually pulled the big feat off: while listening to this music, I can only imagine the animated band playing the songs.
It's hard in the music industry to keep a person entertained while listening to a CD for more than an hour (only The Wall has been able to pull this off for me, while such albums as Exile on Main St. make me want to stop it halfway through). And while, unfortunately, this album falls under the latter category, it still does have some catchy hits, such as the bizarre, appropriately titled '5/4', the melancholy 'Tomorrow Comes Today', the (mostly) instrumental 'Double Bass', the B-movie-thriller-turned-rock-out 'M1 A1', and of course, 'Clint Eastwood'. Like I said before, not every song on here is perfect, but there are definitely enough solid tracks to keep me entertained most of the way through.
Music Review: Uneven and unspectacular
Rating: 3 Stars
Gorillaz is the brainchild of Blur frontman Damon Albarn and cartoonist Jamie Hewlett. They probably won't change the face of music with this virtual animated band - but at least they're trying. I only had a listen because of Damon...and it sounds as if he's enjoying his relative anonymity as '2-D'. He's singing in character, using his voice as if he's actually his weird cartoon persona, and not the leader of a Brit-pop band.The first couple of tracks, "Re-Hash" and "5-4" have got a great stuttering rhythm and some lively strummed-guitar. Unfortunately, after these two it's all a bit hit-and miss. "Man Research" is an irksome track that plods along with Damon affecting a bizarre falsetto over a lethargic beat. Things pick up with the first single "Clint Eastwood" a quite pleasing, hummable tune with a very catchy refrain. "Punk" and "M1-A1" are the closest things here to Blur...'indie Blur', of course. I agree with another reviewer who likened "Punk" to 'BLUREMI'. Since Gorillaz are an experimental project some off-kilter moments are to be expected, but few of them are interesting enough to warrant extra listens.
This hybrid of trip-hop and pop will be well received by audiences of low-key, ambient electronica. There's some funk-styled horns in the mix as well as a Latin-flavored track, but if you're a Blur fan like me, repeated listenings will just make you want to pull out those copies of "Parklife" and "The Great Escape".
Music Review: the best hip hop rock dub cartoon band ever!
Rating: 5 Stars
I have never heard Damon Albarn before, i found about this album from a combination of play on mtv and knowledge of past projects including Dan the Automator and Del, a unique halfway underground rapper who pops up in the strangest places. Anyone coming from my perspective will be surprised by this album - hell, anyone will be surprised by this album. It is an utterly effortless fusion of delicious lo fi hip hop, relaxed dub, and energetic punk rock. The combination of such bold and surefooted experimentation and the catchy hooks that got it on mtv in the first place is unprecedented.The album is varied and it has a few slow points (Man Research, Sound Check), but they don't really get in the way, they just give breathing room between the joyful and dark whirlwind of culture. As for good tracks, there is the rhythmic gimmick of rock joint 5/4, the impenetrable lyrics and the pure punk power of Punk. Clint Eastwood (why is it called clint eastwood?) is a perfect single, with its catchy hook and Del's paced lyricism, and Rock the House and Double Bass are excellent bits of rhythmically infections production. Latin Simone is a great song, and the whole Cuban thing comes out of nowhere, and M1 A1 - well, I don't get it, but I can't help singing along with what I think Albarn is saying.
All in all, this Gorillaz project is a total success of an experiment. The persona of the band is fascinating and adds to the fun and humorous but kind of dark atmosphere of the most delightfully weird pop cd ever made.
Music Review: Refreshing Change of Pace
Rating: 5 Stars
Since I don't live in the UK, I wasn't all that familiar with Blur, except for a couple of songs. And after watching the "Clint Eastwood" video on MTV2, I thought that it was cool to look at and listen to. But since this is a high-concept project, I was skeptical that a whole album could be produced by an "animated" band that was any good. Boy, was I wrong. This album rocks! It's a wonderfully creative and totally original dark mix of rock, punk, and hip-hop, with a little foreign language song thrown in. The beats are infectious and the sounds are all over the scale and kind of weird. The best tracks include "Tomorrow Comes Today", "Clint Eastwood", "Double Bass", "Rock The House", "19-2000", "Dracula", and "Left Hand Suzuki Method". After the last track comes 2 1/2 minutes of dead silence before we get the Ed Case/Sweetie Irie remix of "Clint Eastwood". I don't know why we get silence, but don't turn off your CD player after the violin fades out. Parents should not be put off by the "Parental Advisory" sticker. Except for a couple of F-word utterances, this album is harmless. You probably won't miss much if you buy the edited version. I wish I could see more videos, but MTV and MTV2 have only played "Clint Eastwood". This album is a wonderful departure from the usual prepackaged pop and rap.