Gorillaz

Editor's Review:

Blur’s Damon Albarn and Bay Area super producer Dan "The Automator" Nakamura are the minds behind cartoon-supergroup Gorillaz, and though the group is touted as a four piece of cartoon players — 2-D (vocals), Noodle (guitar), Russell (drums) and Murdoc (bass) — one listen to this CD is evidence enough the controlling hands of Albarn and The Automator.

The album’s first track, "Re-Hash," is a post-Beck style pop tune — a bounce-inducing mid-tempo beat anchoring sitar and electro-harpsichord piano licks that loosely follow the main melody with a hip sloppiness, all while Albarn’s voice takes on a deep tone and is underlain in the mix by a high pitched vocal shadow. "Tomorrow Comes Today" is a darker number in which minimal string orchestration slides over a metallic bass sound, slightly echo-y harmonica and Albarn’s haunting and tortured croon, a vocal pose he has down pat. Slower Gorillaz tracks feature this slow-burning tone of Albarn’s, and on tracks like "New Genius (Brother)," not only does his sonically clean sadness weave through the music, but it sets a tone that is enforced by the musical accompaniment. The album’s single, "Clint Eastwood" adds the futuristic / netherworldly flavor of Hieroglyphics’ Del The Funky Homosapien to Albarn’s chorus of feigned happiness, as subtly-powerful deep grand-piano bombs intermittently drop around a simple piano melody, Old West harmonica, scratching and a def beat. And it is the Automator’s def beats that hold this project together. Too bad it’ll probably be slept on by the masses.

Bookmark:

Record Label Virgin Records Released June 2001

Tracks Re-hash 5/4 Tomorrow Comes Today New Genious (Brother) Clint Eastwood Man Research (Clapper) Punk Sound Check (Gravity) Double Bass Rock The House 19-2000 Latin Simone Starshine Slow Country M1 A1 Dracula Left Hand Suzuki Method