Gorillaz CD

2 Bonus Tracks "Not" Featured On The Import Version;5382163



This is an Enhanced CD which contains regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Gorillaz: 2D, Noodle, Russel, Murdoc (a.k.a. Damon Albarn, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Sky Edwards, Dan The Automator).
Additional personnel includes: Miho Hatori, Tina Weymouth, Ibrahim Ferrer.
Producers include: Dan The Automater, Tom Girling, Jason Cox, Gorillaz.
Engineers include: Tom Girling, Jason Cox, Toby Whelan.
Recorded at Gee Jam Studios, Jamaica.
"Clint Eastwood" was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
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
What do you get when you combine Damon Albarn, singer for Britpop superstars Blur, with hip-hop producer Dan The Automator? Gorillaz, silly! Albarn takes a busman's holiday and avails himself of the opportunity to take the kind of sonic risks one would be unlikely to find on a Blur album. This isn't hip-hop or dance music per se, though "Rock the House" is a bona-fide party rap tune, and Dan The Automator adds plenty of hip-hop elements and trip-hop beats throughout.
Ultimately, GORILLAZ is occupied by Albarn's arch, twisted pop vision filtered through a dizzying array of electronic sounds and studio manipulations. There are some interesting stylistic experiments, too, as on the Latin-style "Latin Simone," which features a guest vocal from none other than Cuban legend Ibrahim Ferrer, and "Slow Country," which, despite its title, is an excursion into the atmospheric land of dub reggae. This is a far cry from Britpop--imagine Blur in a sonic kaleidoscope. And then try in vain to imagine either of the Gallagher brothers attempting anything close to this.Rolling Stone (6/21/01, p.78) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A playful piece of genre-squishing art pop. Inspired by the punky reggae parties of SANDINISTA!-era Clash....running with anything-goes avant-aesthetic..."
Spin (1/02, p.76) - Ranked #6 in Spin's "Albums of the Year 2001".
Spin (6/01, p.148) - 7 out of 10 - "...A multiculti grasp of the sweetest kind....Easy on the ears because they know the difference between calling people up and casting them..."
Q (5/01, p.115) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...With its creepily urban feel, and innocent, nursery-rhyme quality of the melodies, Gorillaz couldn't be further from a self-consciously arch 'art' supergroup..."
Alternative Press (2/02, p.65) - Ranked #15 in AP's "25 Best Albums of 2001".
Alternative Press (7/01, p.68) - 8 out of 10 - "...Brilliant..."
Magnet (6-7/01, pp.89-90) - "...Nothing short of sheer musical buggery..."
Muzik (5/01, p.66) - 5 out of 5 - "...Genre-splicing, sample-collaging, spliffed-out hip hop...standing head and shoulders over anything Blur have ever achieved...and even overshadows much of Dan The Automator's recent output..."
Mojo (Publisher) (4/01, p.98) - "...A funky...meld of dub, reggae, hip hop, world music, pop and thrash punk....Electric, upbeat, and actually very good."
NME (Magazine) (12/29/01, p.59) - Ranked #48 in NME's 50 "Albums Of the Year 2001".