Gorillaz

See also: Blur

Gorillaz are an animated rock/dance quartet springing from the pot-addled brains of Blur frontman Damon Albarn and cartoonist/designer Jamie Hewlett. The two, living together in the party-hearty Britpop years, formulated this concept: an animated band like the Archies, with visual representation by Hewlett, and Albarn controlling the music end of things.

Well, it's to their credit that they not only got this thing off the drawing board, but went platinum with their self-titled debut, released two spin-off albums based on remixes and rarities, made a DVD, went on tour, and maintained a Flash-heavy, somewhat innovative Web site.

The music is a pretty fun, if somewhat generic, dance-rock hybrid. Tina Weymouth, Chris Franz, Del The Funky Homosapien, Miho Hatori, Dan The Automator and many more joined up with Albarn to create the record, which produced the stellar singles "Tomorrow Comes Today" (a leftover Blur-ish melody) and "Clint Eastwood" (the true perfect genre-busting single complete with insidious Del raps). It ain't incredibly, bust-your-shit-open innovative, but this is fun stuff and it's impressive that they pulled it off. Rock on, cartoon freakazoids.

Album reviews

Gorillaz
Virgin (2001)
This is pop: the Gorillaz are a manufactured band grown out of the bags of Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Tank Girl cartoonist Jamie Hewlett, and their debut album one of the most interesting stabs at a petri-dish pop group ever.

Interviews

Pop Runs Wild
September 5, 2001
The apt hominids of Gorillaz aim for the States. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett tell NATN how they plan to divide and conquer.