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CD of the week Gorillaz:Gorillaz
Riaan Wolmarans
Gorillaz, the “first virtual hip-hop group”, combines the talents of deft hip-hop manipulator Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, Damon Albarn of Blur (the brain behind Gorillaz, reports have it), Miho Hatori, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz to create a vibey virtual quartet: singer/keyboardist 2-D, bassist Murdoc, drummer Russel and 10-year-old guitar virtuoso Noodle. Their new Gorillaz (EMI) album has turned out to be one of the most interesting releases of the year.
On the album there is also scratching by Kid Koala and vocals by Del tha Funkee Homosapien (both worked with Nakamura as part of Deltron 3030). The virtual foursome comes alive with visuals by Tank Girl creator Jamie Hewlett. Yes, Gorillaz is a whole multimedia experience there’s plenty of extra software stashed on the enhanced version of the CD and even more to explore on the Internet (have a look at www.gorillaz.com).
As gimmick acts go, this one works remarkably well. The music segues between hip-hop and pop almost seamlessly, assuring much crossover appeal, with Albarn’s unmistakable voiceovers layered on Nakamura’s beats and samples. Clint Eastwood is the big single of the moment, but also listen to the tasty trip-hop of New Genious (Brother) and the charming dubby piano track Slow Country. But when things move over into the pop-rock-punk arena, it’s not always so great Punk sounds pure play-by-numbers, for example. Still, it’s an unusual album to listen to, even though it is clear that this is simply a fun side project for all those involved.