Our favourite fantastically animated and awesome cartoon music group Gorillaz is back! Don’t let the cartoon-thing fool you, this group is as real as it gets. What started off as a side project 12 years ago for Blur’s Damon Albarn, has turned into a brilliant pop powerhouse and multimedia empire. Their latest album Plastic Beach may not be as pop as their last two records, but it still packs a punch.
For those of you that are new to the Gorillaz story, let me give you the Coles Notes version. The four Gorillaz are 2D, Noodle, Russel and Murdoc, who front this musical mythology and invite lots of real-life friends along for the ride including: De La Soul, MF Doom, Mick Jones, Mos Def and old-school soul favourite Bobby Womack to name a few cameos. On Plastic Beach they have invited a few new friends along including Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed and Kano and Bashy.
Plastic Beach is Gorillaz’ third album and although there aren’t any dance floor stompers like “Dare,” “Feel Good Inc.” or “19-2000” it is still a solid record with beautiful instrumentation, funky beats and an almost an eco-vibe. Some highlights on the record are the beautifully orchestrated “Rhinestone Eyes,” the rock-steady “Stylo” which I am sure will be remixed-a-lot by Djs worldwide and the ominous “Glitter Freeze.”
The tropical island where the Gorillaz hang out is a “plastic beach” of industrial-waste products, so they recycle all the debris into shiny new toys, which kind of makes sense when you listen to the record, mixing and recycling sounds and musical genres to make something fun and amazing.
Make your next all-inclusive holiday a trip to Plastic Beach and hang out with some animated, musical geniuses while sipping your margaritas.
Check out the Gorillaz interactive and entertaining website for more cartoon-kicks: