When I first heard about the Gorillaz, I got really excited. The Gorillaz are a cartoon band that is actually made up of the guy from Blur, Dan the Automator, Del the Funky Homosapien, and some turntable wizard. And drawn by the original creator of Tank Girl. That sounded really cool to me.
And then I saw the video for “Clint Eastwood” on 120 Minutes (yes, believe it or not, 120 Minutes is still on the air — Sunday nights on MTV2). The video clinched it for me. A great sing-songy pop chorus, classic Del rhymes for the verses, and fresh production (as always) from the Automator. The cartoon didn’t impress me that much but the song was great. The Gorillaz seemed to totally reinvent and revitalize two genres that I’ve pretty much stopped caring about: britpop and hip hop.
Unfortunately, the album does not continue along the same lines. “Clint Eastwood,” in fact, is the only track that features both Del and the guy from Blur. Del shows up by himself on one other track, but the rest of the album is basically just a solo album by the guy from Blur that’s produced by Dan The Automator. And as that, it’s pretty cool. Some nice beats, some cool vocals, some Blurry guitars. But I was hoping for so much more. I was hoping for a new direction, a new sound, a new combination of different musical styles. In essence, I wanted Del on every track.
It would have been so cool. It still is pretty cool, but not in the way that I wanted. Nevertheless, my friends can expect to see “Clint Eastwood” showing up on lots of my mixes this summer.
Just saw the “Clent Eastwood” video last night and I too was excited to hear a new sound. Damon Albarn (the guy from Blur) has always had a knack for mixing unique sounds with catchy pop hooks. 1994’s Parklife is evidence enough, but check out the more recent 13 or even some B-Sides from Johnny. And of course, it’s always great to hear Del.
For the record, I knew the guy from Blur’s name. I just don’t really care that much. But I’d be willing to sit through a britpop record party if someone else supplies the locale and refreshments.
Let’s play a word game. When I say a word, you say the first thing that comes to mind. Are you ready? The first word is Blur. HACK!
The second word is painful. BRITPOP! I can’t believe I gotta mad about this crap. It shouldn’t even be an issue. This CD and countless others are the reason that Napster came to the rescue. When bands realize that they pretty much suck. They put all they have into that one song, and we must make a choice. One that we almost always regret. It was Napster that stood up for us, the music fans, while the bands that we grew up with turn on a dime. Thats really all they are fighting for. If your a band fighting against Napster then please do yourself a favor a pull the trigger.