"Gorillaz - Gorillaz" - A Review By Greg "sgoast" Reynolds

BAND: GORILLAZ
RECORD: GORILLAZ
GENRE: HELL IF I KNOW!
What Song Do You Know Them From? - "Clint Eastwood"
How? (as described by friend) - Its that "sunshine in a bag" song with the monkeys
dancing around like Michael Jackson in the video.
Whats Song You Should Know Them From. - "Tomorrow Comes Today"
How They Should Be Described. - That cartoon band best listened to late at night 
with a stick of incense or something else burning.
If you liked ____, you'll like this CD - Moby - Play
Score: 4 out of 5 Otakus

Let me say first of all, the idea of a band that is totally animated (and not in
the "Van Halen in their heyday" sence) is so damn intregeing that ("Clint Eastwood"
or not) I had to get this CD, and let me say I am impressed. This CD mixes tons of 
different songs and doesn't get muddled up in its own trendy-ness. But if you come
listening to this cd expecting all hip hop or rock, you will be disapointed. There
are too many different genres to pin one down and say "You're it". One example is 
that between track 3 and 7, the mood changes from mellow brit-pop to gothic hip-hop
to undeciferable punk rock all in a period of 20 minutes. 

The first track ("Re-Hash") reminds me alot of the Moby/Gwen stefani collaboration, 
"Southside" due to its happy bouncy tune and vocals that sound quite a bit like Moby
himself. "5/4" starts out Ramone-ish and ends up sounding like Mick Jagger. "Tomorrow 
Comes Today" is what should have been the first single from the record. The tune stays
continous and good. (hard to do in the current boy band society) "New Genious (Brother)"
sounds alot like Moby also but sends in an "Austin Powers" vibe along with it. "Clint 
Eastwood" is great for the hip-hop crowd and the pop crowd, but leaves rockers feeling
a bit neglected. "Man Research (Clapper)" mixes reggee and techno, a sound which sound 
surprisingly good together. "Punk" is unintelligable but fun as hell to sing alot to!
"Sound Check (Gravity)" starts out weak (Who buys a cd to listen to something that 
sounds like it was recorded at a campout?) but ends off with a sweet beat and a chorus
sung by 2D that is, at the least, great. "Double Bass" reminded me of elevator music on 
speed. "Rock The House" is the second strongest hip-hop song on the album and doesn't
fall short like "Clint". 19-2000 is great for fans of experimental music, but if you 
are more of a pop person, find the radio mix on the single or online. Its catchier and
has more singability. When "Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo)" pops up, expect what sounds 
like a depressed Ricky Ricardo explaining his problems to you. Very very awkward. 
"Starshine"...um... I can't describe it. For the next 3 tracks after that, get used to 
a very non-genre associative, non-song associative sound bursting out of your stereo.
Then the last track, "Left Hand Suzuki Method", sounds like a night at a japanese
crack house (Don't ask me how I know what it sounds like. I just do.)

Its variety makes it a blessing to true music fans but a nightmare to top 20 fans. 
Gorillaz will never be a huge hit. Its doubtful that they will even have a second 
record, but what they do have will spawn a cult fan base due to their huge fan 
appreciation. The web site is godly, their history is twice as interesting as their
current pursuits, (Broken eyeballs, dead homies, and mail-order bassists scatter their 
past) and they've defined a new trend that should come around soon. The death of genres.
Hopefully there will be a day that we wont have to worry about fitting into a group to
enjoy music. Consider Gorillaz a step towards peace in the music world.