Ten years, four albums, four virtual band members, one mastermind. In a time where many chart topping artists are exact replicas of their fading predecessors, the Gorillaz are probably the most innovative band around. They descended into the scene in 2001 with a self-titled album that was original to its core. I remember swapping the ‘Shrek’ soundtrack for it, age 11 and being completely dumbfounded by its fresh sounds while leafing through the CD booklet trying to find pictures of the band between the cartoons.
Since the beginning, they have managed to retain a rock mystery to them that the age of information has done their best to destroy. This is what I appreciate about the Gorillaz and Damon Albarn; the ingenuity. This model has the ability to retain one band image whilst using every artist it can get its hands on; resulting in songs that never sound the same, and a music with so much fusion it’s almost rebellious. The Gorillaz method was so effective that I had a poster of them on my wall, four fake cartoon characters. I even had a favourite; 2D, the one with no eyes.
The album is a chronology of singles spanning the decade of their virtual existence. However, it is not a greatest hits album that you buy for your dad so he can remember the ‘good days’. Even now, after ten years of life, their first album is my ‘go-to’ music. Due to its creative and alternative sound, it can make you more interesting at a social gathering, more bass heavy songs like ‘Rock The House’ can always spark up a dance-floor and the music’s melancholic optimism will always put a smile on during a stroll. Despite being packed with hits and mixes of the first album one should not mistake it for a re-hashed re-release as it quickly develops through Demon Days and Plastic Beach.
If there’s a lack of the demonic cartoons of your music player, I strongly suggest you snap this up. Unless you’re fully confident in your own ‘go-to’ band that is.