When Albarn and Hewlett began their cartoon band project and recorded their debut album (in Jamaica, I may add), they were far from imagining the global success that Gorillaz would eventually reach – their main idea was simply to entertain. Even as a kid I often found myself skipping from one track to the other in no particular order, with no particular “flow”.
For now it is sufficient to say that, despite being a total game changer, their self-named EP always felt somewhat more like a collection of ideas and fragmented songs rather than a finished album. In due time I will better explore the origins of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s cartoon band and the impact their debut album had on the music industry and my life, but this article is not about that, nor is Gorillaz the album we are reviewing. Gorillaz was a 21st century band – a virtual project created for the MTV era, where music videos had gotten us used to the idea that we did not have to see an actual band to listen to their music. The weirdly zen combination of hip-hop, funk, dub and electronic, coupled with Albarn’s distinctive, sorrowful voice, and the cartoons that came with it, revolutionized the game.
One of the first records I ever owned was Gorillaz’ eponymous debut album – to be totally honest, it was my older brother’s, but who is writing about it 18 years later? I still remember listening to Clint Eastwood for the first time and being absolutely fascinated by it.
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