Pete's Log: Gorillaz

Entry #1066, (Music)
(posted when I was 22 years old.)

Since substitute teaching 232 has provided me with some unexpected extra income, I decided it was time I finally buy some new music. It has, after all, been like a month and a half since I've last done so. I ordered the Gorillaz CD on monday. It arrived today.

Gorillaz is an interesting concept. I first encountered them on June 14, watching MTV late at night. I saw their song "Clint Eastwood" and wasn't drawn in as much by the music as I was by the animated video. I soon discovered that Gorillaz is a "Virtual hip-hop group". The group is the creation of Blur's Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, creator of the Tank Girl comic. A group of apparently well-known musicians, most of whom I'm unfamiliar with are responsible for the actual music. But Gorillaz is said to be composed of four cartoon characters, animated by Hewlett. They are 2-D, the cute but spacy singer/keyboardist, Murdoc, the spooky, possibly Satanic bassist who is the brains behind the group, drummer Russel who is equally inspired by "Farrakhan and Chaka Khan" and is possessed by "funkyphantoms" that occasionally rise up and provide some zombie-style rapping, and last but not least, Noodle, a ten-year-old Japanese guitar virtuosa and martial arts master. As far as concept goes, this band is pretty original, it seems to me. So I ordered the CD.

Before ordering it, I got addicted to the "Clint Eastwood" song. On occasion I would stay up late watching MTV, hoping they would eventually play the song. Though I have seen Gorillaz categorized as Rap and Hip-Hop, most of the CD is a mellowish pop sort of music. But it's full of interesting sounds, scratching, horns, flutes, sampling and more. Only a few of the songs actually feature rapping, but I like the rapping it does feature. Though mellow, the sound isn't boring, and after a few more listenings, I think I'll really like this CD.

"Clint Eastwood" still stands out among the rest of the songs, though. It's likely to get stuck in your head, it's already spent plenty of time stuck in mine. And if you get a chance, watch the video. I really dig the animation.