|
|
|
|
Conceived as the first "virtual hip-hop group," Gorillaz blended the musical
talents of Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, Blur's Damon Albarn, Cibo Matto's
Miho Hatori, and Tom Tom Club's Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz with the
arresting visuals of Jamie Hewlett, best known as the creator of the cult
comic Tank Girl. Nakamura's Deltron 3030 cohorts Kid Koala and Del tha
Funkee Homosapien rounded out the creative team behind the Gorillaz quartet,
which included 2-D, the cute but spacy.
***
***
singer/keyboardist; Murdoc, the spooky, possibly Satanic bassist and the
brains behind the group; Russel, a drummer equally inspired by "Farrakhan
and Chaka Khan" and 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. The group's
website, www.gorillaz.com, showcased Hewlett's visuals and the group's music
in eye- and ear-catching detail. Gorillaz debuted in late 2000 with the
Tomorrow Comes Today EP, which they followed early the next year with the
Clint Eastwood single; their self-titled full-length debut arrived in spring
2001. Gorillaz was a massive worldwide success and achieved platinum-level
sales in the U.S. The group's svengalis were quick to capitalize, and
released the B-sides collection G-Sides, the Phase One: Celebrity Takedown
DVD, and the dub-inspired remix album Laika Come Home in 2002. The project
went on hiatus as Albarn resumed work with Blur for their seventh album,
2003's Think Tank. When he was ready to begin the next Gorillaz album,
Albarn turned to Danger Mouse, the DJ behind The Grey Album, the infamous
mash-up of the Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's Black Album, and a host of
other collaborators, including De La Soul, Shaun Ryder, Debbie Harry, Dennis
Hopper, and Martina Topley-Bird. Although Del tha Funkee Homosapien and
Nakamura did not return, 2-D, Russel, Murdoc, and Noodle were all present
and accounted for on Demon Days, which arrived in spring 2005. |
|
