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Gorillaz is the debut album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released in 2001. It includes the singles "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Rock the House" and "Tomorrow Comes Today". The album reached #3 in the UK and #14 in the US. .com ---- The Gorillaz cl to have found their motley crew of cartoon characters ing in Leicester Square, but Blur ( /exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/107256/${0} )'s Damon Albarn (a.k.a. 2-D) and cult cartoonist Jamie Hewlett (Murdoc) aren't fooling anyone. As the ultimate experiment in manufactured image, the Gorillaz are a virtual cartoon-character-based hip-hop band who bring together witty, silly lyrics and talented musicians. Infectious old-school hip-hop rhythms, rhymes, and effects courtesy of Deltron 3030 ( /exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/211330/${0} )'s Kid Koala and Del Tha Funkee sapien (Russel) are combined with Albarn's passion for chugging lo-fi and edgy melodies to create a seemingly raw but ultimately slick blend of styles. This is nowhere more evident than on the hit single "Clint Eastwood," which is carried along by the sound of 2-D's slurred voice and a bluesy harmonica melody interrupted by Russel's punching rhymes. But the surprises don't stop there: Ibrahim Ferrer ( /exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/167062/${0} )'s appearance on "Latin Simone" could have come straight from Buena Vista Social Club ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B000005J56/${0} ) but for the obvious Blur-influenced piano style, while the spooky intro to "M1 A1" wouldn't sound out of place on Michael Jackson's Thriller ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000025RI/${0} ). Backed by Jamie Hewlett's death-wish character on bass, Cibo Matto ( /exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/74153/${0} )'s Miho Hatori (Noodle) on guitar and occasional hyperactive vocals, and produced by Dan "the Automator" Nakamura, it's hardly surprising that Gorillaz is marked both by a sense of playfulness and a passion for experimentation. --Caroline Butler P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review ------ Cleverly mixes soft-focus hip-hop, trippy space rock and Ennio Morricone-style melodrama with Albarn's unwavering pop melodies. -- E! Online Hands down, this is one of the best-produced albums of the year... -- LA Weekly Inspired by the punky reggae parties of Sandinista!-era Clash, tracks like the dub-rap-rock mutation "Clint Eastwood" and its catchier two-step Rasta remix bring back the exuberance missing from Blur's last album, 13, while running with its anything-goes avant-aesthetic. -- Rolling Stone This secret society's sonic output is nothing short of sheer musical buggery, a hip-hop twilight realm where Dr. Octagon performs trans surgery on Mellow Gold with the cast of Scooby Doo in the gallery. [#50, p.89] -- Magnet What could have been hipster reach is multiculti grasp of the sweetest kind. [Jun 2001, p.148] -- SPIN See more ( javascript:void(0) )