A thousand monkeys on a thousand typewriters could not have predicted the success of cartoon pop band Gorillaz. They exploded into the world in 2000 with the improbably catchy hip-hop track 'Clint Eastwood' and on account of their bizarre nature they turned heads immediately. Gorillaz was (at least initially) the brainchild collaboration between Damon Albarn, artist Jamie Hewlett, and producer Dan The Automator (Kasabian, Peeping Tom, DJ Shadow). Dan didn’t make it to the second album which allowed many more collaborators to get into the sharpest outfit in pop music. Over the years they have worked with Danger Mouse, De La Soul, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Snoop Dogg, Ike Turner, Roots Manuva, MF Doom, Bobby Womack, Buena Vista Social Club’s Ibrahim Ferrer … the list is exhaustive.
The infuriating argument that has always surrounded Gorillaz is that they are somehow “not real”. Do some people actually believe that the music is being made by computers and animators rather than actual people? Just because a group of revolving musicians choose to use cartoon characters as placeholders for their own image, does that make them any less real? What it has meant is that an unknown number of musicians have filled the roles of drummer Russell, bass player Murdoch, and guitarist / keytarist Noodles (along with Albarn as singer 2D) over the years without ever having to change their appearance. In truth, these virtual avatars are an inspired concept that could have been cheesy if it hadn’t been done so well.
While doubt still lingers over the band’s future we are treated to a simple but functional greatest hits collection entitled The Singles Collection 2001-2011. It features all of the hit singles from their three major albums, a few lesser-known album cuts, as well as the non-album single 'Doncamatic' and two additional remixes. This unfortunately means that the b-sides compilations G-Sides and D-Sides have been excluded from the collection as well as their free online album The Fall (allegedly recorded on an iPad in hotels across America). Don’t get me wrong; these songs are still fantastic. The brash 'Feel Good Inc' is still likely to cause spontaneous partying, 'Rock The House' is still funkier than a mosquito’s tweeter, and 'Stylo' is still a madcap stroke of genius. These massive hits rub shoulders well with their less famous counterparts. A compilation like this benefits from having songs like the achingly gorgeous 'El MaƱana' on its track list. These songs show some more of the immense depth that Gorillaz are capable of.
I don’t think that any collection of tracks from a band this diverse and inspirational will ever 100% satisfy a die-hard fan, but they have laid a great foundation here. At the end of the day Gorillaz are still a very much a pop act, albeit a very successful one that unites many disparate threads of music into a cohesive catchy concept. Their albums roller-coaster from rock to pop, soul to punk, drum’n’bass to funk on a whim. Nothing is beyond their virtual reach and should they continue forwards we will all be treated to their unique, endearing brand of genre-hopping madness. And all of this from a group of characters that aren’t even “real”.
Rating: B (i.e. the songs are excellent but the compilation could be better)
This review is published with kind permission from www.the-tune.net. Read the original review at http://www.the-tune.net/review-gorillaz-the-singles-collection-2001-2011/
This review is published with kind permission from www.the-tune.net. Read the original review at http://www.the-tune.net/review-gorillaz-the-singles-collection-2001-2011/
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