Cartoon pop groups - justifiable accusations of Westlife aside - have a slim lineage. Never mind cartoon characters who've had hits (The Simpsons) or bands actually transformed into animation (The Jacksons, The Osmonds) When your predecessors number The Archies and MC Skat Kat, you know there's room for improvement.
So, people, show a reasonable deal of excitement for Gorillaz. A multi-racial bunch of chain smoking, foul mouthed urchins with missing teeth who specialise in dubbed up Zombie Hip-hop. A sort of ...and you will know them by the trail of dread, if you like.
Making the formation of Hear'Say look totally organic, Gorillaz are the ultimate in manufactured bands, sticking two yellow fingers up at the chart charade. 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel are the Jamie Hewlett-animated front for what is essentially a side-project for Damon Albarn, with guests including Del The Funkee Homosapien, Tom Tom Club and Ibrahim Ferrer, all knocked into shape by Dan The Automator.
The tunes vary in style and quality. Aside from the stoned clumpy-bounce of the marvellous 'Clint Eastwood', the melodica tootled dark-hop rumble of 'Tomorrow Comes Today' and 'Ghost Town'-y piano-floater 'Slow Country', experiments like 'Latin Simone' (featuring Ibrahim Ferrer) and the Beck-ish harpsichord barbershop of 'Re-Hash' and a handful of other doodles that have that probably-sounded-good-at-the-time vibe.
The overall effect veers between the messy guest-thon of Unkle's 'Psyence Fiction' and a non-selling ideas-over-tunes Grand Royal release.
As a concept, it's a handy way-out of the solo hole for Albarn, helpfully dispelling those Damon-as-Sting rumours at the same time. Nathan Barley (of TVGoHome infamy)probably has all their early stuff and you may well find yourself spending a small fortune on a set of action figures, but for just daring to have one or two ideas in this thought-bereft pop nation, Gorillaz rule.
