Presumably symbolising consumerism, environmental neglect, or some other thing, the record was named after a floating pink island-“the place furthest from any other land mass on the planet” (Murdoc)-to which the Gorillaz escaped after run-ins with a variety of nemeses. To call 2010’s Plastic Beach a concept album would be an understatement (not least because Gorillaz are sort of a concept band). The album’s closing two tracks remain the most beautiful thing Gorillaz have achieved. In 2005, sentiments like “Oh green world, don’t desert me now” (“O Green World”) and “You can’t even trust the air you breathe” (“Don’t Get Lost in Heaven”) spoke to the planet Earth’s impending doom. As Noodle was chased through the sky by helicopters (see the “Feel Good Inc.” and “El Mañana” vids), Gorillaz railed against some abstract force of evil. As well as going six times platinum in the UK, it came with a rich, ambiguous narrative told through music videos, vague lyrical references and scraps of information on their website. Gorillaz' second album Demon Days was their mythological peak.

“Dracula,” from the 2002 off-cuts collection G-Sides, is their finest foray into dub, hinting at later tunes like “Last Living Souls” and “Dirty Harry.” For more Gorillaz reggae, listen to the excellent Space Monkeyz remix album, Laika Come Home. The best moments on their eponymous 2001 debut album are all about dubwise bass pressure, including “New Genius,” “Man Research,” “Starshine” and the smash single “Clint Eastwood”-for which Murdoc “pushed the button marked ‘reggae setting’” on his autoharp (according to first Gorillaz book, Rise of the Ogre). To begin with at least, Gorillaz were sort of a reggae band. Gorillaz were never simply a Damon Albarn solo project with an occasional rap feature. Their second decade was less successful, owing to a long hiatus and two pretty terrible LPs, meaning the band’s cultural significance-whether due to novelty wearing off or their fanbase growing up-is no longer what it once was.īut they're back now with the Gorillaz Almanac.

In the 2000s, Gorillaz won a Grammy, got in the Guinness World Records and sold millions of albums.

Explore kong studios gorillaz website