Gorillaz

Gorillaz is quite possibly the greatest fictional band ever.  The band consists of four cartoon characters 2D, Noodle, Murdoc, and Russel.  2D is the anime-looking lead vocalist, Noodle is the cute guitarist and back up singer, Murdoc is the grungy rocker bassist, and Russel is the big hip-hop percussionist.  The band has released three electronic studio albums loaded with hip-hop rock and techno influences.  Gorillaz has collaborated with many artists, among them, Snoop Dogg and The Clash.  The most recent Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach, has the single Stylo.  The Stylo music video had a main character cop played by famous celebrity Bruce Willis.  Gorillaz has honestly accomplished a lot considering it isn’t a real band. 

            The man behind the fictional band is Damon Albarn.  Damon and cartoonist Jamie Hewlett teamed up to create Gorillaz in 1998.  Together the two created an alternate universe in the songs and music videos for the fictional band.  They posted stories of the characters online and short skit videos of the band.  Gorillaz third studio album release was successful and I hope the virtual band continues to keep creating songs for me to enjoy. 

            An aspect of Gorillaz that sets them apart from any other band is the fact that they are not real.  There are no bands similar to Gorillaz in this aspect.  Another and more important aspect that sets Gorillaz apart from other bands is their ability to combine music from multiple genres fluidly.  Listening to a Gorillaz album takes you on a journey through modern music taking elements from hip-hop, acoustic, punk, electro, and techno.  Gorillaz is beyond intelligent dance music, or IDM.  The music is well thought out and compositionally genius in my opinion.  As an industry professional and musician I can say that Gorillaz has influenced me greatly.  The Gorillaz album “Gorillaz” was my second album and has always been one of my favorites.