More Human Than ‘Humanz’
Gorillaz continue to change the game
The animated band co-created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and graphic novelist Jamie Hewlett introduced the masses to an experimental blend of pop, hip-hop, reggae, punk, and more when there self-titled debut first made waves in 2001.
Their eponymous debut went on to sell more than seven million copies worldwide and even earned the cartoon cohorts a nomination for the 2001 Mercury Prize, although they would later turn it down.
“[It’s] like carrying a dead albatross ‘round your neck for eternity,” Gorillaz bassist Murdoc Niccals said of the nomination.
Enter Kong Studios
Welcome to Kong Studios, a place of mischief and disbelief. This is the home of our cartoon hosts: 2D, Noodle, Murdoch and Russell.
In this humble, yet seemingly haunted studio, you would find a movie theater with the latest music videos and little animated shorts voiced by the cartoon co-creators. The videos included: “Rock It,” a B-Side from the band’s Demon Days sessions; hit singles, “Clint Eastwood,” “19–2000,” “Tomorrow Comes Today,” and “Rock The House;” and animated shorts, “Game of Death,” “Jump the Gut,” “Hey! Our Toys Have Arrived,” “Fancy Dress” and “The Eel.”
For the true fanatic, the tour of Kong Studios gave you a deeper look at the artists’ many influences, which could be seen on the walls of the offices and bedrooms of our cartoon hosts.
Their first single, “Clint Eastwood” featuring Del tha Funkee Homosapien, received critical acclaim, as the first to land the animated band on the UK Singles Chart, and helped cement the band’s status among contemporary listeners with its infectious sound.
Although their debut album brought mainstream success, it was not devoid of obscure gems, such as “5/4,” “Latin Simone (feat. Ibrahim Ferrer of the Buena Vista Social Club),” and “Sound Check (Gravity).”
The Beatles of a New Generation
Following the underground success of his The Grey Album, a mash-up pairing Jay-Z’s The Black Album with The White Album by The Beatles, producer Danger Mouse was approached by Albarn and Hewlett on plans for the groups most successful album to date.
Demon Days was designed as an homage to The Beatles classic Let It Be, depicting our cartoon protagonists as the “Fab Four,” only more mature and perhaps, in their own way more defined.
It debuted at no. 6 on the Billboard 200 charts and featured a score of guests, including: independent rapper MF Doom, R&B icon Ike Turner, the London Community Gospel Choir and the late Academy Award-nominated Dennis Hopper, to name a few.
“Feel Good Inc.” features Long Island Hip-Hop trio, De La Soul, on the album’s chart-topping lead single, which clung to the Billboard Alternative charts for eight consecutive weeks, surpassing “Clint Eastwood” as the band’s most successful single.
Some other noteworthy tracks, include: “DARE” featuring Happy Monday’s vocalist Shaun Ryder; “Dirty Harry” featuring Bootie Brown of The Pharcyde; “Kids With Guns” featuring Neneh Cherry and “El Mañana.”
Following the success of their second album, Albarn and Hewlett decided it was time to take their show on the road. The Demon Days Live tour was a multimedia masterpiece, using large screens to help blend the live performance with the animation.
Set Adrift to the ‘Plastic Beach’
“Welcome to the world of the Plastic Beach,” Snoop Dogg recites, reintroducing our protagonists, who have now become swarthy, sea-bearing folk en route to a new locale in their cartoon universe.
Our heroes team up with Gruff Rhys, Bobby Womack, De La Soul, Little Dragon, Bashy, Kano, Lou Reed, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash, and Yasiin Bey (formerly known as “Mos Def”) for their journey deep below the surface.
The undersea adventure was conceived from an unfinished project called Carousel, which was recorded between June 2008 and November 2009 and was predominantly produced by co-creator Damon Albarn.
Plastic Beach debuted at no. 2 on both the Billboard 200 and UK Albums Charts, selling more than a total 200,000 copies throughout both countries in its first week of sales.
Unlike its predecessors, Plastic Beach is much more explorational and experimental, which may be why it received a mixed bag of reviews.
The lead single, “Stylo,” forever changed the face of the virtual band, adding the element of CGI to help bring their cartoon existence into the real world. The video follows our heroes 2D, Murdoc and robot Noodle, who are in the midst of trying to evade co-star Bruce Willis in a high-speed pursuit down a desert highway.
The album’s third single, “On Melancholy Hill,” was originally written by Albarn as a song for his side-project, The Good, The Bad and The Queen, but it soon became a synthpop interlude for his virtual production.
“Its nice to break up the album with something a little lighter. It’s good to have something that’s a genuine pop moment on every album. And this is one of those,” explains Murdoc Niccals in an interview with NME.
In an interview with NME, bassist Murdoc Niccals walks through each track, describing the process and thoughts behind each one. In it he describes “On Melancholy Hill” as “that feeling, that place, that you get in your soul sometimes, like someone’s let your tyres down.”
The Cartoon Equivalent of ‘Lick It Up’
Gorillaz fourth album, The Fall was recorded using co-creator Damon Albarn’s iPad, while on the Escape to Plastic Beach Tour, and was released as a free download for fans associated with the band’s Sub-Division fan club.
The album received mixed reviews, primarily because it was the first time we see our cartoon heroes as an actual band… stripping away the virtual aspect and revealing the band’s inner-workings.
It’s an ironic twist, like when the veil is lifted and “the man behind the curtain” is exposed to be the Wizard of Oz.
The Fall also featured fewer guests than any of their prior albums and unfortunately, fans did not react to it quite the same as they had Plastic Beach or Demon Days.
In an interview with The Guardian, Albarn said, “I literally made it on the road. I didn’t write it before, I didn’t prepare it. I just did it day by day as a kind of diary of my experience in America. If I left it until the New Year to release it then the cynics out there would say, ‘Oh well, it’s been tampered with,’ but if I put it out now they’d know that I haven’t done anything because I’ve been on tour ever since.”
‘Humanz’ After All
Now, it’s 2017 and the Gorillaz have returned with their fifth full-length studio album, Humanz, the band’s first in six years.
Of course it wouldn’t be a Gorillaz album without a plethora of featured guests, including: Vince Staples, Peven Everett, Popcaan, De La Soul, Danny Brown, Kelela, Grace Jones, D.R.A.M., Anthony Hamilton, Mavis Staples, Pusha T, Jamie Principle, Zebra Katz, Benjamine Clementine, Kali Uchis, Jehenny Beth, Carly Simon, Noel Gallagher, Rag’n’ Bone Man and RAY BLK.
To announce the release of the new album, the Gorillaz released, “Hallelujah Money” featuring 2015 Mercury Prize winner Benjamin Clementine, on the eve of the 2017 U.S. Presidential inauguration.
Their forthcoming album, Humanz, was recorded in such major cities as London, Paris, New York, Chicago, and Jamaica, and is produced by Albarn, The Twilite Tone and Remi Kabaka Jr.
The album features 19 brand new tracks and all new artwork from co-creator Jamie Hewlett. The cover, which vaguely resembles Demon Days, features the four cartoon bandmates in all their glory, only this time they seem almost alive… hence the title.
Of course, the Gorillaz have remained on the cutting edge of technology too. So, to announce their fifth studio album, the virtual band released four new tracks: “Ascension” featuring Vince Staples; “Andromeda” featuring D.R.A.M.; “We Got the Power” featuring Jehnny Beth of Savages and Noel Gallagher of Oasis; and “Saturnz Barz” featuring Jamaican singer-songwriter Popcaan — which premiered with a brand new 360 YouTube adventure, following our animated heroes on a journey through a haunted house.
Humanz, the forthcoming album from Gorillaz, is available now for pre-order on iTunes and Google Play.
- “Ascension” feat. Vince Staples
- “Strobelite” feat. Peven Everett
- “Saturnz Barz” feat. Popcaan
- “Momentz” feat. De La Soul
- “Submission” feat. Danny Brown and Kelela
- “Charger” feat. Grace Jones
- “Andromeda” feat. D.R.A.M.
- “Busted and Blue”
- “Carnival” feat. Anthony Hamilton
- “Let Me Out” feat. Mavis Staples and Pusha T
- “Sex Murder Party” feat. Jamie Principle and Zebra Katz
- “She’s My Collar” feat. Kali Uchis
- “Hallelujah Money” feat. Benjamin Clementine
- “We Got the Power” feat. Jehnny Beth and Noel Gallagher
Deluxe edition bonus tracks:
15. “The Apprentice” feat. Rag’n’ Bone Man, Zebra Katz, and RAY BLK
16. “Halfway to the Halfway House” feat. Peven Everett
17. “Out of Body” feat. Kilo Kish, Zebra Katz, and Imani Vonshà
18. “Ticker Tape” feat. Carly Simon and Kali Uchis
19. “Circle of Friendz” feat. Brandon Markell Holmes
