CD review: Plastic Beach - Gorillaz

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There's no monkeying around with Gorillaz.

It is five years since their last, Demon Days, and nearly a decade since their mega-selling debut, and neither their relevance or knack of producing a hit album (12 million sold and counting) has diminished.

Blur's Damon Albarn and Tank Girl cartoonist Jamie Hewlett still manage to shepherd a melting pot of musical talent into the studio. There's Snoop Dogg (Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach), the underrated Bobby Womack and Mos Def (Stylo, the standout single featuring Bruce Willis in the video), De La Soul and Gruff Rhys (Superfast Jellyfish), The Fall's Mark E Smith (Glitter Freeze), Lou Reed (Some Kind of Nature).

In fact, there are so many contributors to Plastic Beach, it's easy to get overwhelmed and sidetracked by the cartoon band's pulling power. But ultimately, it works, whether in the more experimental collages (check out the mix of hip-hop and Indian classical on White Flag) or yet again Albarn's deference to 60s English pop (the charming lullaby On Melancholy Hill).

Gorillaz's popularity means they no longer can entirely surprise us, but Plastic Beach still delivers.

(EMI)

- © Fairfax NZ News

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adriank   #1   11:37 am Mar 18 2010

Don't know if I'd call 'Melancholy Hill' 60s pop, sounds more to me like a lost track from a John Hughes soundtrack! Fantastic album though, interesting to see him working with Gryff from Super Furry Animals, it's the first time Damon has really collaborated with one of his contemporaries rather than his personal heroes.