Gorillaz is coming back, people. Strap yourselves in.
The genre-bending, mind-blowing, rap-infused music group, consisting of four animated members – 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs- is making a new album.
The only real, permanent member of the band, Damon Albarn, has already begun releasing multi-media narrative components to the album on various social media websites with “The Book of 2D” and the album is expected sometime next year.
So, in preparation for what is sure to be a BANGER, I’ve listed the seven best Gorillaz songs, in no particular order.
Feel Good Inc
Feel Good Inc is quintessential Gorillaz. No other way to put it. Their far and away most popular song, with a simple chorus everyone knows, Feel Good Inc is a feast for dedicated fans and an easy in for anyone who might be new to the group. It also brilliantly showcases their ability to include rap verses into otherwise purely pop songs.
Clint Eastwood
Anyone who played 2K14 might be familiar with Clint Eastwood. No, not the actor. Well, maybe him too. Off their first full-length album, Gorillaz, Clint Eastwood perfected their rap/pop formula. Accompanied by a mind-bending music video, it’s repetitive chorus worms into your mind and sets a delightfully bleak tone that would become a common theme in songs throughout the future.
DARE (feat. Shaun Ryder)
Gorillaz, as a musical act, is out there. It’s hard to pin a genre on their lapel, especially with their proclivity towards the creation of multi-media narrative in accompany with an album. DARE is the perfect example of the group just having fun with their music. Weird and futuristic, DARE will please anyone who likes dancing shamelessly to songs that are just guilty pleasures.
On Melancholy Hill
My personal favorite song, On Melancholy Hill is upbeat, calm and the type of love song that isn’t overly stuffy or emotional. It's radio style makes it a simple and happy listen to anyone who may not be all that into Gorillaz, or that aren't fans of their more wild songs. Its accompaniment with a story music video adds to the out-there themes of the album Plastic Beach and is the perfect example of the kind of storytelling that Gorillaz can hit so elegantly out of the park.
Rhinestone Eyes
Another on the list of weird, wild and confusing, Rhinestone Eyes is a trip. The easiest way to put it is that it reminds me of Beck. Unassuming lyrics with a dark cyberpunk-esque sound come together to form something that reveals a layer of itself with each listen. You’ll want to dance along, while feeling an itch of something deeper within that plastic power.
Kids With Guns
Deceptively simple, Kids With Guns is one of the powerhouse songs on the album Demon Days, which, in itself, is a musical marvel. Kids With Guns is not shy from using the “dark meaning with upbeat music” formula, just google the lyrics if you don’t believe me. A bulls-eye for the group, it’s one of those songs that every Gorillaz fan knows and loves.
Tomorrow Comes Today
Tomorrow Comes Today is an enigma. With each successive listen the song can become more or less catchy and the lyrics can transform to be more or less disheartening. This constantly morphing sound not only highlights the genre-bending definition of Gorillaz, but it also makes for one hell of a road trip song. You’ll fall in love with it, even if you don’t know why.
