It's tempting to judge
Gorillaz
--
Damon Albarn
,
Tank Girl
creator
Jamie Hewlett
, and
Dan "The Automator" Nakamura
's virtual band -- just by their brilliantly animated videos and write the project off as another triumph of style over substance. Admittedly,
Hewlett
's edgy-cute characterizations of
2-D
' pretty boy singer (who looks a cross between
the Charlatans
'
Tim Burgess
and
Sonic the Hedgehog
), sinister bassist
Murdoc
, whiz-kid guitarist
Noodle
, and b-boy drummer
Russel
are so arresting that they almost detract from
' music. The amazing
"Thriller"
-meets-
Planet of the Apes
clip for
"Clint Eastwood"
is so visually clever that it's easy to take the song's equally clever,
hip-hop
-tinged update of
the Specials
"Ghost Town"
for granted. And initially,
' self-titled debut feels incomplete when
's imagery is removed; the concept of
as a virtual band doesn't hold up as well when you can't see the virtual bandmembers. It's too bad that there isn't a DVD version of
, with videos for every song, a la the DVD version of
Super Furry Animals
Rings Around the World
. Musically, however,
is a cutely caricatured blend of
Albarn
's eclectic
Brit-pop
Nakamura
's equally wide-ranging
, and it sounds almost as good as the band looks.
has fun sending up
Blur
's cheeky
pop
on songs like
"5/4"
"Re-Hash,"
their
trip-hop
experiments on
"New Genious"
"Sound Check,"
"Song 2"
-like
thrash
-
on
"Punk"
"M1 A1."
Despite the similarities between
's main gig and his contributions here,
isn't an
solo album in disguise;
's bass- and beat-oriented production gives the album an authentically
dub
-inspired feel, particularly on
"Rock the House"
"Tomorrow Comes Today."
Likewise,
Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Miho Hatori
Ibrahim Ferrer
's vocals ensure that it sounds like a diverse collaboration rather than an insular side project. Instead, it feels like a musical vacation for all parties involved -- a little self-indulgent, but filled with enough fun ideas and good songs to make this virtual band's debut a genuinely enjoyable album. ~ Heather Phares