Gorillaz

• Genre: Experimental Rap/Hip-Hop
• Hometown: London
• Gorillaz Website

About

The Gorillaz' image may be cartoonish, but with artists like Del the Funky Homosapian, Dan the Automator, and members of Blur, Cibo Matto, and Tom Tom Club contributing, their music is anything but lightweight. Experimental in nature and obtuse in scope, the Gorillaz' sound melds Damon Albarn's sharp pop sensibilities with Dan the Automator's eclectic bass-heavy, beat-driven hip hop. And although the combination doesn't always gel, when they hit the mark, it's usually with a bull's eye. Perhaps it was the cartoon facade, or the side-project feel of the collaborative, but when the Gorillaz's self-titled debut was released in 2001, critics predicted a short shelf life for the band. Despite this, the Gorillaz's album went platinum and the group scored a couple of hefty hits with "Clint Eastwood" and "19-2000." But when most of the members of the group went back to their day jobs, most assumed that was the end of them. But in July 2005, the band released its follow-up, Demon Days. As the title suggests, the Gorillaz's sophomore effort casts a darker shadow; however, this is tempered by slick-sounding beats and a variety of happy-go-lucky blips and bleeps. The group scored a radio hit this second time around with the single "Feel Good, Inc."

- Linda Ryan