Gorillaz

A classic album but not the best

A very three album for me. It's good, but I'm not going to seek it out to listen to again.

Another artist I never really paid much attention to. I recall it being a favorite of stoner grad students in the mid-aughts, and now that I hear it, that checks out. A little aloof for me, but that seems like the point.

Good not great. I expected more i think

Pretty good but did get a bit monotonous.

Very good debut, strong songs with some definite standouts and a couple of weaker ones.

I like the guitar part in 5/4 a lot. Song overall kinda dull. Naming a song after the unusual time signature is a big time dweeb move. Similar dweeb move on Double Bass. The "all of which makes me anxious, at times unbearably so" interlude is funny and cool though. When I was a teen I dug the throw-everything-at-the-wall style of this one. I don't rate versatility as highly these days so more of it falls flat. Hard time with this one - how original was this at the time? Was what was original about it also good? I don't know man. three stars.

Interesting vibe but nothing grabbed me

Finally listening to this again after 15 years. Just stuck to a single or two in my playlists, and yeah, I see why. Not that anything other than Tomorrow Comes Today and Clint Eastwood aren't solid, just that the vast majority of this album can't sustain itself with the musical ideas present. Generally those musical ideas are solid (with a few exceptions), they just need some heavy fleshing out, even on good tracks like Latin Simone, 19-2000, and Rock the House (Del can only do so much with the material he was given). The best music is front loaded. Re-Hash and 5/4 are solid tunes even if they aren't completely fleshed out. New Genius (Brother) is Damon trying his best to make a Portishead song and not really accomplishing it, but at least its a good vibe. Man Research (Clapper) though is honestly a nothing song and shoulda been cut, especially with the awful vocals. Punk is a decent Ramones-esque song. And it basically is just that type of stuff going forward. Fine, but mostly just unfinished musical ideas that needed more time in the oven. Honestly would be a 2 if Clint Eastwood and Tomorrow Comes Today weren't absolute bangers. Didn't expect to be this down on the album, but yeah. Finally, there's no reason why Demon Days or Plastic Beach should have been left off the list for the debut. Both are much better and are more fully realized albums. Demon Days has more hits and is their most popular one, even if the back end of the tracklist does fall off a cliff (the last 3 tracks mostly, Dare is fantastic) and Plastic Beach is their most consistent one and them at the peak of their ability.

Genre bending pop has become mainstream in the last 25 years, so this will not have quite the same impact to new listeners it had at the time.

Considering it’s their debut album it’s rather impressive, considering it’s not, it still holds up quite well. While ‘Clint Eastwood’ is considered the best track off it, even by me, I still think it’s hilariously awkward how the rap section came in. Album started to drag a bit after the second half. Side note, some tracks actually remind me of Glass animals. Favorites: Tomorrow Comes Today, Clint Eastwood, Sound Check (Gravity). Dislikes: Clint Eastwood, Rock the House. 6/10

Divertido

This one was fine, with some parts going up to good. I would not call it great, however. I think it's another album that's harder to evaluate out of context, since this came out at a time when rock music was ruled by nu-metal, boy bands were huge in pop, and rap/hip hop was often still overshadowed by both in the mainstream (though not always true). This was notable as a different effort than what was making up the market at the time. I'm pretty sure that was the point of the band/album, so it succeeded in that sense. The mostly lo-fi music made it an overall easy listen, if somewhat boring at times. There were a few songs that were great with those beats. The almost lyric-less Double Bass was actually one of my favorite tracks on the album. I found the stronger songs were the ones with outside contributors, or that had mixed elements with rap parts and singing parts. It also worked as a whole because of the musical consistency. But again, it was easy to tune it out at times because of how simple/unintrusive it was. I would've liked a bit more diversity; really, Punk was one of the few tracks that did something that stood out as unique compared to the rest of the album. Even that only lasted 98 seconds. Latin Simone was somewhat different (with the Latin influence) but also similar enough to not stand out much. M1A1 had a more interesting feel compared to the rest. Unfortunately, it was track 15 on the album. There wasn't much I actively didn't like, but the worst part of the album for me was Man Research (Clapper). I found it really grating and would probably skip it if I listen again. In sum, I'd say this is an OK album. It is good in parts, and there are very few bad moments. But the majority of it hovers between the two. I wouldn't say there are any truly great parts. It is probably less unique and interesting now than it was in 2001, but it still has a different feel I can appreciate. It's main flaw for me is that it stays low-key for so much of it that it becomes more background music than something to be captivated by. Overall: 3.1/5

This is a much more laid back album than I was anticipating, having been raised on the 2005 follow up. There are some good tracks, Sound Check stood out to me as having a particularly good groove to it. But I could have done with a bit more oomph generally.

First half sounds like a Blur album, which was disappointing for me. Second half is much better in my opinion. Much prefer Demon Days, though.

2.5/5.0: Mixed

fav songs: clint eastwood punk 19-200

Wanted to give four stars. I acknowledge the cool factor. And I like it. I just don’t love it. I’m glad 19-2000 got reintroduced to my life.

Love Gorillaz but this wasn't as cohesive as some other albums

Vibey. Good for a chill night's listen.

kinda felt unfinished, mixed up. few songs were actually good, but most were bleh. Not bad, just I didn't really like the sound yet I could see what they were trying to do. 7.73/10

Gorillaz are awesome. Cool record, good debut

Clint Eastwood has been one of my favourite songs since I found it on Big Shiny Tunes 6, but for some reason I’ve never actually checked out the rest of the album. It's a pretty unique mix of electronica, rock, and hip hop that feels a bit disjointed at times. Overall, I enjoyed listening to it, but don’t have any real desire to listen again. Favourite tracks: Tomorrow Comes Today, New Genius (Brother), Clint Eastwood

Some really good songs. As an album I’m unsure. Maybe a shorter album with less filler would be good, but then it would be less atmospheric. Maybe some parts just aren’t for me. But a lot of it is very listenable.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album... something from/with Damon Albarn that I can stand, who would have thought. His vocals are much less annoying than on, say, Blur albums (I know, a personal thing). This album is very varied, it has Latin, jazz, dance and more in it. It works and it sounds alright. Still not my thing but it's a big fat 3 from me.

A few highlights. Loved that the album was experimental and didn't play it safe, but many tracks felt a bit forgettable or just blended in. Some of their later work felt more mature and fleshed out

I only liked 3-4 songs, the rest were boring. Wasnt really my cup of tea but was decent

Was decent but I like the other Gorillaz a lot better

It's all over the place but the average is pretty good but too varied to rate higher. Bold to stick the singles so far down. Sound Check the best non single.

Thought I would enjoy this one more than I did. I appreciate them pushing the envelope on what made a group and the genres they wanted to touch on, but aside from the hits, there really wasnt much standout. Not a bad album, but I feel like they sti hadent solidified what Gorillaz was going to be

🎧Cool, vibey. Cartoon band so that was/is pretty novel. Favorite tracks: Double Bass, Slow Country

I'm not super familiar with this album other than the Del track. Being more of a Del fan than a Blur fan, I kind of gravitate towards that side of things. Interesting that this album came to be in part due to Deltron 3030--a truly epic album I hope is on this list. And in some ways you can draw a direct line from Kool Keith's Dr. Octagon album to this project. There are definitely a lot of hiphop sensibilities beyond just the tracks with Del rapping on them here. Anyway, all that being said, I've never really been a huge fan. Relistening doesn't really change my opinion on that. 3/5

Gorillaz have always had such a unique and fun way of presenting music, and this record illustrates that. The songs are motivating and upbeat, keeping my attention. They offer an experimental, yet structured approach to the songs they deliver. Enjoyed this one, and always have.

Some standout tracks, never been my fav, good listen

didn't listen but know sorry busy weekend.

DEBIJAS ALBUMS WOW! Labs klausāmais materiāls nakts stundām, darba stundām un nakts darba stundām. Atkārtojošie elementi ieved tādā meditatīvā, hipnotizējošā stāvoklī. Liekas vienveidīgi (pozitīvā ziņā) - kaut gan Punk mazliet izjauca šo ritmu. Slow Country ļoti forša dziesma. Saprotu, kāpēc Clint Eastwood ir viszināmākā no albuma, atbilstošs nepārvērtējums. Nebiju dzirdējusi pārējos singlus. Rock the House atgādina Dusmīgos bebrus(????), un 19-2000 ir kaut kādos memes/tiktokos, ne? (but soooo funky!) Es īstenībā asociēju Gorillaz ar mazliet citāda tipa skaņu, un šī pieredze izmainīja manus līdzšinējos uzskatus - iespējams atgriezīšos iepriekšminētajos apstākļos! ;)

Didn't need to listen as I've listen to it numerous times.

I really liked the start of this album and probably would have liked any given track, but I didn't find that it justified its runtime.

I am quite familiar with this album, it’s one my wife owns. It’s fine, probably not something I would have purchased, but I don’t mind when it’s played at home, pretty standard 3 stars.

The other day I commented to myself that whatever was playing on the radio may have been the worst song I'd ever heard. Turned out it was a solo Damon Albarn tune. Anyway, Gorillaz are pretty cool. Got me into Deltron 3030 who are even cooler. Demon Days is better than this one and they've mostly been pretty lame since then imo.

This album was a good start but not their best work.

Already listened, solid, not a huge gorillaz fan tho tbh

A good introduction to the band, but a bit rough around the edges.

Frustrating listen since there’s sooo many nothing songs that just go in through one ear and out the other. Clint Eastwood is a great song though.

3.5

Some of it I dug, some of it I snubbed. Cool concept overall though with the virtual band thing. Reckon I’m more of a Blur bloke!

Could have been a 4 based on some individual songs, but overall gets a 3 as it had some mid entries that kind of put of a lull in between.

Look, the first two CDs I ever bought were Gorillaz and Demon Dayz, so I will never hear slander or write libel. It's not the best album but it brings me the joy of my "edgy" tween years and is a good background album for putting up shelves

This first album is a right Hodge podge, Clint Eastwood is good, 19-2000 is tremendous, but it feels very experimental. I think they found their feet in demon days.

This is a fun and uneven album. It feels like an art project by your gifted friend. Technically, it is very good and fun, but you're not quite sure your friend is really committed to it. It is almost like an affectation or distraction rather than a logical progressive step by an accomplished artist.

I accidentally listened to this on shuffle first and enjoyed it way more than when I played it properly through. Apart from the classics I thought it was a real slog

Possibly the first CD I bought myself, some real highs with Clint Eastwood, Rock the house, 19-2000 (the remix is the real MVP), Rehash. That said they dropped the ball not including Demon Days instead of this, which is far better.

Undoubtedly got couple of bangers but largely throughout found myself getting bored

not my fave gorillaz album

Clint Eastwood is very memorable and there are some catchy tunes in the rest but not a lot there.

Clint Eastwood // Sound Check // Rock the House // 19-2000 // 3.5/5

мало времени но кажется нейтрально - давно не слышала, поэтому не бесит, но не расслушала, поэтому нового не почерпнула

Back to back "not their best but has some good songs and is interesting as a historical document"

Good but overshadowed by their next 2 records

Would listen to some of it again - this is an interesting experiment, sometimes misses the mark, sometimes really really hits - Clint eastwood, 19-2000. Low three?

Not bad

Lots of variety, and Clint Eastwood didn't disappoint. I'm a big fan of the instrumentals on this album, and I like the overall vibe that the album has when it's played back to front. Not so much individual songs. Also like all the record scratch sound effects, really cool.

The impressive thing about it is that it sits well together, despite the assortment of influences. I want to say that it’s the overarching sense of anarchy, but I don’t know that I would have necessarily thought that if I hadn’t seen the avatars. Three stars only because Demon Days is one of my favourite albums, and this isn’t that (if that makes sense.)

TripHop Feeling all over the place but Not condistently good or Bad. Most well known song for me "Clint Eastwood".

The first album of one of the best known virtual bands ever. There are some pretty good songs and hits on here, but ultimately the album feels mid. Not bad, not that special, but damn fun to listen to most of the time. Clint Eastwood is phenomenal though. I listened to this album when I was younger and I didn't know back then that the guest rapper on Clint, and Rock the House, is Del The Funkee Homosapien. The guy has a pretty nice flow and vocal color, the two songs which feature him are my two favorites from the album. If the band somehow managed to create at least 3-4 more songs of the same caliber, the album would be better. They did, I believe, manage to do this on the next album. Sonically this is a mix of several genres, the grooves and the melodies are nice, but not refined. The vocals and the lyrical themes are usually simple, with a few exceptions. Solid album and a start for the guys, some songs definitely stand out compared to the rest.

Quite close to being good. I'll have to listen to more of their stuff

Unfortunately slow start to the album, tracks 9-17 are a solid run. Hot take, not a fan of Clint Eastwood.

It was pretty good.

I thought I was going to like this more 'cause I love some of their other stuff, but this was a real mixed bag for me. Clint Eastwood, Rock the house, Tomorrow comes today and New genious are all phenomenal, but then we get tracks like Man research, M1 A1 or Sound Check that are borderline unlistenable to me. The rest of the album is just a bunch of mediocre stuff. 3 stars

I loved this when it came out, but honestly it hasn't aged well. The hits are still bangers, but most of the appeal was the novelty of the sound, and the whole "virtual band" vibe. That has faded away over the years, and the remains are honestly slightly boring.

Pretty much the most early-2000s thing ever.

Not terrible I guess, 3

5/4 is a good song. Tomorrow Comes Today is cool too. Clint Eastwood is a classic. Sound Check (Gravity) is cool. Starshine is interesting. The album has some pretty good music but also some pretty boring or annoying with the same lyric repeated over and over filler like re-hash, slow country, m1 a1, etc. I hadn't heard this album before and wanted to like it but it but as a whole, didn't quite happen.

It was experimental, slow, and almost just background music. There were two or three good songs on there. 5 out of 10.

Not the best but equally not the worst. Musically better than lyrically as Damon’s vocals were a bit grating at times.

A very boring album to begin with but has some very good songs dispersed through it

It was fine but not as good as I felt like it should be. Maybe if I listen to it more. Or maybe I'm more of a Demon Days person. But I like blur!

Mostly harmless.

Throwback

Haven't listed to this album for many years. I remember it being really good but was disappointed with this revisit. There are still 3 or 4 good songs on there but a lot of fillers. I don't think it has aged particularly well.

I heard Re-hash and Clint Eastwood quite a few times (okay, a few thousand times for Clint Eastwood) but had never heard this whole album. Honestly, the whole "future band" with the cartoon characters just never really worked for me. Maybe it was too artsy or just a blatant attempt to be cute and cheeky. I am not sure but it felt like an attempt to be "different," and it just never had an effect on me. The impact still comes up short but this is a band that was influential and is a fun sounding side project for Damon Albarn, even if I don't particularly enjoy it overall. Impactful group, not my thing, because all the cartoon-ish shit makes me think the target audience is 20-year-olds who draw by themselves in their room. Not sure this feels as creative now as it did at the time.

Trippy album, loved some of the beats. It became underwhelming towards the end though.

Pretty good reminded me of being younger. Some classic and some boring tracks. Overall a good project but not the best gorillaz album

Some really cool/experimental stuff on here, there’s a few songs I’d come back to

This is mostly meh except for a few memorable songs like Clint Eastwood and 19-2000. Demon Days and Plastic Beach are better than this.

Some absolutely incredible songs but overall an odd album that I didn’t love.

Really solid debut, but not quite as good as some of their other albums. Defined their unique sound, but it wasn't anything crazy at this point.

smooth groves, easy bass driven dub

This is an odd one! I only knew one track before listening to this, a track I love, so obvious I don't even need to name it. The weird thing is the tracks leading up to it are good, like late Blur with a heavy bass, a few Beck style guitars and samples, on 'New Genius' there's even a touch of Thom Yorke in Damon's voice. Then the mighty 'Clint Eastwood' such a cool track. Then it all goes a bit wrong for me. Yes it's a big collage of songs styles and sounds but it got a bit tedious, I was crying out for a decent tune, a decent song. I like Damon, I like the concept, but as an overall album it got boring and is too long. Only one track here I'll come back to so it's lucky to scrape a 3. They did better albums later on.

still dont really understand them but i like tha hits

Bit more muted and not as lovely/dancey as I normally want from electronic music. Some songs do evoke surprising amount of emotion despite often seeming quite simple though tbf. Clint Eastwood obviously does slap.

Was ok - not as good as I thought it might be... tended to fade away into the background.

A lot of random filler songs. It's fine but nothing incredible. It was ahead of its time.

Some great songs some ok ones and some not so much. Solid 3.

Absolutely a classic album. There's a few all time hits in here, although the majority of the album is pretty same-y sounding. The songs that change up the beat like Clint Eastwood and 19-2000 are excellent. All that said, there's not a lot of depth or complexity here.

I’ve heard the song clint eastwood a bunch but didn’t recognize any other songs on the album. I liked their vibe and sound but some songs were a bit too repetitive for me. songs I really liked: rock the house and slow country

There were like 2 good songs

An innovative and interesting collective, a couple of great tracks - seems like it was a fun experiment - liked them initially, but ..

Just okay. Some good on here but feels like a rough draft to the gorillaz template Fave song: Clint eastwood

dated.

The second half of this album where they lean more trip hop was actually pretty solid. After the first half I was ready to slam this album, it was uninteresting and middle of the road. I still think without the gimmick this would have been a minor album that was mostly forgotten save for Clint Eastwood.

Not quite as good as I remember it

Interesting but not for me (3)

I wanted to like it more than I did, it also lost momentum in 2nd half of the album

buono a tratti

I was expecting to come into this and rate it a 4/5, but good lord, this album is a trek. At 18 songs and clocking in over an hour long, this one is a doozy to try and make it through in one sitting. By the time I got to "Latin Simone" I checked the tracklist thinking I was almost done, but boy was I wrong. Some of the songs on this one just absolutely drone on and on. "Dracula" is one of them. Great groove, its just, shorten in down, man. I can understand why people were skeptical of the band at first, if this is your first outing then you get into the headspace that they overstayed their welcome a bit on this one. But it was also 2001, so every album was like this, which is crazy. Anyways, yeah, still a good album, but the rose-tinted goggles are off.

Kinda middling.

Albumi #144, 11.02.2025 Blur-nokkamies Damon Albarnin ja sarjakuvataiteilija Jamie Hewlettin virtuaalibändi Gorillaz meni itseltäni lahjakkaasti ohi aikoinaan.

I thought I'd like this better based on a couple songs i know.

"Clint Eastwood" and "19-2000" are already staples on any early 2000s playlist, but my god are there so many more gems on here I never heard before. This album still has some Blur feel to it, but with more of a hip-hop influence. Fav Tracks: "Rock the House" "M1 A1" "Slow Country"

Interesting. I rather enjoyed this diverse work.

A couple tracks on here were frequent listens for me back in high school, though the album as a whole doesn't quite live up to the promise of those songs.

3/5 Wouldnt tell people not to listen to it, but some skippable songs. Clint Eastwood is on there, which I like, but no other song joined my playlist.

It's definitely better than anything Damon Albarn has done in his career.

I like it but I don’t love it. Feels like something is missing from it but I can’t put my finger on what

Not the sound i was used to so not a good. Would need a free more listens

Enjoyable, but it definitely did not make me think, “boy, I really need to listen to more Gorillaz!” You know? There are two or three songs on this album that I really like, buuuuuut most of them I just feel kind of eh about. Still, I didn’t actively dislike anything, soooo… 3/5

I didn’t expect to like this at all, mostly because, what the hell is a virtual band? But I was surprised and didn’t mind most of the songs, and even liked a few of them. It did run a bit long, though. This is another band that I had never heard of but still gets three stars from me.

3.5

Clint Eastwood is a banger for certs. 19/2000 is a banger or rather the Soulchild remix which appears as a bonus track (original version is pants). Rock Da House which is a showcase for the only other memorable featuring artist Del The Funkee Homosapien is pretty good as is Tomorrow Comes Today. Other than that, this Gorillaz debut is a very gloomy and barren affair with a lot of empty sketches that have life-suckingly dull and literal titles such as 5/4, Punk, Slow Country and Sound Check. There’s a coolish dejected vibe in the first half but it by far and away drags in the second half and overall it’s so not a patch on Demon Days or even Plastic Beach

These monkeys sound like blur This music is like the embodiment of autism

I like this album because you never know what’s coming next. Granted some songs miss the mark, but it kept me interested the whole time. Overall it’s not as consistently good as either of the next 2 gorillaz albums.

ВЛАД: Честно, с творчеством Gorillaz не был знаком. Кроме как их топ-1 трека Feel Good Inc. и отрывков из пары тоже популярных треков (типа Clint Eastwood, 19-2000). Изначально альбом запускал на фон, пока занимался своими делами, но уже на момент того, как шла 4 минута Clint Eastwood я понял, что всё же что-то не так. Обратив внимание, увидел, что трек длится 5:40 (да, по сути сейчас выпускются в основном треки с хроном 2+- минуты, но и 7 минут Runaway от Kanye я готов слушать на репите) мне стало тошно от этого трека и захотелось скипнуть, но решил не делать этого, дальше я уже слушал треки, обращая внимание на хрон, потому что большинство длятся 3-4 минуты. К сожалению, альбом для меня провалился, так как слушать инсутрументал, который мне не всегда заходил, было тяжело. По этой причине после 7 трека "Punk" я стал перематывать треки и слушать отрывками. Из плюсов могу отметить разнообразие инструментов, использование лупов, смешение жанров, разные настроения. Для меня они выделились в виде ПОЛНОЦЕННЫХ треков, удавшихся экспериментов. Не знаю в чём заключался концепт альбома и был ли он вообще. Моя оценка: 5/10 Треки, которые могу выделить с альбома: Rock the House, 19-2000, Slow Country и M1 A1.

It is good, but not 100% my style

Barren desert road trip energy. 8am at burning man kind of feeling. The Reggae remix of Clint Eastwood is fun

never got in Gorrilaz really. It is not an album i can listen to an enjoy. I have tried to get into them multiple times and I cant really get into any song to a point that i go wow, this is fantastic. I can listen to it in the background, but i am not going to be putting this album on specifically to listen to. it is meh. 3.5 stars

Not a huge fan of the first track but will come back to it The instruments and beat on the second is very enjoyable, I still have no clue what they’re saying, The 3rd track I is genuinely very good and sonically beautiful and written amazingly The 4th is eerie and very smart in how it creates this dark sense, very very fantastic The 5th is very iconic and for the right reason, so far the biggest standout, along with the 3rd, the piano is very catchy and so is the chorus, the whole instrumental is very amazing and the ending is sensational, to be completely honest The 6th song is absolutely achieving the sonic themes of the album perfectly 7th is not my thing, much too chaotic but not in a way that it feel intentional However the 8th is back to these dark tones that has so far been very well achieved The 9th is very creative and I’m very glad that it’s an instrumental rather than feel like they forced vocals in My only complaint with the 10th song is the irritating flute which is not good, otherwise it sounds like an early 80’s track, pre NWA stuff 11th track is really fun, feels really weird we went from these evil tracks to this little jolly thing This album is so diverse, on some Latin music now I believe, the 12th track, it’s pretty interesting only issue is I have no clue how to rate it cause I don’t listen to much Latin music 12th, oh we back to the mysterious stuff? this cool as f*ck, i love this the mysterious stuff has sounded so good! More of that spooky things for the 13th, equally as effective if not more this time 14th is very fun and experimental, like everything so far, which has lead to the album being very mixed in quality, as of now I’d say it’s a 3/5 but we’ll see 15th had a really annoying intro but the song itself is definitely at least top 3, really loving it fast energy and a lot of fun The last 2 songs are remixes of other songs on the album so I’m not going to review them Overall I love how every song is a unique experience and is hugely experimental, a lot of new concepts to my ears during the listening to this, might grow on me more but for now I feel a 3 is appropriate!

Genre blending like nothing I've ever heard, apart from influences some songs on this album are genuinely of opposite genres. Lot of fun

Didn’t love. That one song that was like kind of rap talky was total shit imo like way worse than a grand don’t come free

Not nearly as good as I was expecting. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood

Honestly not crazy about this album. It has the one insane pop hit, which I’m not even that big a fan of, but the rest of it drags for me.

Never heard the full album before. Definitely a unique album and concept for a band. I like the album, certainly more than Blur. The experimentalism reminds me a bit of London Calling, although this album doesn't rise to that level. A good set of grooves but just short of 4 stars for me.

Funky, poppy flair.

go back

Surprisingly chill. Got a very warm analog sound. Don’t love the lyrics for most of it, but great mix of unique sounds and samples (voice, strings, guitar). Cool album. Don’t think I’d hunt it out too often, but wouldn’t change a lot of the songs. Obviously Clint Eastwood is a mellow banger. Lyrics feel world on this one since I was young.

kinda bad but some of the songs were really good so 3 stars

i love gorillaz very much but i dont think this album has aged that well, the high points are so so good but the rest of the album is super lacking in comparison, i sort of just see this as a very experimental phase in the gorillaz timeline before they really locked in with demon days and plastic beach, i would give this a 3.5 if it would let me

Too conceptual, but some great songs.

ah this didn’t really hit. i liked clint eastwood and the songs with the rapping but i found myself just getting annoyed at the long instrumentals and looping vocals. probably closer to a 2.5

Knew the singles from back in the day, had not heard the full LP beforehand. It's interesting, cause before today Clint Eastwood was the highlight, but Rock The House took the spot today from today. The ending track was annoying.

Biggest Gorillaz fan but I was surprised listening to this album back how many instrumental songs there were. They were good but there were far too many. Sorry Damon

Not bad, not amazing.

Quite reminiscent of Beck at times. When the tracks get filler-y they are pretty annoying. Damon's falsetto vocals do my nut, and when he puts on a Jamaican accent it makes me cringe. Definitely better when it's more hip-hop than pseudo-reggae. There are some total bangers on here, and Del puts in some banging verses on Clint Eastwood and Rock the House. I also love Damon's rubbishy flute playing on rock the house.

Good 90's album! Not really my thing, but good all the same. I wouldn't listen to it again - all sounded similar to each other

There are a couple solid songs on here. There are also lots of interesting individual ideas. The problem is there is a lot of boring music. Closer to a 2.5 than a 3 but I'll round up.

Surprised this is the only Gorillaz album on the list. Outside Clint Eastwood, I don't find this a super banger album. They are still finding their sound here and it's a preview of things to come.

Pretty good. Damon Albarn is obviously super talented, but this is by no means my favorite output by Gorillaz. I think there's better to come from this band.

Yeah, same opinion on this as when it came out. It's not dreadful, but it's not that good either. Decently put together tunes.

I appreciate the concept, and inventiveness of the whole virtual band concept, musically took me a few listens as on the whole it kind of was passing me by with it eclectic nature, but kind of get it and I can see why someone else may be well into it.

It’s an interesting album, all over the place stylistically, and at times it feels confused about its own goals. I’ve always liked Damon Albarns voice, and that holds true through the entirety of this album. Del the funky homosapian has some excellent rap verses in this one too. “Clint Eastwood” is obviously a classic song, and quite clearly the strongest track on the record. For the most part though, this album feels extremely 2001 to me, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. I vastly prefer the content on demon days. Neat concept, not my favourite execution. 3*

Was excited for this one, but it's kind of one note. I prefer Demon Days. Del almost bumps this up to 4, but it's a solid 3 for me. Also, just watched the first Trolls movie and it covers Clint Eastwood which ruined it for me.

Cool record. A couple of cool very well known song and some regular ones.

Another solid and fun album from an artist that I have never heard of

The satanists didn't do so bad, they're much, much better than obnoxious Blur in my opinion, mainly because the other band members bring balance to Albarn's ego. Some songs are good, the first half of the album is more enjoyable than the second half. I would just toss away that latin song, it is sooo pretentious, and I'm saying this as a Latin woman.

I listened to the standard edition of this album. At times it was too repetitive, but overall it was ok. Clint Eastwood was a big radio hit.

Relaxter Sound der viel weniger nach Retorte tönt als es das Cover und Titel suggerieren möchten.

enjoyable but not great. It fits my personal musical timeframe, coming out when I was in university, but ultimately I think it's a bit 2k trendy for me.

This has aged OK

Better than I thought it'd be. Two radio hits -- feel good inc and 19-2000. Generally chill and jangly. I like "Rock the House", it's got horns in. "Starshine" is kinda cool electro. "Slow country" is like 311's Amber except with simon & carfunkel-esque toots and honks, which is hilarious. on the other hand M1 A1 is freakin' annoying and triggers my misophonia bigtime. D: (and makes me wish I were listening to M1 instead, a much better song!)

Surprisingly mid.

Just alright. Thought I’d like it more because of Clint Eastwood but found myself a bit perplexed by all the different sounds and vibes.

Not my jam, not a must listen in my opinion

Catchy and interesting but way too repetitive.

I wish I liked the Gorillaz more like cool people do but mostly I’m like “Yeah this is fine!”

Fun and melodic, some songs were a bit too long and repetitive

This was alright but a lot of the songs kind of didn’t go anywhere. But some iconic ones and was obvs the first gorillaz album so he worked it out later.

2934 - There's a lot of hits on here and this is a compelling fusion of trip hop and rock music. B

Fun but inconsistent. Some bangers and some boring bits. Solid foundation for better albums 7.1/10

Surprisingly low key. I didn't get to into lyrics so curious about the advisory.

Sounds much more 2001 now than it did in 2001

Fav: 19-2000 Least Fav: Punk It’s a decent start, but you can tell Damon Albarn was finding his feet with this album

Wait... the guy who gave us "Woo-hoo!" in Song 2 is also behind this cartoon band? Wild. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect with their debut, but it’s got a few cool moments. "Clint Eastwood" still slaps, no question there. The rest of the album? Kind of hit or miss. Some tracks feel like experiments that didn’t fully land, while others are just chill enough to leave on in the background. It's not Demon Days but it laid the groundwork. A decent start from a group that got much better later.

I can't help but feel like every Gorillaz album is too long and self-indulgent.

There is some genuinely cool stuff here. Clint Eastwood is a helluva jam. There's also a lot of filler. White boy hip hop from across the pond. It's "artistic" in that way that requires scare quotes. I believed then and I still believe now that Gorillaz would've faded into obscurity by the end of 2001 if not for the "cartoon band" gimmick. Not saying they're bad, but I am saying they're not as good, or at least weren't as good with the first album, as the general public was excited to give them credit for.

3.4

Really good album and I enjoyed listening to it today for the first time in ages. Although I like this album it is nowhere near as good as Demon Days though. Albarn is very good at everything he does and this album didn't disappoint

Had heard of it bit never listened to it. It was good. May have to listen again sometime.

Excited to finally listen to this after always thinking it looked cool at Woolworths as a kid. Lost interest pretty quick. A few stand out tracks like Re-Hash, Clint Eastwood and if you can make it that far 19-2000. I appreciate how experimental it was for a debut record. A lot of fillers. Artwork is still so cool!

Simple yet groundbreaking

I like how they spelled geep, that's about it. Great concept but was pretty sub par for me. Probably being nice giving it a 3

Honestly never understood the concept. Apparently it's a "virtual band". Well it isn't, is it? It's a band. With some cartoon videos. But with humans e.g. Damon Albarn from Blur (also a band) doing the music, like a band does. So it's a band. Anyway, the music is alright. Probably because it's performed by accomplished musicians within a band. Not by non-existent cartoon characters.

Great album overall, some amazing tracks but quite a few skippable

Cool vibe album, and It’s got such a good run up to and including the obvious highlight «Clint Eastwood». Then «Man Research» (horrible, horrible song) takes the full 180 turn and starts a really awful streak before «19-2000» settles the score, and it’s quite decent until the end.

nobody told me that del was on another track other than clint eastwood. this song slaps.

Decent but not great

Meh.

Punk, slow country, Dracula, Clint Eastwood The beat on star shine

Overall a 3 I think. I was not really inspired by this but I didn't dislike it. Some of beats were good for working with it on in the background.

interesting, one big hit, hasn't stood the test of time

Strong 3.5, long album like

Seemed like fun by I was not in a good Gorillaz mood yesterday

Man this album was weird; did not expect that!

A solid classic, not may favourite music genre, but this album harbours a few classics that I could happily stick on repeat!

a classic really, not my favourite Gorillaz album but still a great album.

Not as funky rave as some of their later songs

Funky, British techno pop

Got some real bangers just no demon days

I liked this! More than I was expecting to honestly. Still not over that it is the Blur guy

an enjoyable listen, love Clint Eastwood

Cool

good first half, lost me in the 2nd

if i'd heard more songs from this album like 5 months ago, i wouldn't have been so shocked to find out damon from blur is also in this band. i feel betrayed he didn't tell me earlier, but still my bad an ok album, but still nowhere near their best

I love Demon Days and also think Plastic Beach is great, and Clint Eastwood is a great song, so I was ready to love this and unfortunately it's just a bit boring. The tight ideas, memorable songs, etc. aren't really there. It's kind of amazing to me that Demon Days came out after this given how good and tight everything is on there compared to this. This kind of feels like a proto-Gorillaz grab-bag rather than a properly written and put together album. Alas.

I do not think it aged well

Generic, low effort. Sonically decent at times, middle of the road album.

I wasn't down with the gimmick at the time and dismissed Gorillaz out of hand from the jump. Going back and listening to the album, I don't feel a main through line to it although there are a few standout tracks. Try as I might, I don't find the album very compelling. It's definitely too long and wanders into early 00 musical territory I'm not particularly interested in spending my time in having heard it explored better elsewhere. I feel like this record in particular should also be judged by its cover. I think Tank Girl is rad, but this record cover is bland.

I'm glad this album is on the list, and I like a number of elements here...but The Gorillaz just don't quite do it for me. I like a bunch of alt-rock bands, and I like a bunch of bands that blend rap with other genres, so I'm not quite sure why this doesn't work for me as it seems like it should. I don't dislike it, but I feel like I should like it more. 3.0

It’s like a massive attack and Radiohead collaboration with a tablespoon of melodica and a teaspoon of Goldan Age Hip-Hop. One thing is certain though, these tracks are undeniably fun and a few of them manage to be timeless.

This would be a good listen if I was chilling with my very white friends in an underdeveloped basement while we were stoned one night in 2002. Outside of this oddly specific scenario, it's a very generic alt rock album. There's nothing interesting, and it's giving me no reason to want to listen to it again. There was absolutely nothing catchy about it, and ever song just sounded like a repeat in which a monotone voice said nonsense lyrics with a standard electronic drum beat and some hip hip thrown in. It's not music as much as it is noise. Yet it's branded as 'cool' so wallflower teenagers can claim to have better music taste than the rest of us.

I liked it, made me dance, it is a good ambient album but some songs are a little too saturated for me, i'm not a fan of the samples of alarms. I loved "Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo)" which has a more instrumental musical background

Gorillas got one kick-ass debutt with Gorillaz! Clint leads the way, butt great variety and sense of humor throughout. That they’re virtual / animated makes em even more fun. J = (4.3*s) L = meh (2.7*s)

didn't listen, but I listened some of the songs years ago and it was nice

Some really remarkable moments among a mediocre garage band effort. Covers a lot of genre-ground. Vocals need help.

Sono sempre stato affascinato dal concetto dei Gorillaz però boh, speravo mi piacesse di più

Surprisingly good album

DNF

Gut

Like the variety of music on this album

My daughter introduced me to the Gorillaz back in the day. There are several songs I enjoy by this band and think they have a very unique sound and style. But I'm not sure this is the album I would have chosen for this list. I knew Clint Eastwood before listening and this was my favorite tune off this album. And despite enjoying my listens, this album couldn't get me to that "excited to hear the next song" level. Quite the opposite, I felt like this album played out a little too long. Again, I enjoyed it for the most part but can't say I'd go back and revisit without being talked into it. 3

3.5 I’ve never been a big Gorillaz guy, though I’ve always found the concept pretty cool - a fictional, cartoon band that performs songs composed by Blur’s Damon Albarn and just about any other British musical icon he can get ahold of? It’s unique, fun in concept, and also the only reason Americans probably recognize the name Damon Albarn aside from being the dude who did the “woo-hoo” song from the 90s. But, in execution, something about this “group” always felt kind of underwhelming to me. Like, Feel Good Inc.? Not feeling it. However, this album was a pleasant surprise for me. I didn’t realize that Gorillaz border more on the edge of hip hop territory than they do alternative rock, and something about that combined with the overall lo-fi, chill ambience of this album really worked for me. I’ve heard the song Clint Eastwood a few times before (shoutout to my sibling, Ashten) and was never a big fan, but it worked for me a lot more hearing it within the context of this album. I also didn’t realize until now that that’s Del the Funky Homosapien rapping on it - the dude has one of my favorite songs from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (If You Must), so I think learning that’s him helped me appreciate the track a bit more. Overall, I thought just about everything here was enjoyable, but I do feel like it started to lose me a bit towards the end. I believe M1 A1 is supposed to be the proper closing track to the album, and it’s a pretty solid one at that, but I felt myself slowly losing interest somewhere in the stretch of Latin Simone to Slow Country. And while I won’t factor them into my review, the bonus tracks after did nothing for me, with the remix of Clint Eastwood being something I found borderline egregious. Still, solid album with a good vibe to it, and I don’t have anything negative to point to except for maybe the opening vocals on Sound Check (Gravity) - let’s not try that falsetto thing again, Damon. I’ll give a final shoutout again to Ashten for good taste, and I’ll throw one to my dad as well for his Gorillaz gym shirt I think he acquired/may have stolen from them - will definitely have to dive more into this project’s back catalog.

Funky sample filled cod indie from cartoon funsters. My kids loved it. It doesn't sound as radical as it did on release. The following 2 albums are better.

once again, choke in my own blood fake therapist help me put on a smile though my crooked back smells of death i shall flop along the pavement please, father, packed like frozen tuna and melting stares im a sinner with a burning veil living with a rotted mouth

I don't like dislike this album. I just don't like it either. Not really a fan of most of the falsetto singing. It's always (intentionally?) off-key and grates on me. I think the composition of all the music is really good though. It is right in my wheelhouse, so it's hard to completely write Gorillaz off. But that singing is...yeesh. A song I'd never heard before that I really liked was "Double Bass" had a similar feel to Beck with that suburban techno-funk sound (and no falsetto!)

I have listened to a few bangers off of this album, but never the whole thing. I gotta say that I was a little underwhelmed by the majority of songs on this record. Most were rather boring and felt like fillers. Clint Eastwood and 5/4 just barely carry this album to a 3 for me. However, It is definitely a great record for their first major album.

Classic late 90s Brit Alt Rock. Some songs are fine, some are great. Obviously the standouts were radio hits, but some good additional tracks. Aged ok and is worth a listen years later.

Apart from eastwood and tomorrow never comes, the rest didnt hit the right notes. A decent project album i guess. I associate the G's with their later stuff i guess. Not for me this one. Low 3.

For me, Gorillaz was always the music that the cooler older kids listened to. By the time I had my own mp3 player Demon Days had been released and I thought all of it sounded like future music. I'm glad I gave this one a listen because it always happened that the hits were the ones that got the most airplay at the mall and on TV, and great songs like "M1 A1" were overshadowed by their more popular counterparts. Still don't prefer it to DD but it has some of my favorite Gorillaz tracks.

Although a good album it does have the feel of a band that hasn't really hit their stride yet. The highlights of the albums all involve a deltron 3030 member who add a lot of stability to the album. Gorillaz follow up album, Demon Days, is a much better project.

Man do I love two of these songs. Man can I live without the rest.

Uendelig nostalgi og har selvfølgelig mange gode sange, det er bare også helt proppet med filler-sange som til tider lyder næsten ufærdige :)

kommet hjem fra rumænien, nu er jeg tilbage :D Kæft en stor del af det er kedeligt, men i det mindste er der nogen gode sange på ind i mellem :))

Pretty good

Slot should have gone to Demon Days

the instrumentals are SICK

Not every track justifies its existence but plenty do. Better than a cartoon side project probably has any right to be

The first half is weaker, but the second half is great. Similar to the Chemical Brothers' debut album, this one likely had a unique impact in the early 2000s.

Love gorillaz, a couple I had saved already actually

Good, but repetitive after awhile.

Un po' vibes Linkin park

Chill

Not as good as later albums

There's a lot of good stuff, but a lot of filler too.

Is gorillaz overrated?

Decent. 3.

Not bad

I like the singles, but the rest is just kinda .... I dunno, there. I applaud Damon Albarn pivoting far away from the jangly guitars of Blur to try something absolutely different.

With Clint Eastwood and 19-2000 in tow, the album struggles to reach the heights of its hits.

Obviously, Clint Eastwood is pretty great (actor and song). The rest of the album, not so much. Many boring tracks, despite the stylistic versatility, which in turn you really have to appreciate. The album feels more like a sandbox in which musicians played around with different concepts and ideas. This also fits with the either very cryptic or very label-like song titles. Makes sense considering this is a debut of a virtual band. All in all ok music earning bonus points for creativity.

Always wondered what the hype about Gorillaz was. Still do. 3/5.

Many bands adopt stage personas, hiding behind elaborate makeup or costumes. Gorrillaz go one step further, being an entirely virtual band with cartoon avatars drawn in Jamie Hewlett’s distinctive style. Gimmicks aside, this is pretty good stuff - lo fi beats and samples, with a bit of rap thrown in, although I wonder how successful it would have been if it hadn’t been obvious from the start that Damon Albarn was behind it all.

Although still amid finding their footing fully, the Gorillaz debut is a fun mish mash of Albarn and co's skill in writing and producing acquired in the past, as well as a handful of perspective ideas to be made better in the future.

Muy lento

This was a big album for its time. It was highly experimental and innovative, which we take for granted now. Good beats and good music are what this album contains.

I'm sleeping

Classic.

Onhan tämä ihan hyvä! Seuraava tietysti hittiensä puolesta vielä ns isompi levy 3/5

Ennþá mjög gott stöff flest. Gæti samt stytt plötuna heldur mikið. 3,5 af 5.

3.5/5

Gorillaz is conceptually amusing, but ultimately doesn't really deliver beyond pastiche. Which I guess is appropriate. It's a nice enough album.

Rock the House-amusing lyrics Star Shine-haunting Clint Eastwood-catchy, playful 19-2000-love this song!! Couldn’t stop dancing! Fun first listen.

This’ll be sacrilege considering I LOVE Gorillaz, especially after seeing them live in September’22 (probably a top 3 concert experience I’ve ever had; such an amazing show), but I like this album, don’t love it. It’s a critical darling; rightly so considering Damon & Jamie’s unique musical/art conceptual creation that’s now 23 years in and still going strong, and some of the beats are next level, but I like some of their later stuff just a bit more.

Good but not great. Alot to like and alot to dislike. I can see why the band took off though

i have listened to this album before and gave it a score of 3.5. this album is packed full of fillers; ok but doesnt really stand out. i used to listen to gorillaz through their music videos back in middle school, so i’m familiar with the singles. that includes 5/4 as well, but i dont fw it as much as the other featured songs. as a standalone trip hop album, it’s pretty solid, but unfortunately since i dont care much about trip hop, its hard to stay interested in the rest of the album besides a couple tracks like new genius brother and sound check gravity. 3 personal favs: tomorrow comes today, rock the house, 19-2000 soulchild remix

I liked some of this. Clint Eastwood was a huge hit and something different at the time. But I think the album just went on too long. My guess is that if this didn’t involve Damon Albarn this wouldn’t even be on the list.

This one of the better 3s I've heard. Not quite a 4 though.

Some great songs, but mostly just ok. Feel like there where quite a few try hard songs that focuses on being different over being good.

I had a lot more hope that this would be really good.

clint eastwood goes crazy first half of album kinda blows last half was pretty good though 3/5 prob

Decent album

3/5

Great production, but too long, and not as catchy as later gorillaz 🤷

I like Gorillaz but they get much better in subsequent albums.

Not bad. Again its a solid album, great for what it is/was. I think Demon days is a better album overall

Clint Eastwood is a classic and I actually thought Slow Country was great, but a decent chunk of this was boring and pretty bad so it evens out. Never really understood the green virtual band concept.

Interesting concept -- some of it is pretty good but most is just "eh", Never knew the name of "that" song was Clint Eastwood

Interesting album, but not Albarn's best work as "Gorillaz". Still its very creative and a cool risk for an artist to take. "Clint Eastwood" will always remind me of the Andy Milonakis show.

This was a really fun album back when it first came out. This album is how I discovered Del The Funky Homosapien.

There are definitely better Gorillaz albums that probably would have been better for this list.

I remember when this came out, and being intrigued by the retro sounding instruments and beats set against decidedly modern lyrics and hip-hop-lite vocals. It was such a fun juxtaposition, though not something I listen to regularly.

Indicative of better things to come 3*

A few great high points (Clint Eastwood, 19-2000) and a fair bit of filler. Plastic Beach is a stronger album IMO

I remember when Clint Eastwood came out and my mind was blown. That song still holds up but the rest is kinda mid

Really strong first 10 tracks or so then peters out significantly, could have benefited from a little more curation. 5/4 is one of my favorites, and the variety keeps you engaged. There's some creative, catchy music here, and they are clearly experimenting with whatever catches their fancy. Good prelude to Demon Days, where they clearly found their sweet spot and sold boatloads of records.

This felt really different when it was released. Listening to it again (however many years later) I noticed how basic the production sounded, and not in a good (raw) way. Just really plasticky and flat. Del is probably the best thing about the record. I guess maybe the novelty of the ‘virtual band’ was what made it different, but musically it hasn’t stood the test of time.

I remember thinking that Damon Alburn had lost his mind when he started this band. These guys are one of those bands that have really good songs and not good at all songs. Choice cut: 5/4

Mostly pretty good. Just didn’t totally excite me.

Fun and eclectic

Clint Eastwood 19-2000

Luv gorillaz me 3.5 Got a little bit bored in between songs but some bangers in there Favs: Re-Hash, 5/4, Clint Eastwood, rock the house and 19-2000

3/5 - enjoyed! standout tracks: - ...Sound check (gravity) 4/5 - Clint Eastwood 5/5

Not my vibe.

Will come back to

I was looking forward to this one as I loved Clint Eastwood and the other singles back when it first came out but the rest was just filler. The Day of the Dead sample was pretty cool though.

It's well written and the production is solid but, for me at least, it just isn't that interesting.

This album sounded like October in ways I can not describe

Some highlights - Del’s raps are great- but Damon’s vocals are uninspiring and the project conceals into sameness after a while.

Thoughts before listening: Damon Albarn from Blur with a bunch of studio musicians, producers, and rappers hiding behind cartoon personas. I've never been super into the Gorillaz despite really enjoying some of their songs i.e. "Clint Eastwood". Review: This is okay. Eclectic sound bringing in a lot of different ideas and styles all with a hip hop beat. Most songs are definitely trip-hop inspired with monotone rapping mixed with Damon Albarn's britpop style, and like a lot of his projects (i.e. Blur and the Good the Bad and the Queen), I feel like there are more ideas than complete songs here. The only song that really grabs me remains "Clint Eastwood" although there are some others I am enjoying like "5/4". 3-stars.

This is a goofy-ass album. I kinda like it.

Easy listening for the new century. Are they still around?

There aren't any bad songs, but also nothing that sets itself apart. Just a steady album.