Reviews (page 2 of 15)
I wish I were an imaginary person in a cool band.
strongest childhood memories of this album being in my brothers blue car while he drove to his boxing lessons (where i would sit in the corner and play on my ds) with this album turned up so loud i could hear the basslines in my stomach. and thats just a little story of my life. Our future is coming on
i'm only rating it this because they have another album that i think is truly perfect
YEAHHHHHHH
Great mix of styles. The beats and bass are really nice and the odd bits make it more interesting.
Gonna say it's Marmite you'll either love it or hate! I love Marmite and this album.
This reminded me of high school. I'm not a fan and I feel like the album is culture appropriation.
I don't ever wanna listen to "HELLOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! IS ANYONE THEREEEEEEEE!?!?!?!" again. Rounding down from a 1.5/5.
Gorillaz is the first band that my son turned me on to when he was in elementary school. Now that I know about this band, it makes sense given that he was always a huge fan of anime. I mention this because not that he is an adult, our love of music is something we share. Despite being exposed to the band via my family’s playlists, I’d never explored the Gorillaz much, let alone listen intently to an entire album. Nor had I bothered to investigate the history of the band and its lore—yes, the band has lore, which itself was a revelation. Someone described the album as a “genre agnostic free-for-all”, which I think describes the overall flavor of this debut perfectly. I sometimes struggle with hip-hop and adjacent genres (something I’m trying to get over with this project), but the rock and world music elements made those elements not just more digestible but damn enjoyable. I had a lot of fun with this one! I think that this is largely because Albarn and collaborators are having fun and that can be infectious. Even when the lyrics were dark, the rhythms had me boppin’ my head. Good stuff, now I need to text my son and ask him where I should go from here.
Not for me, honestly all the songs sounded quite similar to each other and I didn’t finish it
Nothing I would listen to on purpose.
Gorillaz is good and fun!
Want to give it a five on the strength of the highlights. Slightly too long with some tracks that could easily be cut. Littered with really huge standouts and classics. RYM: N Saved a song: N
I said the good the bad and the queen was a lot different from the gorillaz but I think the gorillaz are just different than I thought they were. This was good but longer than it had to be.
great, such a mix of intriguing and well-honed tracks. entertaining and pleasant listening.
Got tiring pretty quick. Don't know if I've listened to the full Gorillaz albums, but always liked the singles. Rock the House and Slow Country stood out. 2.5/5
Over-rated
It's a referendum on Clint Eastwood. Is it so good it can carry a whole album? Almost
Damon Albarn Part 2: Electric Boogaloo
Clint Eastwood in 19 2000 I’ve been on my playlist for 25 years, but I’ve never actually listen to this whole album. It’s OK.
7.9
I’ve never really seen the attraction to the Gorillaz? OK wouldn’t listen again
This album is a lot of fun
Anyway, another first time, when it comes to listening through entire albums for the firs time... yay. Set the mood by driving a locomotive down a fictional virtual Russian railway... worked a bit. Now to the album itself, pretty mixed, some songs were great, others were boring... yeah.
I’m familiar with them, but it’s not really my sort of music, apart from a couple of tracks. Two stars…
fan, me gustaron muchas canciones y algunas ya conocia, no sabia que era tan largo
I like this group more than Blur
When released, the self-titled debut album by Gorillaz was something of a left-field move for Damon Albarn. It is well produced, written, and performed, and although not quite to my taste at all times, it remains an engaging and interesting listen from start to finish - although not enough to make it an essential listen for me. Four stars. 1 "Re-Hash" (4/5) 2 "5/4" (3/5) 3 "Tomorrow Comes Today" (3/5) 4 "New Genious (Brother)" (3/5) 5 "Clint Eastwood" (5/5) 6 "Man Research (Clapper)" (4/5) 7 "Punk" (4/5) 8 "Sound Check (Gravity)" (4/5) 9 "Double Bass" (3/5) 10 "Rock the House" (3/5) 11 "19-2000" (3/5) 12 "Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?)" (3/5) 13 "Starshine" (3/5) 14 "Slow Country" (4/5) 15 "M1 A1" (4/5) 16 "Clint Eastwood (Ed Case refix)" (4/5) Total - 57 Average - 3.6 426/1001 225/426 albums reviewed were new to me.
Even after 25 years, it's still a great album.
when the cool shoeshine hits got really excited when this album was pulled. i love the funky monkeys very dearly and honestly ive come to like their self-titled much more as i've gotten older. i do think knowing how much they step up their game on the following albums is keeping this at an 8 but man. i miss their trip hop sound!
An hour??? Of this??? It’s unbearable. Every single song just drags on with little to no change in the formula. The vocals drone on and on, the instruments loop the same stuff, it drives me up a wall. I’d heard good things about Gorillaz but by the halfway point I had to throw in the towel.
Eminently skippable, little beyond the obvious tracks (three of them in a row) to recommend it. And I own it!!!
Vibes!!!
Definitely biased about this one. But I love this virtual band. This gem, Demon Dayz, and Plastic Beach are incredible pieces of art. They’re so unique and blend genres incredibly well.
Not my favorite of Gorillaz, but it does reek of creativity and uniqueness. I'll give it a 4 because of it's original gimmicky vibe.
Finallyyyy! Love Gorillaz and the debut is no exception. An incredible record all the way through with great music and great theming around the virtual band. Damon and Jamie create an immersive world to base the album in and it adds so much to any Gorillaz album for me. The videos for the huge singles here are amazing and the phase 1 lore is so fun to read through if you haven't yet. Such an innovative idea especially for the time to use the virtual band to push the music, a move that certainly inspired quite a few acts to this day. Even detached from the music I love these characters and the artwork, its so beautiful. The singles here are all still high ranking in the Gorillaz catalogue. Tomorrow Comes Toady, 19-2000, Rock the House, and obviously the masterpiece that is Clint Eastwood. Learned what a Melodica was from this song and I will forever be mind blown that what is for sure now an iconic instrumental was build around a fucking keyboard preset. Damon gives some stellar performances all album and personally, I've always preferred him working on Gorillaz compared to Blur. Del also gets a huge mention since he completely steals the show on both of his tracks and cemented them as timeless classics. Other songs on here still are great. 5/4 is awesome, New Genius is neat, and Re-hash is a great opener. This revisit also had me gain a new appreciation for Punk, Dracula, and Slow Country. Honestly, I don't think there is a single bad song here, everything is banger after banger. While the debut is not my favorite Gorillaz record its material that still holds up really well. Very creative not just with its music but its visuals and world building, but to do all that and still make the music so catchy and interesting makes the debut very worthy of making the list. An incredible start to what I think is a great discography. P.S: The list not including either Demon Days or Plastic Beach despite many other artist I have not liked having multiple spots is a fucking travesty.
Buen álbum, me gusta que haya un tema en español y quede tan bien con el álbum y el ritmo
Certains titres relevaient plus du bruit que de la musique, mais certains autres étaient assez sympas (le remix de Clint Eastwood notamment était fun). Globalement pas fan quand même.
Millennial Music. I can see the appeal. It is just not in my wheelhouse.
There’s some nostalgia here and I generally like the hits, but I could easily name ten albums I’d rather listen to by the people involved in this
This was a refreshing sound and a daring new project back in the day. It was great to listen to this album once again. 19-2000 was a trip down memory lane. On relistening, maybe the album went on for a bit too long? But that’s really a minor downside
3.5
Yes I like it a lot. I think I just love any music that's gorilla-adjacent Song ratings didn't save for some reason and I don't wanna do it again but I have them on MusicBee so it's fine. I'll snap a picture in case I ever change them
The amount of excitement that flooded me when I saw this was my album today. And, after listening to it fully after 20+ years, it is even better than I remembered. One of the best.
I'm not quite sure how the multimedia component with only the audio portion of the project. There are Cartoon Gorillas after all is said & done. The music is stellar when it's on. Del the Funky Homosapien is the highlight to me. Clint Eastwood & 19-2000 are best tracks. I'm gonna need to watch some Gorillaz Toons to fully grasp the concept. 3
almost pales in comparaison to their other albums ?
1. hazh - 1 2. five - 2 3. today - 2 4. geniuz - 1 5. clint - 2 6. man - 1 7. punk - 0 8. zound - 2 9. bazz - 1 10. rock - 0 11. nineteen - 1 12. latin - 2 13. ztar - 1 14. zlouu - 0 15. m1 - 1
Liked the production, but the album feels too long.
Banger
Nem tetszett, lassú, unalmas, ismétlődő volt. Nagyon kevés rés volt ami tetszett. A végére egész tűrhető lett
This has to be the most unique album I’ve listened to. Not only is the whole thing so different from anything I’ve heard, but also each song is so different from the last. I have to give the artistry and creativity here the respect it deserves. If I had to pick a favorite I think it would have to be 5/4
Nunca lo había escuchado entero, no sé por qué. Me gustó mucho.
5/10 Best songs: New Genius (Brother), Clint Eastwood, 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) (this remix is on an extended version of the album but deserves a call out) I've heard various songs from Gorillaz (and from this album specifically) since they first started releasing music. This is my first time listening to this album. My verdict? Interesting, experimental, and creative, but not at all cohesive. This combination makes for a disjointed and at times unpleasant listen. Although there's much to laud about the album, I don't find it to be particularly successful.
6,50/10 Buen album, no tiene algo que destaque pero me gusto
Favourite Songs: Tomorrow Comes Today
Now here we fucking GO. I still much prefer Demon Days but this is also great.
Gorile nisu nešto što bih inace slušao, ali to sam i znao i prije. Imaju par dobrih stvari, sa ovog albuma primjerice Clint Istocnodrvo i 19-2000, ali kako ih dosad nisam slušao, sumljnjam da ce se to promijeniti. Album uopce nije loš, i sigurno netko cuje nesto što ja ne cujem, ali jednostavno nije moj tip muzike
The first time I heard it I thought I was mistaken, I was certain this was the one with Clint Eastwood on it, turns out that was the 5th song on the album. Turns out Damon Albarn just put the hits wherever he wanted. Makes sense, space out the good songs throughout the slop. 3.5/5
What more can I say
i feel like this guy found one sample and said fuck it lets make a whole album
Oh great, another Damon Albarn project.
I’m a Gorillaz fan, and this album has charm for me, even if it’s not their strongest. “Clint Eastwood” was the hit, but lots of the other tracks still sound good too. Out of annoying Brit pop and cartoon art I don’t particularly connect to somehow came new sounds and genre fusions for the 21st century.
mmmm raro
Fun for a day. Everyone knows Clint Eastwood. Everything else was new. There’s some cool tracks but gets old after awhile.
Never listened to this, I was aware of the existence and knew it was a project of this guy from Blur. But a virtual band from a britpop celebrity and a cartoonist. It never triggered me to investigate it. I don't like virtual bands whatever it means. I want real musicians taking credits for what they do, preferably using real instruments. I recognized the hit which apparently is called "Clint Eastwood". Aside from a lo fi punk song (Punk) and some other snippets which give a bit of a (brit)pop/rock feeling with some guitars this album is full of boring underwater sounds and lame beats and raps which are endless, repetitive, too long and irritating. Really don't understand the hype and " critical acclaim" about this.
An album that started a genre, but too experimental to be good itself. Solid 3.5
Okay I thought I would like this a lot more. It's just not really leaving an impression. It's weird and kinda off putting. It sounds pretentious. It's just not my thing tbh. I would understand why if someone told me they liked it but I just do not that much. Well actually no. I don't think I would add this to my playlist but it does have a very specific niche I think it fills. It's funky as hell. Wait no I don’t like this nevermind. Experimental in a bad way. You fail to reject the null hypothesis. This shit is correlational as hell. Wow I do not like this. Oh what this sound? I am not indie enough for this. Favourite: Clint Eastwood Least favourite: Sound Check (Gravity)
Not my style
have heard this played cover to cover by my mum; a 00s defining album for sure, still slams today.
Good álbum 😻
very exotic but cool at the same time
Psychedelic rock meets grunge meets Brit punk
Buen disco, los remix finales me sobran un poco, cagan el final sobretodo el de Clint eastwood que está re maletón. Sape
Pretty good album, solid hits, not many misses.
There are some really good songs on it, but Damon is clearly still finding his footing in this new post-Blur venture.
Bit boring.
Albarn does his best imitation of legends in the various electronica genres, including acid jazz, trip hop, and the Madchester scene. A path that ultimately leads him to create a Beck knock off with a tenuous comic book publicity hook attention grabber. The lyricism is terrible, but the song arrangements and instrumental choices, for the most part, hold the listener's attention. I enjoy Gorillaz more than Blur, but I remain unconvinced that this is an essential album. It is a fairly vacuous attempt to malign a genre. Of the Gorillaz catalog, I think that DEMON DAYS is the most complete and compelling album in their discography. DEMON DAYS is also, in my opinion, the only Gorillaz album that is essential to a list like this. The naughties were one of the worst decades of Western popular music. Faves: "Double Bass"
dosta dobro 👍🏻
Even Albarn's Mum thinks he's a cunt
2 absolute bangers, a couple decent songs and then boring, weird tunes that sound like blur badly cos-playing of radiohead. Yes it is the start of something amazing but it is a poor start mostly.
Love this album though not as much as Demon Days
As a massive fan of Gorillaz... Why the hell would this be album choice for the list? There's atleast 5 others I would comfortably choose over the debut. The only logic is that the guy who made the list doesn't really like the music at all and only chose this album because it was first. There's some okay songs in here, Tommorow Comes Today and M1A1 are very late-Blur which is great, but other than the singles the rest is kind of a mess. Listen to Demon Days. Or Plastic Beach. Or The Mountain. Hell even listen to The Now Now and Song Machine.
It’s ok
Gorillaz was a bombshell back in 2001, blasting down the carefully constructed walls of indiedom that kept rap music away. Classic rock had already let hip hop stride in on Run DMC’s white adidas, and Nu-metal was at its obnoxious peak, but indie rock was hitherto mostly pure. This album deserves to be here as a time capsule of music trends a quarter of a century ago
Very interesting concept of a band when it came out, influencing a lot to come for sure. I never checked out any of the other songs outside the singles but I find them growing on me on repeat listens. The grungy distortion in conjunction with the heavy drum and hip hop elements work together. I respect what they were going for even if some of the songs can drag and drift into the post modern vibe more than necessary.
Just like Jane Goodall I got so excited when I saw the gorillaz but unfortunately for me they were a disappointment.
Hard to know if it's a very high 3 or a very low 4. But really the take away here is it that this should be plastic beach
turns out i actually hadn't heard 100% of this one even though i thought i had. this album is weirder than i thought it was
Biisit jotka bängäs bängäs kovaa, ne jotka ei oli hyvinkin möh.
Ei itellä oo nostalgiaa ehkä tähän levyyn spesifisti niin menee tänpäiväsen perusteella. Mutta finally some good fucking food.
Mitäpä tähän sanos, släppää joka kerta!
Ahh, Gorillaz! Tää on just sellasta musaa mitä on tosi helppo vaan pistää kuulumaan ja vibailla mukana. Kokonaisuus on koherentti, ja onhan täälä tosi bängeri biisejä! Ehkä ois vielä parempi kokonaisuus jos vähän ois trimmailtu vielä heikompia kohtia ja ois tiiviimpi paketti, mutta toimii aivan kivasti näinkin!
Innostuin ku näin tän 🤩 Lannistuin ku kuuntelin 😔 Hitit oli edelleen kovia, mut kokonaisuutena jotenkin vähän sekalainen ja all over the place. Loppuun päästyä oli karissut into kaivaa tää CD-soittimeenkin 🥲 Mut varmaan viel kaivan ja annan mahdollisuuden. Mut tää on nyt tuomio tähän väliin 👨⚖️
Mulla ei oo minkäänlaista suhdetta Gorillaziin, lapsena ne hahmot oli musta rumia, "pojille suunnatun näköisiä" ja vähän luotaantyöntäviä ja siinä se. Kun ne tuli vastaan MTV:llä, olin vain hämmentynyt ja halusin lowkey vaihtaa kanavaa. Eli nostalgiapisteitä ei täältä tippunut. Tässä oli paljon kaikkea. Todella laadukas tuotanto. Mut jotenkin tän jälkeen ois tosi vaikea sanoa "miltä Gorillaz kuulostaa" koska tuntuu et se kuulostaa vähän kaikelta. Aika tällasta genre-bending ja näyttää hiphopin (?) monipuolisuuden genrenä. Onhan tää nyt kova debyytti ja varmasti ollut etenkin ajassaan ihan tajunnanräjäyttävää. Ansioita ois varmasti neloseen mm. edellä mainittujen asioiden johdosta sinänsä, mut mun on pakko antaa kolmonen, sillä oon päättänyt et tähtiarviot nelosesta ylöspäin kuuluu sellaisille levyille, jotka laittaisin omatoimisesti soimaan uudestaan. Tää ei valitettavasti oo sellainen. Mutta ehdottomasti honorable mention.
tämä on minun elämäni levy, ensimmäinen kosketus musiikkiin jonka muistan!
Kind of a slog till the last few songs, which are legit jams
Good
I liked this one way more than I thought!! Cool vibes. Easy listening.
I like Gorillaz; I think *Demon Days* is better, but this is a killer album too.
It was decent
A fun Gorillaz adventure.
Rate: 9/10.
Pretty good
not my taste
I love the Gorillaz
Hadn't heard this band before this list, although was aware of them being popular with a certain kind of slacker grad school world that I never shared all that much taste with, and yeah y'all can keep 'em.
I remember all the hype about this album when it came out. I picked it up, gave it several listens, but just couldn't get into it. The songs are fine, there's a vibe, it's mostly catchy. But the problem for me is that "Clint Eastwood" dwarfs the rest of the album. I basically spend the whole time hoping for another track that's going to hit like "Clint Eastwood," and nothing even comes close. This is even more true on "Demon Days" where "Feel Good Inc." is 50 times better than anything else. One thing is for sure is that this album could be about 15-20 minutes shorter. 2.49 stars, rounding down to 2.
I was just thinking I need to go through the Gorillaz discography, so this is well timed. This is fun, if slight—which I guess has always been the point of Gorillaz.
音楽ジャンルの福袋やーってくらい色んなジャンルがミックスされてそう。 blurのボーカルと一緒の人なんすね。 どおりで、かっこいい音楽を作れるわけだ。 やっぱオアシスよりブラーっすね 雰囲気としては double bass がすきです。 聴いていてとても楽しかったけど、曲数多くね？
No me gusta mucho el disco, solo dos canciones que son las mas populares me gustan.
Hacia mucho que no lo escuchaba. Discazo
Great sound, fun to listen to. Not much else to say. 4 stars. Have heard before. Will listen again.
Awesome band and album. I've thankfully seen them live and they'll be headlining Shaky Knees next month. The show was thanks to my friend Val. 99X did a radio contest for tickets and said "Can you name one of the cartoon alter ego's of the band?" Val goes "... you want them all?" haha, baller! She won the tix but had an acting teaching schedule change and had to miss so I got to see Gorillaz for the price of 1 tour shirt for Val. Score! Damon Albarn just has the music coming from his soul. Guys like him, Beck, Bowie, McCartney, Paak, etc are the music men and creative idea factories. This album also signifies one of the biggest change ups for band & style from Blur to Gorillaz.
I want to give 5 stars for the amazing hits on this and for creating essentially a new style... But it is too long and does not have the standing power... 4.5, so round it up to 5.
Loads of great lesser known tracks. Interesting hearing how their sound has evolved since and what’s stayed the same
Classic. Not as classic as Deamon Days, but still pretty good
I was pleasantly suprised by the vibe of the album as it wasn't what I expected! The first part was groovy and had me hooked but the mid end of the album sort of lost me apart from a few last songs. Overall not sure if I'd listen to the whole thing again but might do so if I organised a house party.
This was everywhere back in the day but I hadn't really heard it beyond Clint Eastwood. It's good!
This record was chill. Favourite Track(s): Clint Eastwood, New Genius (Brother) Least Favourite Track(s): Starshine
it took me quite long to pay attention to gorillaz despite the very interesting visuals, character/vitural band concept and gender bending style, until i had the opportunity to see them live and listened to most of their discography beforehand. that said, i really like what they do and most songs are fun, but this is not my favorite album (it doesnt help i was never crazy about clint eastwood song). it still feels pretty timeless, i love the bubbly silliness of "19-2000" for example, love the diversity inside the record, and whatever makes me think of or resembles stuff like massive attack or even nine inch nails in some tracks which is always nice!
Magic album, genius.
Dessverre for langt og for ujevnt. Første del er 5/5 og så blir det rørete. Hadde skiva vært halvparten så lang hadde det vært en Albarnsk klassiker
'Clint Eastwood' trekker opp her.
Hitsa er jo fete, men ganske varierende ellers. Tynn, tynn 3'er
It’s not demon days but hey who hates Clint eastwood
Love Clint Eastwood, couple good melodic background songs. The rest is pretty experimental and odd sounding
i dont really care for the gorillas much this probs their best effort tho 7.5/10 best song - double bass
I enjoyed the first half of this, found some new songs that I like but felt like the second half dropped off. i appreciate the creativity, but not a whole lot that i would be eager to listen to again. 3.5/5
I just cannot stand Damon’s voice, no matter how often I try there is just something about it that does not feel ok to my ears. The guest vocalists don’t bring joy either on this album. The two singles I’ve heard before do sound ok though, Clint Eastwood and 19-2000 So a point gained there. The music however sounds tight and brings a warmth joy, I wish so much this was instrumental album as it would have scored a 9, it however does contain vocals which wipe that score in half plus the point for the singles. 5.5/10 Best track ‘19-2000’ the remix version at the end of the album also better than the original which was a jice treat. Worst track- ‘re-hash’ gave the album the worst possible start in my head.
Gorillaz - Gorillaz Sounds like what it is. An excitable guy, somewhere on the spectrum, whose usual mates won't come out to play. So instead he's dicking around with bits and bobs his finds lying around and starts kicking around with whoever will have him. Not the greatest Gorillaz work. There is much better comes later. But does contain a couple of genuine Damon classics in Clint Eastwood and 19-2000. Best Track - Clint Worst Track - Double Bass 7.5/10
(4/5) This might be the best this style/genre of music has to offer me. I own this and "Demon Days" but it's really more for the singles (of which there are many, and they are great) than the whole album experience, plus I'm of the opinion that "Demon Days" is the better of the two. This one, especially, just really sags in the middle. If a few tracks had been trimmed ("Latin Simone.." and "Double Bass.." immediately spring to mind amongst others) this would have been a better and tighter album. The hits/singles are all amazing and share space on quite a few of my playlists, but I've rarely judged the whole album on that criteria alone. I'm glad to know this is my ceiling for this style, though. It'll help me balance out all the rest of the '1's and '2's that are still awaiting me.. If I've learned anything so far about the choice matrix of this list, is that these styles are heavily overrepresented and frankly overrated. This one deserves its accolades as few else do.
The lesser of their works (only because I feel like they got better with each release), this debut album is nonetheless a fantastic introduction to one of the better contemporary acts on the scene. Blending elements of pop, rock, hip hop, reggae, afrobeats, and electronica into something unique and new, the Gorillaz follow in the steps of predecessors like Massive Attack and Deltron 3030 while simultaneously blazing their own unique path that has in turn influenced their influences. Nothing is off limits in their sandbox, and the plethora of collaborators on their works speaks volumes to their respect within the industry. Needless to say, this one was a welcome 5/5 as soon as it dropped, and I look forward to spending the day revisiting some of their other work, as well.
171. Gorillaz - Gorillaz (2001) 8.12.26 Variety: 5 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 2 = 4.4 rounded down to a 4 INTRO We finally get to everyone's favorite fake hip-hop/ trip-hop/ brit-pop band. Taking their cue from Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Archies, Gorillaz was maybe a long overdue spin on the concept of the virtual band, and one whose time had most definitely come given the technological developments, and the late 90s and into the 2000s erosion of the idea that you had to be "cool" all the time and avoid garnering too much mainstream appeal. I guess a virtual cartoon band is never late. Nor is he early. It arrives precisely when it means to. The band was an immediate hit in my memory, and I liked the songs enough to buy this and the next one. They never exactly blew my mind, but they were both enjoyable. The My big issue with these is that after the second one came out they both went into the iPod and existed for years as a mixed playlist, so by this point in history I am barely able to tell you which song is on which album. That adds a little bit of mystery to the mix, as I'm not really sure which one I liked better, though I have the vague feeling that Demon Days might have more instantly recognizable hits? As much as I did like the band, my interest did wane after that second one ( to be fair my interest in popular music of any sort waned around then, so...) and I probably would be hard pressed to come up with any enthusiasm to dive into that newer stuff. I'm sure it's all very decent given the talent involved. Anyway, I'm sure this will be an easy one. THE TRACKS "Re-Hash" - That old familiar sound. Hip hop beats with some almost commercial jingle like Brit Pop flavor poured over top. This was a decent start to things, if a little bit on the plain side of things. And it in no way rings any bells for me, while still being very recognizably Gorillaz. There's some Big Audio Dynamite DNA mixed in here that I might never have noticed before. "5/4" - This one was much familiar to me. It leans way heavier into the Brit Pop with the heavy guitars and the catchy melody. We get the sort of whimsical instrumentation that goes down real easy with this sort of light, poppy feel. Albarn's vocals here are a lot less twee on here than they will be on some later tracks. The fuzzed out bass was pretty excellent. "Tomorrow Comes Today" - This one leans harder on the trip hop end of things, and we get our first strong showing of the melodica that will take center stage in just a couple of tracks. The beats on this are pretty sick, and I would highly suggest some headphones with the bass turned up for the full effect. "New Genious (Brother)" - Every track has been an improvement on the one before it, with this one being a step up into another level as far as atmosphere and mood. The crunchy crackly effect over top of the slightly sinister sounds and the HARD lean into trip hop ( getting some flashbacks of Massive Attack here - go back and listen to "Protection" by them and tell me that wasn't an influence on Gorilllaz). "Clint Eastwood" - The big hit, and deservedly so. We start off funky and a bit spooky in the intro, which I am assuming is named after the actor due to the vocal impression of the famous Ennio Morricone score. The melodica also sounds a bit like a harmonica too I guess. This song, via awesome music video, with character designs by Jamie Hewlett (of Tank Girl fame) I think was most people's into to the band. And an impressive intro it was. It's almost hard to even talk about this song without mentioning how great this package was when I first saw it. We were still coming off a wave of what seemed like an awful era for music, when grunge was far in the rearview, and even nu-metal was starting to get long in the tooth. Post-grunge, teen dance pop and boy bands were all the craze still, and unless my memory is going, only hip-hop seemed to really have any real life. Of course this is going by the mainstream, readily available stuff. There's always good music if you dig enough. This album I recall felt like a breath of fresh air, and despite being literally cobbled together from a half dozen other genres and wearing its influences on its sleeve, it felt new and bright, and unconcerned with whether you liked it or not. It was a fun experiment, and I'm sure if it had flopped Albarn would have just moved on to something else without too many tears spilt. I mean, I'm sure all involved wanted it to succeed, but it was a BIG swing. And this interestingly eclectic, and quirky single must have taken them by surprise when it became a monster hit. And it still holds up. I think the specific sound of this song in particular was what they would build the entire next album off of. Catchy as can be, and full of great hooks. Del the Funky Homosapien KILLS it with his rap verses ( go listen to Deltron 3030 now... DO IT!). "Man Research (Clapper)" - We're dropped into an ear shatteringly bass heavy club sound on this one, very reminiscent of the better aspects of the Happy Mondays. Albarn's appropriately cartoonish vocals providing the ear candy hooks. I think his stuff tends to work even better at these high registers verses when he sounds like he's doing a bad impression of someone with a bad head cold. "Punk" - Some electronic buzzing, and underground knocking noises brings us into this (also very cartoony) crunchy 4-color garage bubblegum punk nugget. Albarn twists the dial on his sneer and we get a more than solid little pastiche, that sounds like it could have been a Sex Bob-Omb original. Short and effective. And I'm forever down for some hand claps! "Sound Check (Gravity)" - Things get quiet and slow for some catchy, depressed sounding acoustic guitar number than very quickly turns WAY UP into some lo-fi beats to study to-coded bit of trip-hop. The back and forth between genres on this work just as well as they have on previous songs, but this one has a much darker, almost nervous feel to it than anything prior. There's even some nice string synths to add a little spice to the mix, that help move this one into an epic sound. "Double Bass" - Truth in advertising as we get layered bass lines in this mostly instrumental track. A variety of synth lines add a eerie, echoey flavor and we end up with something not a million miles away from some of the stuff Beck was doing on Midnight Vultures from barely two years previous. This slaps hard, y'all. "Rock the House" - Things brighten back up a bit with some energetic horns leading the way and Del the Funky Homosapien dropping some more dope ass rhymes on us. This one's silly and fun, and even has some charmingly shitty flute lines courtesy of Albarn. A postmodern line dance for aging former club kids. "19-2000" - Tina Weymouth and Chris Franz of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club fame guest on this very exaggeratedly poppy number, providing "additional" percussion ( whatever that is) and some vocals. This was deeply silly and a ton of fun. It would sound equally at home in an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba as it would in a club full of aging hipsters. "Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?)" - Another guest appearance, this time from Ibrahim Ferrer of the Afro-Cuban All Stars and Buena Vista Social Club who provides vocals over this Latin-tinged, jazzy track. The band is officially on a real streak here as we get another damn fine, atmospheric entry that also manages to lend variety to an already diverse and omnivorous sound. "Starshine" - Some noodling over top of a Casio preset rhythm with some pounding reverb loops for a good portion of this one, as Albarn wails and screeches. As if the album itself already hasn't been, this seems like a great calling card track for Dan the Automator who goes hog wild with the loops, effects, and drum programing on this. "Slow Country" - Possibly the slightest track on the album this far, it still goes pretty danged hard. No stakes here, with the easy dub/reggae inspired sound bouncing along with a laid back happy sound, despite the lyrics. "M1 A1" - This one opens with remixed elements from the driving the synth score and dialogue lifted from Day of the Dead, and transforms into the heaviest pure rocker on the album. A giant, very solid closer that somehow adds even more variety, right at the end, into this beautifully already overstuffed thing. HIGHLIGHTS - "5/4" - "Tomorrow Comes Today" - "New Genious (Brother)" - "Clint Eastwood" - "Man Research (Clapper)" - "Punk" - "Sound Check (Gravity)" - "Double Bass" - "19-2000" - "Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?)" - "Starshine" - "Slow Country" - "M1 A1" MIDLIGHTS - "Re-Hash" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS Man, I had forgotten how good this thing is. I think partly it was eclipsed by Demon Days in my mind because that had more recognizable song titles when I glanced at it. Now I'm not sure, and will have to immediately give that one a listen. It's not on the list, which is a shame, but I'm sure it'll be a blast nonetheless. Everything on here holds up incredibly well for an album that no longer has to pay the extra daily young driver fee when renting a car. It was a load of fun, and not worried at all about being profound or deep or trying to load up the listener with a bunch of messaging. This was pure, immaculately crafted, dumb ( in the best possible sense) enjoyment. It's party music for those who like to be alone. The headphone experience is vital here, guys. I can't stress enough how much this loses ( still great) played on a tinny laptop speaker, and seems tailor made for spending a seven hour, Mountain Dew-fueled session of Final Fantasy X or maybe cramming for that lit final you have on Monday morning. Super glad I got to re-listen and might even finally take the plunge into their discography past Demon Days. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - No notes FURTHER LISTENING - by Big Audio Dynamite - Protection by Massive Attack - Deltron 3030 by Deltron 3030 - Demon Days by Gorillaz
"Kids Love It!" August 31, 2001 - I remember down to the day when I heard the Gorillaz for the first time. They were featured on a special music video edition of Toonami's Midnight Run. Toonami being the programming block on Cartoon Network showcasing anime at the time. I was a huge fan. Of course the day after I make a Dragonball Z reference in my review I get an album and band I associate greatly with anime in my mind. The three videos shown on that night were "Tomorrow Comes Today," "19/2000," and of course the big hit "Clint Eastwood." I loved all three and went out and bought the CD that week. It also happened to be the week before 9/11 so they may be other factors that have burned those few weeks, even the mundane, into my memory. In 2001 no one I knew had heard of the Gorillaz and I felt like I was discovering something cool I got to share with everyone around me. I was not usually the hip one, in any of my groups, I was always the one chasing new cool things. A completely virtual animated band. Neat! And they make cool hip-hop and alternative rock. Even neater! It was completely novel at the time and I didn't connect it to the band Blur at all. That was truly a plot twist I didn't see coming. All these years later kayfabe has been broken, we know the creators behind the cartoon band, but just like the post-kayfabe world of professional wrestling, the Gorillaz are still putting out albums. For my money, Demon Days is a perfect masterpiece and should've been on this list in addition to this self-titled debut. I've stayed with this band for most of their entire run, but those first two albums are still my favorites because at the time it felt new and unique to me. This one has a few all-timers and a handful of playlist mainstays. "19/2000" remains my favorite track on the album and a good bit of advice for life, "Get the cool shoeshine," you deserve it. "Clint Eastwood" never fails to hook me and one you still hear on the radio in 2026. Shout out to Del the Funkee Homosapien, the first of many acts I first encountered on a Gorillaz album. "Left Hand Suzuki Method" is a strong closer and we also get the (on CD at least) 90s era staple of a hidden track remix of "Clint Eastwood." The album stalls slightly right after "19/2000" with "Latin Simone" - "Slow Country" being the weakest stretch. Everything else, though, is high quality. A solid 5/5 for me.
not too shabby
given what i know of gorillaz discography, i was expecting a more upbeat morning. this was surprisingly slow and dare i say boring. first part of the album bored me to almost country extents, then when some rap finally showed up it left as soon as it was given to me. it felt like it was trying to do something artsy but at the same time i’m not sure? i do enjoy some funky and weird noises it must be said, but i found myself checking where i was through the album because i was bored of it. i’m mildly aware that gorillaz is meant to have lore of some kind which i am perhaps missing? it felt like an album full of filler songs, waiting for the next one with some meat that never came. i guess M1 A1 was okay but yeah. i would describe a lot of them as background music in a video game level, which in this context i don’t think is a compliment. in the end i need to decide on how i rate these, this is my first album. i think whether i would re-listen ought to be a factor, and since i can’t imagine having another pop at any of the song…
It's ok, some good songs but I'm not overly enthusiastic about the whole album
I guess I was expecting more like Clint Eastwood sound throughout.
17 songs My first time listening to a full Gorillaz album, as I only knew their more popular songs before this, including a couple from this album. To be honest the album is a bit all over the place, and I don't know whether that's a plus or not. It kind of works, the songs themselves are good, but at the same time the overall direction of the album doesn't seem coherent to me, so it just ends up being a little bit messy. Still, overall I enjoyed it, I just think that the mess stops it from being a 5 star for me.
Are there better Gorillaz albums? Yes. Is this still a 5? Absolutely. It holds up, dynamic and has such a range of sound and talent all around. Very fun and just a good time.
Yawnyyyyy. Boring, feels incomplete.
Woo who who who whooo.
intruiging, lots of different styles
The album was okey for once listen enough it is not my case
Fine. Some standouts but mostly just fine
3.5/5 Escutei enquanto lavava louça, o clima das músicas é gostoso de escutar e gosto da experimentação e mistura de estilos. Mas as músicas marcantes continuaram sendo Clint Eastwood e 1900-2000
Was okay. I enjoyed the first half of the album but started to lose it near the second half. Fun beats.
Admiro a criatividade da banda, essa parada de terem os personagens e tudo mais. Os caras tem uma legião de fã muito fanática huahuhua. Músicas são boas de ouvir, tem umas clássicas absolutas aí. Não é muito meu estilo, mas consigo apreciar bastante, raro isso.
I am far from a Damon Albarn fan-boy, in fact I dont really like Blur.. but when it comes to Gorillaz I think I have liked almost everything they have put out. I think I was 8 when I got this album in CD, purely because I liked the cartoons, but also loved the music once I heard it... there was/is something hypnotic about so many tracks , like Clint Eastwood fx, and there is something for everyone here. Think about where the world was in terms of popular mainstream music when this was released in 2001... Listening to the whole thing now in isolation, not every single song is a banger, not everything works and its not the album I reach for when I want to listen to Gorillaz. Far from perfect but retains its charm. If someone is living under a rock, this is a video example of how songs were written and recorded with toys and old not very high end equipment https://youtube.com/shorts/kn8ocOsdbEo?si=nRY1KKdU133d3wo3 All of these random thoughts just to say that I dont think this is a 5 so I am torn between a 3 and 4
What heroin on the weekends does to a man. What a shift from brit-pop blur to this musically, kind of crazy. Sounds like Damon had some new stuff to explore. Most of the tracks come off the edge so instantly and throws you into the groove immediately. Hearing the harmonica on multiple tracks makes me wonder if this is the first reintroduction of the harmonica (sound) that I can take seriously since Dylan and Young? Brilliant album, I do think it goes a tad too gimmicky at times. Damon with his voice, some of the music effects etc. But at the same time, that is exactly what makes it so iconic. I am wondering if I would give Demon Days 5. I rate this album below so we are at decent 4.
Definitely not the best Gorillaz album, but imho this is the most underrated of their good ones. There are so many good songs on this, it's actually incredible. And does anyone else have as many fond memories of playing that old Gorillaz game where you drive around in the iconic car while listening to only 19-2000 as I have? Bang on 4.2
Sorry, virtual!? Yeah, nah, not gonna waste my time listening to such manufactured dribble.
19-2000, Clint Eastwood, Slow Country, Latin Simone 🌟
its okay, i was expecting more out of it given how good clint eastwood is, but it had some good songs scattered through
1) 5/4 2) M1A1 3) New Genius (Brother) Least Favourite: Man Research (Clipper)
Si puedo escribir, este álbum es que es Cool y nunca va a pasar de moda, a pesar de qué tal vez todas sus canciones no son de mi preferencia tienen cierta identidad y personalidad que los identifica tanto, y en su momento fue tan tan único que no fue una moda, sino fueron canciones que definieron una época
I loved gorillaz as a kid, and I also own this album too on vinyl, their are some standouts but I can’t help but feel that some of these songs are just tech demos, like sound check gravity, like it’s cool, but I’m not tryna hear you just mess around with your keyboard settings, but don’t get me wrong I love Clint Eastwood, 5/4 and 19-2000, they just remind me of middle school allot, overall tho it’s not amazing but their are standouts
Innovative but at the end of the day, besides the hits, most tracks are boring to listen to.
Overall not really for me, but there are a couple of standout songs worth listening to: Clint Eastwood (more the first one than the last one) and Sound Check. Definitely defies classification as several styles are spanned and sometimes mixed together. I could imagine this growing on me and some if the songs got placed on my playlist…
Tomorrow Comes Today is the first standout. Clint Eastwood is ofc legendary, and for good reason. Man Research (Clapper) was not necessary, in the sense, being annoying is optional, right? Sound Check is kinda interesting. Double Bass is smooth. Rock the House is not the direction I like for this, too goofy, and I kinda don't want the rap with this. 19-2000 hey i know this one too! Fun beat. Latin Simone was OK. M1 A1 is quite good.
One of the things I used to struggle with, and to an extent still do, is putting a name or face behind the music. With Gorillaz being a truly 21st century experiment where that is flipped on it's head where you're supposed to know the make-believe members of the band, it does put it all in another perspective. Like I know the guy from Blur is behind this, along with the artist and other collaborators and the relentless features Gorillaz usually has, but it's still a really fun project and idea where the music is only part of it, not the point of it. This album does encapsulate that- while you're listening to it you almost feel like you're getting a slice of what's supposed to be, which may be enough for some, but it just left me wanting more from it.
Honestly disappointed. I remember it being betyer than this. It runs too long and the stuff worth listening to is far and few between. Still you get some original stuff and the later albums were better.
A lot of bangers here, some tracks I was familiar with but didn't realize were from this album. I think when this came out I'd consider it a 5/5, but it's still great. It's wild listening to this when The Mountain came out this year and, while not AOTY by any stretch, I would still consider it a heavy hitter and worth mentioning. There's a thread connecting them, but the evolution is nuts
I like it. I don't love it as much as I did when it came out. I like Dell the Funky Homosapien. Three stars because there were a couple skips.
I should be the target demo for this. My friends were certainly into it in 2001. But while I appreciate that Albarn wanted to do something different after Blur, it just doesn't work for me. I have repeatedly tried to get into Gorillaz over the past 25 years and OK is the best I can give it.
Not a good sign when I skipped the first song cause it was annoyingly repetitive. Some was good, most was annoying
This is quite an interesting and cool album. Not quite my thing but some of these tracks just groove
Αφού έχει το latin simone είναι άμεσα και γαμω. Έχει κάποια ενοχλητικά κομμάτια αλλά κατά κύριο λόγο και γαμω τα κομμάτια. Ένα 4,5/5
Muy chulo también. Excepto los remixes. Por?
favs: tomorrow comes today new genius (brother) clint eastwood starshine rating 1.2/5
I'm not sure I understand why a virtual band is a thing, but I am an old. That said, there were some good grooves on this album, but nothing I would go out of my way to seek out. A lot of it is repetitive and annoying, some good... real mixed bag for me.
I like the two hits from this album a lot, but the rest was less impressive.
Perfect example for me why the decimals need to be added for reviews because this isn't quite a 3 or a 4. This is one of the first albums I ever bought, on CD, when I was young off the back of Clint Eastwood. Whilst the highs are very high there are a lot of skippable moments that don't really work for me. Latin Simone, Slow Country and M1A1 are all let downs on the latter part of the album when it started so strong and kept it up through to Starshine. It's a 3.5 album. Their later work is so much better but I appreciate the rough edges that were done here into creating something different.
I still remember going with Joe into the Virgin Megastore in Paris on a school trip and him picking this album up. It’s a banger! Favourite track: Rock the House
An interesting collection of sound experiments, some hit, some miss and as a Del/Hieroglyphics fan, I appreciated the hip-hop ones quite a lot.
C’est brillant
Kinda crazy. Kinda good
Yeah, good times. Electronic-y/crossover stuff has veneer quite appealed to me, but this is obviously accessible. Fun background vibes.
Oddly I’ve never truly listened through before, but the rest of the discography made me realize how much this is more of a mixtape than an album
Banger after banger after banger until the room stinks
It was unique to be sure. The concept of course, but also the sound--so different from Blur. Clint Eastwood was a massive hit. On a relisten I think there are number of misses, but definitely deserves to be on the list.
4.2 3x great album and videos
Bom disco
Did not like this. I found it agitating and repetitive.
funky and weird, i liked it. my favorites were punk, sound check (gravity), rock the house and 19-2000.
I'm neutral on hiphop
The Blur "Woo-Hoo" guy wants to make dub/hip hop/trip hop and electronic stuff with cartoon character videos. One catchy hit song, a bunch of mood board stuff and it sounds like someone left a Playstation game menu running while they left for Taco Bell.
I still get a kick out of this record after all these years. It’s fun, it’s hooky. It’s not deep, it might not even be art, but it puts a smile on my face.
It wasn't my favorite Gorillaz album but it was decent - there were a few songs I wasn't a fan of but it did include the awesome Clint Eastwood.
The mysterious vocals paired well with the angry rock vibe
I wish I liked this more. I feel like I should. I just thought it was alright ⭐⭐⭐
A : 3, Sound Check JL : 2, Rock the House
It's just boring. Apart from the singles there's literally nothing interesting about it. And even the singles don't hit as hard as they did in 2001. Extremely disappointing.
I've heard the hits by the Gorillaz, but haven't taken the time to dive deeper into them; and I've been missing out, this was a great album where each song brought something unique to the table. Almost a five star for me and I could see myself giving it 5 after repeat listens. Favorite Track - Clint Eastwood (Or Dracula, but it is not a part of the original tracklist) Least Favorite Track - Starshine ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An interesting debut that mixes hip hop, rock, dub, reggae, Latin and electronic influences into a distinctive sound. 'M1 A1' was the standout track for me—the opening is incredibly atmospheric and I can see why it was used to start live shows. I'd heard and still enjoy 'Clint Eastwood' and '19-2000', but the rest of the album didn't leave much of an impression on a first listen. Worth hearing, but not one I'd revisit in full.
Now this I can get behind. It's an unpromising premise: cartoon characters, graphic artist, Damon Albarn, but it works very well, and it was rightly a success on its original release 25 years ago. Many tunes will stay in the memory: 5/4, Tomorrow Comes Today, Clint Eastwood, Rock the House, and 19-2000 are particular favourites. Now that's about a third of the album. The only problem is, beyond those, the other two-thirds has too much in the way of just-about-passable filler. It's such a shame; stronger supporting material would have seen it earn a 4. But it still gets a decent 3...
As an idea this is interesting enough - muso and comic book artist collaborate (as well as a few other notable cross-genre artists). The whole hidden identity thing is the least interesting thing about it though. Plenty of others have done that (KISS, Buckethead, etc). That said the collab produces some ‘nice’ trip hop laid back vibes, veering into Brit pop, Radiohead but not much more for me. The biggest hit on this album is the Clint Eastwood song and the rap lyric bits are like reading Dr Zeus. Dont hate it but not sure i absolutely had to hear this album or that I couldnt get the interesting elements off hundreds of other albums.
"Re-Hash" and "5/4" were pretty good tracks. I appreciate that they tried for actual musicality and different styles for each track. Overall, this was listenable even if the tracks weren't very interesting after the first 20 seconds.
go white boy go
Not a perfect album but a fun start for gorillaz
dude this album is from 2001 - absolutely timeless and so versatile Insane production
5/10
Experimental trip hop
7/10 Favourite song: Sound Check (Gravity) Least favourite: Double Bass
It was good but I’ll doubt I’ll listen to the whole thing again
I was so happy to get this album. I grew up listening to it but would really only listen to the singles. I’ve been wanting to sit with the Gorillaz and their music for a while and actively listen, so this was a great excuse. It is as good as they say. Such a fun sound and so creative.
Imagine being a huge star and you still have to hide behind the gimmick of being a cartoon band because your music sucks so much ass. That’s Gorillaz.
I really like Gorillaz, but I have to be honest with myself, I didn't particularly enjoy most of the album. On the other hand, I'm surprised by it, since it was in that early stage of becoming what Gorillaz is now. A lot of the album has that sound that characterizes Blur more; it's not bad, but it's not exactly why I listen to Gorillaz. I'm more of a monkey driven by the pleasure and satisfaction of listening to melodies that encourage my neurons to work once a day. Even so, it does earn its recognition for having the band's first hit, which is a good thing, along with the other three songs.
Best Track - "Clint Eastwood"
Wonderful. Even got better over the years.
I really wanted to like this because I like Feel Good Inc, but outside from the singles I found it to be a bit boring.
Kind of uneven, like I was listening to two different albums. Some tracks were kind of fun and groovy; others were sort of boring.
I always listen to the Gorillaz when they come on.
4.5
A mixed bag of quirky, interesting, and pretty fun songs after the fallout of Blur. There are several absolute classics on here as well as some really underrated picks like Punk, M1A1, and 5/4. It's also a really good vibe, and whilst I'd listened to this a while ago and didn't have time to do this whole album tonight without some skips, I am definitely going to come back to this more often now, although I'm not a fan at all of a lot of the vocals by Albarn.
Fun listen but low fi in a way that felt too simple
Alright First song has a cool rhythm and percussion, reminiscent of trip-hop. Nice. Second track keeps the fun percussion and adds some rock elements and quirky vocals. Fun! The lyrics are a different case though. Okay so I'm assuming trip-hop were a big influence for this record, as the Tomorrow Comes Today (which is apparently one of the album's most famous songs, I'd never heard of it) keeps the same percussion that's becoming a pattern at this point. Also like this one, but the previous track was more interesting. New Genius is meh. Clint Eastwood is an alternative classic (does that status make it not alternative?). Great song, but definately a shift in sound. Kinda hate Man Research. I wrote that during the song. The ending convinced me that I fully hate it. I don't know what happened but the track after that kinda sucks too. Sound Check, while a bit better, is also not that great. What is with these high-pitched vocals. Double Bass sets an interesting environment, but goes nowhere with it. Not bad, but it just feels like I'm listening to unfinished tracks would only be released in a 30th anniversary deluxe edition (which I've confirmed is not the case here). Rock The House at least brings something different with the rapping. The instrumental's not that different though. 19-2000 is another great track (fucking finally, I can have hope again). Just by having more elements besides a simple beat this one jumps up to top 3 in the album. Latin Simone, while sharing the same beat with every other track in the album, has another layer with the latin influence, which alone makes it when of the best songs here. I'm afraid I was wrong to say I could have hope again, as Starshine has gone ahead and fully erased any that was left. This feels a bit like torture at this point. Slow Country doesn't have to be bad. There's a good song here somewhere. But what's delivered is not that at all. I just realized that the two final songs in the tracklist are bonus tracks, so I technically don't have to listen to them. Thank you lord! Why am I listening to what sounds like a lunatic screaming if there's anyone there? And why does it suddenly turn into a rock song?? I shouldn't complain too much I guess, since this is the most sonically different song of the past 50 minutes of my life. I can kinda dig it. But honestly, too little too late. I'm not sure how much their image and aesthetic were developed at the time, if the characters and music videos were as big a factor, so I won't include that in my opinion of the album (even though I maybe should). Overall, this was a mixed-bag. A lot of trip-hop influence, but more accessible. The first few songs are good, but the middle part was a pain to get through. Just when things were getting not bad again, the return to form lasts only one (1) song, before we get back to some more mediocrity. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed by this. The first Gorillaz album I listened to fully, and besides the hits wowed me. I have no desire to come back to most of these songs (even the ones that weren't bad). This felt like they had a couple poppier songs in hand, and a couple interesting dips into the trip-hop genre, which together could have made a nice little project, but for some reason decided to include a bunch of drawn out, uninteresting tracks. I'm unsure of how to rate this. At the start I thought it would be a 4, a shaky 4, but a 4 nonetheless. Then, as bad song after bad song punished my ears, I dropped it to a 3. But by the end... if there's something I've learned with this whole project, it's that sometimes I can be a bit too nice with the scores. But the relief I felt when I realized I'd reached the final track is not an sign that I had a good time with this. And knowing the scores I gave to other albums, I can't have this one share those. So yeah.
did not listen to anything while i was in turkey. pretty good album to come back to.
Not a perfect album, but there's a lot to love.
I knew a few songs on this album before. The rest were hit or miss, but still this is a really good album overall.
Legendary, but for some reason and again, Albarn is good but there's too much of him around me atm. 3.9
4.6 Great album, revolutionary. Still like later albums more.
Se vuelve muy lento y repetitivo para el final, la verdad me decepcionó un poco.
Klassieker - wild dat alleen dit Gorillaz album op de lijst staat en Demon Days en Plastic Beach niet
In mijn hoofd was dit album slechter dan dit. Vond het eigenlijk echt een enorme vibe, veel beter dan ik dacht
Gorillaz hadden in 2001 al een winning formula, al komt het op het debuutalbum nog niet consistent tot zijn recht op elk nummer. De highlights zijn natuurlijk wel toppers van onvoorstelbare kwaliteit, met de moderne klassieker Clint Eastwood of mijn persoonlijke favoriet 19-2000. Ik echo de mening 'waar de hel zijn Demon Dayz en(vooral) Plastic Beach'.
Criativo, gostei dos baixos, da produção. Mas um tanto quanto longo demais.
Está parchado
1. Fun little tune. Enjoy the driving, thumping beat a lot. Bit trip hop ish. 2. Another really fun tune - bass is so grimy. Catchy again, good beat. 3. Same as before - catchy, great beat, love to wee harmonica line. 4. Quite a creepy song - both the vibes and haunting vocals. In the best way, sounds like something from a haunted house mario level. 5. 10/10 banger we already know this! Iconic! Outro too long tho... 6. Cool beat, this one doesn't quite hit the same overall however. 7. Really good, fun, high energy wee track. 8. Nothing spectacular, but another solid enjoyable track. 9. funky ahh beat. Sounds like that goofy frog music. Saying this, it does slap though. 10. Fun funky wee hip hop track. Enjoyed the horns and beat. 11. Certified banger (10/10). What a tune. 12. Really nice track, paves the way for all the world influences seen in later gorillaz albums. 13. Maybe my least favourite so far. Doesn't really go anywhere, not as big a fan of the vocals. 14. Decent wee track. Catchy, enjoy the wind sounds in the background. 15. Decent song - does pick up tbf. Found intro a tad annoying though.
Para ser Gorillaz no me parecio la gran cosa. Será una gran banda pero su álbum debut no me voló la cabeza.
Catchy but just ok
Kind of an odd lo-fi experimental sound. Feels quite different than the future albums. That said it’s got groove and I was back in it
eeeeeee, no lo mio, cosas interesantes eniwey
nice and diverse, not my vibe but very good
Best: Clint Eastwood; 19-2000; Re-Hash; Rock The House; Sound Check; M1 A1; Man Research; 5/4; Tomorrow Comes Today; Latin Simone Worst: Punk
I could write an essay on the "problematic" (hate that fucking word) nature of the Gorillaz and how they were basically Damon Albarns way of making fun of the very population consuming it but I have shit to do so ill just say that this is the best elevator muzac ive ever heard and leave it at that.
There was a time I would have probably given this a 5. I just can’t now. I was surprised by how much of it actually annoys me now. At least today. It wasn’t the purely pleasurable ride I was expecting. Age is an interesting phenomenon. Still gets a 4. The beats deserve a 4. 4 Boolean: true
alright
5/4 sounds so much like blur
This album stands the test of time, it sounded different from the rest on release and there’s still nothing quite like it. It mixes perfectly catchy singles like ‘clint eastwood’ and ‘19-2000’ with more experimental reflective songs like ‘M1 A1’ which builds to a full on rave. ‘Slow country’ feels like an atmospheric sibling of ‘Ghost town’.
I didn’t like Gorillaz when I was 10, and I don’t like them any more now. “Clint Eastwood” is a passably decent song, as it was upon release, but everything else was just background noise.
Two days in a row where I realistically could have skipped the listen and jumped straight to the marking (yesterday being 5/5 for Different Class by Pulp). I have heard this album a lot in my life. It's a record I associate with doing Uni coursework in the spare room of the house I grew up in while trying not to lose my mind. I still listen to it every now and then and while my opinion has changed slightly, I still think its a really good listen. Del The Funky Homosapien is a big part of that. His rapping is one of the things I love most about the record, especially on Clint Eastwood which was the massive hit from this record in the UK (albeit the remix version). Also, I have said before that I'm a fan of Damon Albarn's work and I'll reiterate that here. I don't think this is without flaws through. Damon shouldn't try and sing in falsetto for a start (Man Research (Clapper)) and I think a lot of the time songs are a bit too long and meandering (I'm looking at you Double Bass). But it's still something I would happily put on to listen to. Not quite a 5 anymore to me (it would have been in 2001) and it's a spiritual 4.5, but for the purposes of this scoring system it's getting a: 4/5
One of my favorite albums from my birth year
iconic and nostalgic
.n
Awesome!
super inconsistent album, can tell theyre just throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, seems experimental in a lot of styles
Ees un buen discuo, la verdad que tiene swag. se disfruta de escuchar, y tiene un clasico como es clint eastwood. 3.5
tomorrow comes today
Damon Albarn forever and always AMEN.
Banger
Top
J'aime beaucoup Gorillaz, c'est toujours un kiff
So, I'd never heard the whole album before. Clint Eastwood was everywhere in 2001. Couldn't get away from it. Don't get me wrong. It's a pretty great track. There are some really crafty elements that make it stand out, but the overall album was kinda boring. It's not a trash album, but just didn't live up to the hype.
Before Listening: The Gorillaz songs I know are all a bit.. "weird"? They go with the cartoon characters form their videos.. I wonder how much of that is in the songs that didn't get videos? Final thoughts: It's hard to rate this as an album, and not a collection of songs. There's plenty of good stuff, it lulls in the middle a bit, but picks back up. A couple songs with falsetto so close to each other (6. Man Research & 8. Sound Check are only one song apart) really didn't do it favors. overall, pretty good stuff, but there was enough 'bad' that this is less a good "album" and more a really good source of more songs for the playlist Would I listen again: Even though over half the album is going on the playlist, probably not! On the playlist: 5/4, Tomorrow Comes Today, New Genious (Brother), Clint Eastwood, Double Bass, Rock The House, 19-2000, Slow Country, M1 A1, 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)
Overall, this way more chill than I came into it expecting. I know I'm usually a fan of the more energetic works, but I actually quite like this one. I enjoyed the recurring theme of "having the sunshine". I'm not certain, but I'm taking from it a message of having destiny in your own hands, being able to make of your life whatever you choose. Personal freedom. A theme that resonates quite strongly with me. Also, there's a lot of interesting juxtaposition going on here. Modern vs Traditional is well explored - coming out when it did, a time of technological revolution, makes this especially relevant. There's also cultural comparisons going on, Latin Simone being a key here. Slow Country brings the Rural vs Urban. All the choices to be made reinforce the idea of self determination the early tracks in the album propose. songs Would I listen again: To some, maybe. Unlikely to the whole album. Rating: I had a fun time listening along to this, grooving, and some interesting themes that can make you think. It's quite good on the whole, and didn't have any glaring weak points, in my opinion anyway. It feels like the definition of a high 4 star to me.
You know em and love em! Not much to complain about here. A little long for my taste but otherwise a great album. 8/10
I can understand the inclusion, but I am not going to listen to anything other than Clint Eastwood again. Demon Days would be a different story
Saved? ✅ Would listen again? ✅ Would recommend to anyone? ✅ Would buy on Vinyl? ✅
3/5
did't like this.
goofy massive attack (en el mejor de los sentidos)
Decent album. Not really a fan of Gorillaz but this album was actually one I would listen to again. Nice usage of multiple instruments, such as having the recorder on Rock The House.
Fun lofi/hip hop beats and melodies that accomplish a lot while being very minimalist. A lot of underrated songs on this album. The songs with featured artists are more hit-or-miss, but the solo songs are very enjoyable. Top tracks: Tomorrow Comes Today, Clint Eastwood, Sound Check (Gravity)
Het beste nummer op deze plaat is de remix van 19-2000 en dat zegt eigenlijk alles. Dit zijn geweldige ideeën en gedurfde combinaties die verfijning en schwung missen in de afwerking.
It's okay. Drags quite a bit with occasional bangers.
Bdb. Na 4,5. Klimacik jest.
Damon Albarn finding his footing in the trip-hop space. Incorporates a lot more guitar and rock instruments than the other trip hop records I've listened to. Prefer the poppier albums like Plastic Beach and Demon Days (3.5).
These guys were huge with my 5th grade students and their hick gangsta wannabe sophomore brothers.
Омагад гориллаз!!
This is one of those 50/50 albums. Depends on the day. On this day I dig it.
This album was pretty blah and boring for me. Slow and chill, maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it. The standout was Clint Eastwood tho.
Hell yea!!! Pick up a keyboard and create a beat Using the factory settings to make a hit … Yes!! And the cartoon band members… it works. 4.1
Kinda boring? Had some interesting moments. 5/10 Decent
Great album.
Nice to go back and listen to this album again.
Excellent-inventive and thoughtful
Hip-hopping around the genres. Excellent album by a virtual band
A couple of very good tracks in Clint Eastwood and 19-2000. The rest is just a bit Meh.
I'd lost sight of how experimental this is. And like all experiments you have successes and failures. Damon deserves a lot of credit for innovating, and most of the time it really slaps. But I'm still coming to terms with the more challenging cuts. A picky 3*
i was writing notes on here while i was listening but it didn't save for some reason anyways i really loved the production and the lyrics real funky, it really rocks i was vibin 10\10 would listen again
I just wasn’t really feeling this one. I like some of the singles and remixed versions of them but overall this just isn’t my thing. 2/5.
Gorillaz just never clicked with me. I cannot really find much to be excited about on this record. It isn't bad anywhere at all, but it isn't taking me somewhere either. 2/5
Not particularly exciting or interesting. Gorillaz have gotten a lot better since this one.
🥱 nah
I enjoyed Gorillaz at the time, so much so that I saw them live on the _Demon Days_ tour. That's a much superior and focussed album than this which feels like a 'throw it all at the wall and see what sticks' approach. Not that it doesn't have a handful of really good songs on, but they could easily have chopped this down to a nice 35+ minute album and it would be a much better listen My interest in the group waned shortly after _Demon Days_ and beyond radio play, I haven't really listened to them since. Fun fact: I programmed my Nokia 3310 with the melody for _Rock the House_ as my ringtone.
Clint Eastwood is an absolute banger, and I really enjoyed 19-2000 as well. Unfortunately, the rest of the album never quite reaches the same level for me. It’s an interesting mix of styles and I can see why it was influential, but overall it felt a bit inconsistent
The album is quite inconsistent and only 2 songs could convince me after all these years.
not my type of songs... cool beats tho
i was in a bad mood when i listened to it + am prejudiced against damon albarn so my rating is prob not worth much. i did think it was funny when he called gorillaz the first nonbinary band.
Ich bin damit aufgewachsen und Gorillaz vor allem auch die Musikvideos hat einen großen Einfluss. Love it.
Pas de déceptions avec Gorillaz
Really refreshing and sounding new when landed. Although their folllow up is better this give Damon’s other band a run for its money. Rated this. 4.2/5
Middle school was tuff w this on my OG ipod labeled “track 1” “track 2” “track 3”
This album definitely still holds up. As a whole it's not as good as Demon Days and I also feel like it has too many songs. It has a case of quantity over quality. But the ones that are good are still good after so many years, and this was unique music for its time.
Better than I remembered. I understand why it made as many waves as it did
Idk, it’s fine. Sounds pretty dated to me, and the ideas don’t come off as too original at this point even though it might have been at the time.
2.5. A lot of filler
I actually was a bit mixed on this initially, as it was far more downtempo than I remembered, then realised it was the remixes that I heard literally everywhere that clouded my judgement (two of which were on the version of the album I listened to). :) I liked it! Got to say it is neat hearing the sound finding its feet. :)
Some absolute timeless classics, one of the artists I listened to for years sampled this album as well so for the long melodic and transic parts, that can be overlooked from the sincere pivot in music that came from this group as a whole