Gorillaz

Really interesting production and some great tunes

Personally have to be in a very chilled mood to enjoy this type of music. One for personal taste.

Outstanding album.

Damon Albarn, from Blur, created the Gorillaz as an "animated band" that kind of explored all musical styles. They were completely unique when they came out and absolutely blew up. The animated style, the anonymity, combined with the super catchy beats, it was hard to avoid them when Clint Eastwood came out. For those who haven't seen it, I would suggest watching the music video for Clint Eastwood and Feel Good Inc for an idea. I've obviously heard their singles many time, but this is the first time listening to their whole album and I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of styles that they brought. A lot of trip hop and lo-fi mixed with some other styles. Gorillaz were one of those culturally significant groups that everyone knew. I think this is a valid inclusion as they were huge and so different that it's worth checking out.

I remember how popular this album was when it came out. I didn't find the music or their corny cartoon characters particularly compelling back then, and it certainly hasn't aged any better. The fusion of hip-hop, rock, and rap isn't exactly unique, but they branded themselves a certain way to be more appealing to a broader audience. Although this is their only album on this list, it isn't even their best. That nod goes to Demon Days.

I didn't like every track, but enjoyed overall. Would listen to more by them, curious about later stuff.

I mostly liked it, although part of me feels like I’m just supposed to like it. It has two songs I knew, including the one that goes “I’m happy, feeling glad” and those are good, along with some others. There’s somewhat of a range of sounds in their songs. Overall I’d listen again but not on repeat

Could never get into Gorillaz personally but this is the most I've enjoyed from them. Highlights Clint Eastwood Gravity Rock the house 19-2000 M1A1

This was a slog to get through. I'm sure when this came out it was revolutionary in some way but now it just doesn't feel special and is incredibly boring. 15 songs that are less than 5 minutes just means none of them are memorable on first listen. The singing is uninteresting and the heavy use of sampling is used to boring effect. I was going to give it a 3 at the start but after an hour of listening it's going down to a 2.

Demon Days and Plastic Beach would be my picks, but this is a very good debut

Never knew Gorillaz got this experimental. They're great at making psychadelic beats and sounds, but the other 11 styles they attempted were mostly not that well done

Their debut, can’t grow up in the 2000s and not know this album. It’s something different which is nice, variations of rock, rap, pop all mixed together. With that said, I wouldn’t put this with my other 4s. ‘Tis a bit lower, in my opinion.

Clint Eastwood is one of the best songs of all time. The lyrics effing rule. Probably the only full rap I have memorized and can drop on command. I will say I wasn’t as into the rest of the album. But the gorillaz are rad as hell.

what should I do？？？I mean should I finish this comment every day？

Idk if I'll listen to it all today but this is one of not my favourite albums but it's by one of my favourite artists!!!!! I actually jumped for joy when I saw this. I love the moodyness and electronicyness. Some of my favourite tracks are re hash, 5/4, tomorrow comes today, 19200, rock the house and Clint Eastwood. Note to self go listen to the ones you don't normally listen to and see if you like them a little more this time round. It's definitely not my fav gorillaz album but it's up there. What do you know man research clapper is actually a banger.

Absolute fire and always will be

enter gorillaz, the first true "virtual band". the image of the band on the cover is honestly a perfect visual for the entire album. it's such a brilliant anomaly of an album... imagine being in the 2000s and just seeing the cd. and knowing nothing about the group or the music. i love damon albarn, i love miho hatori, i love dan nakamura. i love all these talented musicians gathering together and creating a perfect, unique fusion of pop, hip hop, rock... seriously, gorillaz at their debut had such a unique energy that nobody had and nobody will have. nowadays their core style has depleted, and it's a shame. they need to really stop making clean processed indie pop and go back to this utterly stinky and swampy energy. shut the hell up and get the cool shoe shine.

The good stuff is really good but there's a lot of weird stuff mixed in there

Really liking the groovy low-key melodicness, especiall the bassline. Not too big of a fan of the Punk influences (especially noticable in Punk and M1 A1). Standout tracks are Clint Eastwood and 19-2000.

A landmark in music and it took everything by storm, hypnotic rythms and the ever so catchy lyrics, it took rap influences, rock sounds and impressive collaborations into this amalgamation of songs that have transcended time, so relevant and listenable all this years later. Astounding.

I just don’t get how popular this group got only to be mostly forgotten.

I remember hearing "Clint Eastwood" for the first time, and playing it on repeat for the whole afternoon. Here was something new and fresh and exciting. I was very disappointed when I found the rest of their output would be mediocre trip-hop with the residue of brit pop. And the "virtual band" gimmick has aged about as well as the millennium bug. 2.5*

Heard it before. I like Gorillaz but Demon Days should've been on the list instead of this album. Self Titled isn't even my favourite Gorillaz album, it has some bangers but also it's just a bit too long. Still, my only chance to rate Gorillaz on this list 4/5

Liked track 3 Wanted some of them to end honestly. Might have just been my mood.

Kewl

The album that started it all. It's good and has some absolute slappers on it. Not all the songs are great though, it's not a perfect album. It's a 7/10 for sure though.

L that this is the only Gorillaz album on the list. Demon Days and Plastic Beach absolutely deserve a spot

I enjoyed this. Put me in a good mood, it was smooth & make me want to road trip

Very rare sound for this era but all the songs sound like video game menu music

It was just too dang repetitive, which worked when I was really vibing with the song (and I was for a couple) but got annoying when I wasn’t (which happened more). I’m pretty sure the “helloooo is anyone there” sound clip in M1 A1 will feature in a nightmare for me at some point. Clint Eastwood and the cover art were both good though.

Clint Eastwood is great, but it’s the only standout on the album. I’d do a 3.5 if I could, but this ends up as a 3 because I honestly got a little bored of the album.

having a virtual identity, all the concept art, the mix of britpop and hiphop, gorillaz is overall really cool. 3.5. looking forward to Demon Days if that's on the list.

This album has all the elements of a good Gorillaz project, including some songs that are easy to zone out during. An impressive debut album but not the Gorillaz album I'll choose to listen to when I get the itch. 3.5 rounded ... Down

DOPE. I like Gorillaz, and Clint Eastwood was my introduction to them. Hope this lives up to high expectations (havent listened to full album in a while). The whole "virtual band" aspect of Gorillaz has always been really weird to me. But it's kinda fun. Definitely different. Listening notes: -5/4 almost seems to be an instruction into how the 5/4 time signature works. Anyway, works for me. -Tomorrow Comes Today, rocks. -Clint Eastwood: my introduction to Gorillaz. A huge hit and justly so. Few songs make me feel as cool while I'm listening. -This album has such a wide range of influences. Staggeringly eclectic. -Dang it's long. But not like Smashing Pumpkins long.

This was a meh of an album saved by one song, "Clint Eastwood". If it weren't for that, this would be an extremely solid 2.

some of these songs are sooo good

This in album that's much better if you compare it to Blur -- because Blur is very boring and this is somewhat less boring. Ultimately, Gorillaz produce a couple of extremely good songs per album (Clint Eastwood; 19-2000; Feel Good Inc) but are mostly Damon Albarn's shot at cosplaying Radiohead (without nearly as much experimentation). The Radiohead comparison is particularly interesting: that's a band that also produces a single or two per album that is accessible and the rest of their records tend to be difficult to get into for most people (read through the user reviews on a few if you don't believe me). Albarn, in his Gorillaz guise, puts on the dreamy, disaffected vocal disposition of Thom Yorke but the songs don't have the same magic of revealing themselves on further listens. On the one hand, it's laudable to write and record music that is immediately appreciable. On the other, it's kind of a problem -- they're not all great to start and they don't get better with more effort. While the grooves are competent (the hip-hop influences produce a strong rhythmic sense), the songs are ultimately boring. I'm listening to 'New Genius (Brother)' as I write this and it makes fine background music to work to; there's no hook in here that's going to come back to me like a bolt from the blue, though. It's not distracting, which is useful but not a complement. That they *are* capable of producing truly infectious and addictive tracks is the most frustrating thing about Gorillaz: in collaboration with Del the Funky Homosapien ('Clint Eastwood') and De La Soul ('Feel Good Inc' from Demon Days), they have made music that draws me back repeatedly and has done so for decades. Maybe that's the rub: this is just Albarn's Beat Factory and it's just missing a good MC to put on the finishing touches. Otherwise, we're stuck with his listless singing -- just a Thom Yorke mask without the artistic ambition. You can't even say Gorillaz lack the pretention of Radiohead. It's probably less for Gorillaz but there's a certain kind of pretense involved in having a necessarily visual component to your music project (which most people will only consume auditorily). It *does* say something about the ubiquity of music videos in the year 2000 that a band decided to become animated but, ultimately, it's meaningless: music videos are just an accessory to the music. It's window dressing if you watch the band live (which I recommend, just to sample further from this dodgy well). A perfect example of the whole thing is the song 'Punk'. An utterly vapid and insulting facsimile if you're a fan of punk music. Anyway, it's fine. 3/5 -- sounds like the year 2000, which is important. Why is it that I write so much more about records that are just kind of meh?

I AINT HAPPY IM FEELING SAD I GOT SUNSHINE IN A BAG

Incredibly creative project.

Goodmorning Starshine, the earth says hello! :D Ooooh, this album is an Aries halfway through...I'm kinda bored. I'm sad that I'm kinda bored. I know people love this, and I'm sad i don't get to understand why. And now I'm done listening and I'm still just mostly bored by this album. It feels so...lacking. I'm honestly confused on how Damon Albarn got on his high horse about lyrics a few years ago if this is his writing??? This is the only thing I've really heard so far, and I am willing to hear more. The production was fine, fun at parts but just there at others. I'm just left really confused by this since they're held up in such high regard. Songs I liked: "Clint Eastwood" - I clicked on the genius lyric page just happy to see the wall of words "Punk" - I had a lot of fun with this one, really short tho "Rock The House" was really fun. I actually laughed at the Egghead/Wallflower line. I know that's a call out on my type, but i can't help it. Analyzing things and being a nerd is where i find joy. That line also is like the only lyric in the entire project where I felt that "ping" of joy in my heart like I do when listening to my favorite artists. "M1 A1" - Really odd but fascinating song. I know it's sampling a movie called "Day of the Dead", but it reminded me of the twilight zone and I love it for that. I like how it goes from a minute of that into scrambling guitars, very fun. Reminded me of Kate Bush. I do no see myself coming back to this album like every. Maybe in 10 years? Maybe if I meet someone and their like "Literally my favorite album" I'd give it another go. I'm just...confused. Like, "Man Research" sounds like a 5 year old running around their kitchen trying to annoy their mom. 2.5/5 sorry :(

Love Clinton eastwood. The whole artist brand as a whole is insane, first "virtual" band, loved them.

Reminiscent of Jakob Two-two Intro one song, nostalgic boppy but low key

I like Gorillaz, cool to see the early exploration of their sound

I've heard better from them

Formative album from my teens. Listen to it on repeat, and hasn’t left the rotation since I got it. Love the rhythm and its oddball lyrics and themes. Nothing quite like it

I like Sound Check but a lot of the songs miss for me. The engaging sections are too far separate to be completely enjoyable.

A band that probably a lot of people wrote off as a cartoon gimmick is actually really good, who knew? Also, I got definite flashbacks of the time I used to play piano for Suzuki violin classes when I heard Left Hand Suzuki method.

I mean pretty much everyone has heard Clint Eastwood, never really listened to ANYTHING outside of that from Gorillaz, but it was decent. In my opinion, just too long to love it, but not terrible enough to hate it.

Perfection

This really takes me back. Holds up better than I thought

I dislike pretty much everything about this.

This has a couple okay singles on it that got plenty of airplay at the time. I remember hearing 1999-2000 in Project Gotham Racing and that was the first I had heard of the Gorillaz. Clint Eastwood is fine. Otherwise not really worth hearing and I would not put it on this list.

Clasico entre los millenials, una vez mas. Un 4 para vosotros Damon y Jamie

Always been a Blur guy when it comes to Britpop, so I bought into Gorillaz right away. This is probably their least adventurous album but it still jams. The album largely feels like Albarn is trying to find his footing in this guise, sometimes falling back on guitar-y stuff and only selectively using guest stars, which become a huge feature of Gorillaz in future records.

Good but around the halfway mark I was wondering how many more sparse trip hop tracks with Damon Albarn’s croon I could take, but then Double Bass hits and after that this is a really great time. You can feel the bass in Starshine in your soul.

Some really stand out tracks, but they don't really work together. It's like a lot of different ideas mismashed together but they don't all stick.

The singles remain good, but there's some right shite on this album. Sure, it's kind of experimental, but some of it sounds like filling up the album with any old crap. I really wanted to like it but I didn't. Damon Albarn's voice can be incredibly irritating.

acho gorillaz uma bela bosta. nunca desceu.

bom, eh isso aí né. dá pra ver que tem sustância pra ser algo a mais. o foda eh que esse album aqui eh xoxo pra carai, hein. falta algo. tem umas "legais", mas nada além disso. vou ser simpático e dar 3, pq sei que depois eles melhoram e nao tem mais nada deles na lista.

I like a lot of their songs, but can't listen to many others. Repetitive lyrics wind me up.

Removed Album #19 (List: https://pastebin.com/cSThNiK9) Fuck yeah, the Rillaz of Gor. It's been a good while since I last rolled an album that I genuinely liked, and this one has sentimental value to boot. Gorillaz were the first band I listened to and this was the first-ever album I grew to appreciate. A rare story, I know. The Gallagher brothers weren't exactly off in their assessment that Gorillaz appealed to freaks, geeks and twelve-year-olds. I have so much to say about this band. The Fall is my favourite album of theirs, so I kind of have a lot of explaining to do in general. There are few greater machines in the music industry than Damon Albarn. The amount of music he was able to pump out from Phases one to three of Gorillaz was truly staggering, especially when you consider that much of his best material was relegated to the B-Sides and rarities. Standing atop this golden era of the band for me was, initially, their debut album. One of my favourite details about the "classic" Gorillaz era that I don't really see being discussed online is how each album represents a member of the band. Demon Days is strongly linked with Noodle due to it's apocalyptic theming and mentions of war. Plastic Beach is Murdoc's album, having written all of it and being the central figure behind it's creation. The Fall is 2-D's album, being created by him in isolation and capturing much of his loopy personality in the underproduced, quirky sound. This debut album is very much Russel's thing thanks to the nocturnal, occultic sound and underground hip-hop feel. This is likely the reason as to why I favoured it early on. Russel has always been my favourite Gorilla. I don't know why. It probably boils down to my contrarian impulse (like all things), though I've always thought he was the most likeable character with the best design. His backstory is pretty cool, and I've always liked how he holds the band together without necessarily being the moral center. The paternal role he assumes for Noodle in phases one to three is pretty sweet, too. Anyways, the album. It's pretty good. While The Fall is the stronger body of music overall, I've always thought that this debut album featured much of their best material, even if it is stretched a little thin at points. Damon thrives when working with an underproduced sound. This is their most underproduced album, ergo it is their most creative and off-the-wall. Of course, the most outstanding feature of this album is the virtual band concept, which I think this album handles better than every other Gorillaz project combined. I prefer to think of Gorillaz as a band that exists in their own monster movie, pop-culture-ified universe rather than as a band that exists in the real world and is rooted in real-world problems (i.e., the exact approach the band would adopt with Demon Days, Plastic Beach and Humanz). The album's general sound is reflective of this difference. I've always really enjoyed how Damon imitates 2-D's cockney accent in the vocals and how many of the songs have a mysterious, morose allure to them. To me, this album really captures the feeling of what music from another world would sound like, though it's relaxed and deliberate enough to where it doesn't come across as alienating. Delving into the more superficial aspects of this album, I've always favoured the visual style of phase one over what came after. The simplistic anatomy, thick lines and freakish facial features go a long way in making these characters expressive, which isn't exactly the case with the albums that followed. Of course, that isn't to knock Jamie Hewlett. The artwork of Plastic Beach is very impressive with how it balances jagged edges and a high level of detail. The surrealist imagery is pretty great too, though I don't think the art pops or is as interesting as the artwork from phase one. Naturally, my bias also extends to the music videos. With the exception of Stylo, the rest of the Gorillaz videography doesn't hold a candle to their phase one output. You can admittedly tell where the budget is showing in the case of Rock the House, Clint Eastwood and Tomorrow Comes Today, but something about these videos are just so likeable. They perfectly capture a balance between cool, stylised imagery and amusing cartoon antics. The videos are also more divorced from the lyrics that they accompany, which I feel results in a more interesting end product. "Re-Hash" is a great opener. That leading acoustic guitar riff is pretty golden. It gives the song a great, layabout energy. The lyrics are nigh-indiscernable, though I kind of like them that way. Miho Hatori's backing vocals are a little awkward as far as the anunciation goes, though I find that endearing. Of course, I shant ever heckle Miho given that she's one of my all-time favourite vocalists. I got into Cibo Matto and Gorillaz at around the same time and I've always thought that their crossover here is neat. I used to dislike "5/4", though I've come around to it. The charming cockney voice is on full display, and I quite like the garage rock feel. It perfectly captures the feeling of starting out in the music biz and making your mark. I've always interpreted the lyrics of this song as being about 2-D coping over being cucked by Murdoc, which is something that actually happened in the Gorillaz canon, for the record. If Re-Hash is a solid opener, 5/4 is a solid mission statement for the band. "Tomorrow Comes Today" is a crazy pivot from the previous two tracks. Of course, it was their first single, but "Ghost Train" (the first-ever Gorillaz song) captures much more of that Rillaz spirit. I'm not sure what headspace Albarn was in while making this tune, though I'm not complaining as it's always been one of my favourites. It's hard not to fall into a lull while listening to this song. I love how the ominous, ambiguous lyrics are paired with that fantastic, forboding piano and harmonica. Great music video, too. It's very early 2000s with all of the blurred photography and old storefronts. I've always loved the iconography of urban night-life, so it's right at home with my interests. "Clint Eastwood". Classic alert. One of the few hip-hop songs that you'll find me listening to. Once again, Damon struck gold with a simplistic leading melody. That piano is fantastic and meshes well with the muffled sound. The background embellishements are pretty good too - especially the horror movie ambience that leads into the second chorus. Del's sections are great, especially during that build-up in the first verse - his vocals pack an incredible punch. My only problem with the song is that it goes on for way too long. You could cut the last two and a half minutes of this song and you'd have a far superior tune. Similarly to the song, the music video has a fantastic first half, but goes out to lunch with the second. Either way, it has some pretty great imagery. It's also a crime that the intro to the music video didn't make it onto the single or the album as it's pretty great and meshes well with the gothic sound. I'm sure "Man Research" is a bit of a polariser, but I like it. The wavy, all-encompasing instrumental is great. I love the way it oscillates, reverses and wraps around me, and the heartbeat percussion which guides the tune is pretty great, too. The vocals are fun. Damon is once again exposing his cockneyness for all to see, and I like the groaning sounds which underscore the squeaky chorus. "Sound Check" was my favourite song on the album for a good while. It still holds up. The nocturnal acoustic guitar is a great lead-in to the song and those turntable sounds take it to the next level. I love the way it's layered and mixed - it sounds so sleek. The vocal style is pretty great, too. Similarly to Man Research, I like how the squeaky vocals are contrasted with the groaning ones. "Double Bass" has been the reigning champion of this album for a quite a while now. Instrumental tracks usually don't work for me when they feature on mostly-vocal albums, though it works perfectly here, both as a continuation of Sound Check and as a segue into the second half of the album. The melody on the bass is so, so good. It captures a feeling of monotony in an intensely gratifying way, notably with how it keeps droning on and building pressure. The moments where the bass breaks and falls into a slump are pretty satisfying. The background instruments are also very good. I love the acoustic guitar that interjects during the bass slumps, and the organ gives the song a surprising level of character. The discordant, strange electronic sounds are also well-matched with the instrumental. Aside from "Hayling" by FC Kahuna, I can't think of a better nocturnal tune than this one. To me, it captures the feeling of being alone in an underground subway in the dead of night, hearing the rumblings of the trains above and around you while you wait for your ticket out of there. "Rock the House" has yet another great music video. I like all of the sports iconography, and the crasse moments with Murdoc are pretty funny. The constant hip-thrusting is kind of mesmerising, I won't lie. I care much less for the actual song, but it's respectable enough. "19-2000". This was the first Gorillaz song that I listened to, which is why it's especially fucked up that YouTube music has the storyboard as the default music video. Anyways, great song. I dig that goofy lead instrument and Damon's vocals are at their best on this track. They're the perfect in-between as far as capturing 2-D's layabout personality and Albarn's panache for singing goes. Miho Hatori's vocal segments are impressive when compared to her usual broken English. I shudder to think of how much Damon had to waterboard her in order to get this performance. Great video. It's a classic. The only one without clear budget limitations, and I love how much character it exudes. Gorillaz actually released a downloadable game where you drive around the track from this video, which I remember being fun. The controls were kind of shitty, but I enjoyed messing with them. There was also a massive hole in the middle of the map that you could fall down, which caused the car revving sounds to become fucked up and distorted before the game eventually crashes, which I thought was hilarious. "Latin Simone" is a great cut. Another song that's all doom and gloom. I can't help but feel like I'm hiding from demons while listening to this tune - the song is heavily entrenched in a feeling of dread. The distinctive Spanish instrumental is matched very nicely with the trip-hop stylings, though it's the Spanish vocals which really win me over. They're a total knock-out - I love the passion and energy they add. There's also an English version of this song performed by Albarn which appears on the Tomorrow Comes Today EP. It's quite a morbid performance - Albarn sounds depressed and hollowed out, though what's coolest about this version is that the Spanish and English lyrics play out like a conversation, with each version having separate lyrics that reference each other. The Spanish lyrics are desperate and consoling as if they're trying to keep someone from committing suicide, whereas the English lyrics are sung from the perspective of someone who has given up on life and is devoid of hope. Both versions sound great when paired together. The fast-paced Spanish vocals are contrasted nicely with the slower, more droll English ones. "Starshine" was another slow-burn for me. I like the directionless, atmospheric feel of the tune. It's a fitting late-album track in that regard. Same goes for "Slow Country". The breathy, stadium-like ambience that hangs over the track clashes with the lonely, stripped-back instrumental, making for a pretty interesting listen. "M1 A1" kicks so much fuckin ass. Great closer - one for the ages. The Day of the Dead sample is genius, and those billowing, infernal, snarling guitars really elevate it. They're so, so good - I have no idea how to properly articulate just how fantastic they are. The drum breaks which usher in the second half of the song are also great, and I love the ghoulish vocals, too. The song captures the feeling of an underworld invasion perfectly. The two remixes at the end of the album get a lot of shit, though I've come to appreciate them. The Clint Eastwood remix is okay. The added vocals are a bit of a swing and a miss, though they're solid in the beginning. I like the twee sound which is added to the instrumental. The faster pace and electronic flourishes on the 19-2000 remix are alright, too. This review is belaboured as fuck, but B-SIDES TIME WOOOOOOOO. "Faust" is my all-time favourite Gorillaz song. I love every second of it. You haven't truly listened to this song until you've popped it in a CD player and listened in awe as the gorgeous, ethereal, reverberating electronic tones bounce off the walls and infiltrate the deepest reaches of your soul. The dreamy sound that the song adopts during the final stretch is also so, so good. My beloved Miho Hattori also makes an appearance. How could this song get any better? It sucks that the minimalistic production leaves me with few things to talk about, but I can't praise the song enough. Required listening if you're a fan of this album and somehow haven't heard it yet. "Left Hand Suzuki Method" is another good cut. The bong hit makes me a little uncomfortable, though I can't complain too much as the growling bass guitar is killer. Once again, Miho makes a feature. I enjoy her aimless babbling about a music curriculum I know nothing about. All of the samples are pretty cool, and I like the quirky oriental sound which runs down the middle of the track. "Dracula" has a neat atmosphere. I like the distant, echoing ska saxes, the distorted guitars and the reggaeton influence which hold the track together. The shameless Britpop vocals also gave me smile. It's impressive how all of these scattered influences come together into a pretty solid package. "12D3" is an unlikely favourite of mine. It's one of the few Gorillaz songs that are sung entirely within character, and it's great when you read between the lines for that exact reason. It only features a guitar, a piano and some other musical embellishments that aren't specific to the bandmates. Ergo, the song is performed by 2-D and Noodle. Because of the song's simplicity, I can picture the two improvising it on a lazy afternoon, which I think is sweet. The aforementioned English version of Latin Simone is also a great deep cut. So, why was this album removed? Beats me, though I can consult the book for why it was in here in the first place. Unique. Had a few successful singles. Outsold Blur in the US and performed very well in the UK. This album was removed in the 2011 edition of the book, which kind of does all the talking, really. Plastic Beach had released and proven to be a bit of a disaster for the band, so I imagine the curators of this list thought the gimmick had run it's course. A shame, though I guess I can understand. Still, I'd save this album from the woodchipper. Like I said, it's the strongest album in their discography from a conceptual standpoint and I haven't come across another album which sounds quite like this one. A perfect blend between unorthodox creativity and general appeal. I've also replaced one of the other albums on this list with Plastic Beach, if only for the fact that's it's sheer ambition as a massive multimedia music project hasn't been matched by any album that came before or after.

Clint Eastwood is really in my favorite 1001 songs (though I think Del carries the song). The Blur influence comes through strong, but still unique.

Odd but strangely beguiling diversion.

Funkytown. Weird and wonderful. 🦍

There are definitely some stinkers on this album, but the highs are so high that it balances it out, also the production throughout is just superb. I really like the early Gorillaz catalogue when they had more obvious Trip Hop elements. Low 5.

Guerilla Gorilla

One of the best of this century

A slightly up-and-down album, but an interesting and influential debut.

good not my style but you can listen to it

It’s not bad but Demon Days is the one they should’ve went for, and if you prefer gorillaz to blur… actually listen to more blur than song 2 😊

Monkey business, tbh.

Finally, an album with dynamic genres and experimental instrumentations.

Fun to listen to, once in a while

I really want to like this album but I just don’t. I will definitely try again at a later stage because I love Damon.

Overall Rating - 3.03/5 (6.06/10). Another solid hip-hop album.

What a great record. Such a unique and special project overall, I remember how befuddled everyone was when the debut came out. What is this? Who are they? Is this real? Well “they’re real, and they’re spectacular.”

One of Gorillaz's best albums in my opinion. My personal favorite is plastic beach, but this is my second favorite album. So different for the time it was released. Very intriguing concept of an album. It always surprises me how their first album was a concept album that had a digital band that was backing for it. There is even a lore behind all of the fictional characters of the band. Groundbreaking album by a groundbreaking band.

Tem que dar 5 para esses álbuns, nostálgicos, mas cheios de música boa. Gosto muito de Latin Simone, que eu acho que é a minha preferida do álbum, junto de 5/4. Gosto muito dos singles, Re-Hash, Tomorrow Comes Today, Clint Eastwood e 19-2000. Além desses gosto da vibe de Rock the House, Slow Country, Double Bass e New Genious (Brother).

Funky and fun.

I remember reeally liking this album when it came out. While there are some good songs there are other songs that are just plain terrible. Not sure what was going on at the time but this is probably the most unbalanced album I've ever heard. I would say out of the 17 songs there probably about 3 good songs. Too slow and a mismatch of genres that are just lazily done, very few standouts.

I remember going to target when I was 11 and watching the Clint Eastwood music video for the first time. I really fell off from this band until plastic beach came out. After that, I found there discography to really have a lot of solid albums. One of my favorite bands of all time

Just great. The beats were fresh and timeless at the same time while picking up great influence from their features. One of those albums that my grandkids will listen to and respect.

Some nice tunes, some less so. 7/10

DOOOOOOOOOOOOPE!

i mean it's alright... overrated as f**K

Expected something better from this but honestly wasn’t that enjoyable, close to giving a 2 honestly but have to go with 3

I’m having a generationally good run on music this week again. 2 5’s in a row is always a good omen. “Feel Good Inc.” and the Gorillaz were my first big love in music. I’ve been listening to these guys my entire life. I’ve grown up with them and seen every stage of their evolution with great interest. While I’d rather have preferred Demon Days over this if I had to pick only 1 Gorillaz album, this is still undeniably a 5 star album. Me labeling it as anything other than that would be directly antithetical to my entire being. This is the band that introduced me to Deltron and MF DOOM, 2 of my all time favorite rappers. While only the former is present on this album, he’s also responsible for what I believe are the 2 best songs on the album, “Clint Eastwood” and “Rock the House”. Both of those songs are worth the price of admission alone. That isn’t to say 2D doesn’t absolutely kill it on vocals though, he’s another absolutely iconic part of the band. They must have had so much fun on this project. Every song sounds completely distinct from the last, and they’re all absolute ear candy. When this came out, it was unavoidable. You either loved it or hated it. After that, it took on a life of its own and the rest was history. What a great first album by one of my favorite bands of all time. Bonus, I’ve never heard this version of “Clint Eastwood” before either with Ed Case, but it’s fantastic. There’s a 3rd version on the album G-Sides with Phi Life Cypher, and even that’s good. I guess they just have a million different versions of that song, and it makes sense. The song is fantastic!! They’ve even sang it live with MF DOOM himself, which was legendary as well btw. I could talk about this band all day in a positive light. Listing my favorite songs on this album would simply be me copy and pasting the entire set list. And the album art!! Gotta love the classic Gorillaz geep with the graffiti of the bands name. It even manages to capture their unique personalities as well. Love this album. Love the Gorillaz. If the book gets another update, it would be a crime not to include Demon Days or Plastic Beach. Further more, since they were frequent collaborators, this may be one of the few moments where I get to request they add MF DOOM as well.

9/10

Groupe connu par quelques un de ses tubes, peu appréciés. Rien de bien original dans cet album bien trop long. Il est basé sur des samples pas forcément très bons, et ce dès le premier morceau, très répétitif par conception. Les boucles de batteries ne sont vraiment pas terribles ('Tomorrow Comes Today' très hip-hop). Et les morceaux sont généralement plutôt mous. Je me suis ennuyé assez vite, et j'ai zappé les derniers morceaux tellement je les ai trouvé inintéressants. =>1/5

Had to two Del tracks on heavy rotation when it dropped but honestly that’s about it for me

50,000,000 stars

Top

MYLIUU. Man tik remixai gale atrodė nereikalingi, o visos kitos labai geros.

Whole album is carried by a few songs, so disapointing

This is a good one. Makes you feel like you're hanging out in the subway even tho you have no intention of riding the train. In the best way possible.

One hit wonder tbh

Classic songs love gorillaz demon days is def better but

Besides Clint Eastwood and a couple more songs, not his is really interesting here

Way more dynamic than i thought it would be. Spans so many genres. A few of the old faves in here but the other songs were just ok.

4.25- it’s so cool to hear the origin of Gorillaz! Some great songs

Enjoyed this less than I thought I would. I felt it fell a bit flat. I did listen to it twice, because I first listened early in the morning and didn’t concentrate that much, then again on a flight. But both times didn’t enjoy that much. Enjoyed the Clint Eastwood remix the most.

I really tried to come at this with an open mind because I know I’ve got preconceptions about Gorillaz and I wanted to give this a fair hearing, but it’s just not for me. I found it to be full of half thought out experiments and wide leaps in styles. It bored me towards the end, just another plodding hip hop beat and some random vocal. Not for me and I struggle to see the mass appeal.

This was great. Love the “lo fi” sound and vibes of it.

Excited....

Love Damon but a whole album of this gets a bit much. The singles are great, and the bonus track Soulchild remix of 19-2000 is amazing.

I really don't like gorillaz

I remember listening to this when it came out, and it holds up. Great album.

if it were produced by new world monkeys i'd give it 5 stars.

4.4

Solid debut and nostalgic due to Clint Eastwood.

I was excited because I didn’t know any tracks off this album except “Clint Eastwood” and “19-2000” but I’m a fan of “Demon Days” and “Plastic Beach”. Turns out I wasn’t missing much. You can see hints of what’s to come in future albums as Damon’s sound for the band developed but this album wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it’d be.

It as good as I thought it would be. Clint Eastwood is a good song though.

top tier

Definitely an experimental album. started a bit slow. One observation was lack of experience with production but was a decent album.

There’s potential but, in its current form, Gorillaz is boring

Recognizing Ibrahim Ferrer from Buena Vista Social Club was pretty neat. I was like... that sounds familiar! The rest of the album I didn't dig that much. The intrumental side of Starshine interested me a bit

trip of an album

The Gorillaz self-titled debut album incorporates an eclectic mix of influences ranging from rap/dub/electronic to Latin rock. At times, this combination can make the album feel confused, and it lacks the drive and 'kick' of later albums "Demon Days" and perhaps "Plastic Beach". While it did not feel like a complete slog to get through, its hour-long length is certainly felt, and is not aided by weak tracks scattered throughout, including the opener "Re-Hash". Of course, this does not stop it from having fun songs such as the hits "Clint Eastwood" and "19-2000", and “Latin Simone” is a fun Latin rock tune.

Fun genre-bending debut for Gorillaz. You can tell they haven't quite figured out their 'sound' yet, but that's what makes it so eclectic. Apparently it was one of the most common records to find in a second hand shop in 2002 as people who were epxecting hip-hop/pop crossovers were confusee of what to make of this almost massive-attack-lite album. Would advsie listening to mezzanine-13-gorillaz to see how their sound formulated. Favourite songs: Re-hash Clint Eastwood Tomorrow Comes Today

“Clint Eastwood”, “19-2000” and “Rock The House” are excellent songs. All of the other songs are okay. Not bad for a debut album from a virtual band.

I guess you would call this trip hop? Slightly better than it's dirty cousin, hip Hop. It might make some good background music if I was tripping but if I was going to seriously do some more psychedelics then I would probably just put on Jimi hendrix's masterpiece Electric Ladyland. This will not make my playlist. Not offensive but not exciting either.

I thought this would be better. This came out when I was a teenager. It was a huge sensation though I have to say the entire virtual band bit seemed stupid back then as well. Did folks really not know it was Damon Albarn? Because it sounds exactly like him. Anyway outside of the gimmick the album is pretty weak overall. I mean Clint Eastwood is a banger but other than that it’s pretty humdrum. Let’s say two stars.

Eh, Slow, a bit hip Hop - y, very whimsical

Back in the dayz kjøpte jeg denne skiva på basis av 19-2000 og musikkvideoen og sikkert litt navnet og coveret også. Skiva var jeg dog ikke så fan av, så den ble lite spilt og jeg avfeide egentlig hele bandet i en lang periode som en gruppe som kunne lage noen hitz, men som burde holde seg unna album. De siste par åra har jeg skjønt at i hvert fall Demon Dayz er et solid album, men det blir kanskje med den? Denne skiva er hjemmet til hva jeg helt uten hverken hyperbole eller Gorillaz-boner er villig til å erklære en av 2000-tallets desidert viktigste og mest innflytelsesrike tracks. Skiva huser også to remixer (hold dette til en separat release, please), rundt tre andre låter som er av nesten samme kaliber, og en stor håndfull som vakler mellom fillers og straight up irriterende. Terningkast tre.

Det beste med denne plata er fløyta på "Rock the House". Ellers er det mye gøy som skjer her, men plata bærer litt preg av at de prøver å finne formen. Eventuelt bare prøver ting uten noe klar tanke om å finne formen. Mener Beck har hatt den samme filosofien for sine plater, men med bedre helhetlige resultater, selv om Gorillaz har de største enkeltstående hitsa. Men så har jeg heller aldri brydd meg om "virtuelt band"-konseptet, så det kan jo hende at jeg har gått glipp av noe der, men det går egentlig helt greit. JEg koser meg med Demon Dayz og Plastic Beach, og tror de har holdt seg mye bedre.

I motsetning til Smashing Pumpkins, så er dette faktisk soundtracket til barndommen min. Det er litt for langt, og noen av låtene er strengt talt lengre enn de tåler. Jeg har så veldig lyst til å gi denne skiva en femmer, men klarer det ikke, selvom denne skiva definerte mye mer enn bare barndommen min. Oppdatering: Jeg skrev det over etter at jeg hadde hørt første halvdel. Nå har jeg hørt hele og kjenner nesten ikke igjen andre halvdel, og det med god grunn tror jeg. Jeg kan ikke ha hørt mye på den delen, for den er ganske mye dårligere. Denne skiva burde desverre vært ferdig for lengst

Gorillaz é uma banda que eu ouço desde o berço, basicamente. Desde criança este CD esteve em minha casa, e é impossível mensurar o impacto que os álbuns pré-Humanz tiveram nos meus anos formativos. De 2018 pra cá eu meio que caí em desilusão com o output da banda, e hoje não os acompanho tão ferozmente quanto naqueles anos, mas ainda assim, eu mantenho um carinho grande pelos álbuns iniciais deles, esse, Demon Days e Plastic Beach, discos estes que foram obsessões minhas por muitos anos. Não é difícil ver o porquê. Eu nunca fui tão doido pelo aspecto “virtual” da banda, a lore ou seus personagens. Meu foco sempre foi mais na parte musical. Gorillaz não é meu álbum favorito deles, não chega nem perto, mas é um que mantém um nível de consistência alto, que nunca mais foi replicado pelo grupo. O disco é simples. Sua grande pegada é a mescla de gêneros, com o estilo dub misturado com um rock tradicional e algumas pitadas de rap. Dá pra ver que Damon estava com uma certa ressaca de seus anos britpopianos, apesar que às vezes dá pra ver esse lado seu transparecendo em uma faixa ou outra deste disco. Aqui, os convidados são empenhados com parcimônia e ótimo gosto, o que difere drasticamente esse disco dos seus sucessores. Prefiro assim, gosto muito da voz do Damon, e é ótimo que os instrumentais brilhantemente produzidos pelo Dan the Automator possuem espaço para respirar, incluindo a incrível canção Double Bass. Há diversos destaques deste álbum. Minha canção favorita é sem dúvida Tomorrow Comes Today. Latin Simone e Starshine são outros exemplos da forma com que o minimalismo é usado magistralmente em toda duração do álbum, com raras exceções onde acho que eles erraram um pouco, sendo o maior exemplo a faixa Rock The House, a que menos gosto e a que eu facilmente trocaria por algum dos B-Sides (nesse caso, G-Sides), como Dracula ou Left Hand Suzuki Method. Serei sincero agora, ao gerar este álbum esta manhã eu honestamente pensei comigo mesmo “Não tem como dar 5 estrelas pra este disco”. Mas depois de ouvi-lo novamente, percebo que estou enganado. Meu viés é forte demais para ser suprimido, e as memórias afetivas e nostálgicas gritam mais alto que meu senso crítico. Não consigo ser objetivo com um álbum que me acompanha desde o berço! É 5 e pronto. 5/5

Come on!! Clint Eastwood!!! Probably a 4.5 from me

Ne mogu se oduprijeti utisku da se od ovih skoro sat vremena mogao izvući još bolji album od četrdesetak minuta. Inače mi ima previše zbrkanih stilova i gostiju da bude kohezivan dojam. Ali dobar album, nema šta. Najviše mi se, naravno, sviđaju pjesme koje podsjećaju na Blur.

Great album, experimental yes. But some of the songs here are perfect.

Good songs worth a listen

Not as good as demon days but still very good

Pretty goooood

3.5 56:56 - long album, Debut (of Gorillaz, certainly not Blur) 15 tracks as originally released. A lot of great songs but too much filler to get up to a 4. I love Blur too - the concept, with artwork thought, is a 5 - insanely creative to create a virtual 'animated' band that never ages kudos to Blur (Damon Albarn) and Jamie Hewlett for this.

Sounds good

-oh my god this was such a formative album for me as a kid, my mom would play it for my brother and i all the time. so many songs on here i absolutely adore -i’m not a huge fan of all of it and it’s probably not Gorillaz’ best work, specifically the second half (maybe bc my mom didn’t play it as much?). but it’s still a really fun album and very important to my personal history with music -Favorites are 5/4, Tomorrow Comes Today, Clint Eastwood, Rock The House, and 19-2000

No

While often interesting, I struggled to really get into this album. Deserving to be there, sure, that is a pretty new combination of music and worth a listen. However, it also feels too disjointed to truly be one of the great and I would have picked both other Gorillaz album instead of that one. I think they are really cooking in the middle (from Clint Eastwood to Rock the house) and it is not boring, but, in general, do I want to listen to it often, or was I moved ? Not even close. I was okay with this.

Varied, clever and skillfully written and thus far more interesting than anything Albarn ever wrote with Blur, this genre-buster marks the start of the most creative alternative rock project of the 21st century. A little uneven (Punk has a whiff of the pop-punk fad of the era) and not quite as polished as later efforts but all of the core components are here. An album very much of its time (was there another time trip-hop was this mainstream?) and worth a listen if you want a look at a route hip-hop and rock could have taken without the rise of Bling and the garage rock revival respectively.

- I like their singles, but I never really got into their full albums. This album is helping me see why. Obv, Clint Eastwood is a banger, and Tomorrow Comes Today is also good. - Overall, I find the album to be plodding, and it feels experimental just for the sake of it. There are interesting parts/grooves in each of the songs, but not enough to make sitting through the whole song pleasurable - you have to deal with the rest of the song trying so hard to be atypical. I’d just rather listen to other trip hop. - I also don’t think that Damon’s voice fits on a lot of the songs (though, I like it in Blur). It can get so grating, whiny, and babyish - especially on New Genious (Brother), Man Research - which makes the song unlistenable for me, the beginning/end of Sound Check (Gravity; but I like it on the middle part of the song), and Starshine... I can't understand the lyrics, for the most part, so that's not even something I can hold on to, and what I do understand is... not remarkable, though I know they're supposed to be talking about world issues. Would be nice to be able to hear it. - Also, I couldn't care any less about the fake situations this fake band are going through.

Good nostalgic listen but not top tier worthy

It's okay.

This record made more sense to me as a ninth grader. I remember having these songs on repeat and being attracted to how different they were compared to what I had listened to by that point. Even before, the singles were around in my younger years and that's why I feel that those are the strongest tracks here. However, today I put this on and some of my opinions have changed 5 years down the line. Besides the singles, I don't find myself as drawn to the other batch of songs besides a few good ones. I was never really a fan of Rehash and 5/4 anyway, so those opinions were not surprising. Though it's the fact that I am less drawn to Man Research and Punk that surprises me because I did like those songs more back then. The non-singles I feel are highlights are Gravity, Latin Simone, New Genius, Slow Country and Double Bass but the overall album feels like an experiment that's too unpolished for my taste. That's not an unfair judgment since this was Damon Albarn's new direction after years of fronting Blur. While the vision and the appeal is there, I feel that this is too much of a mixed bag between great singles, minor album tracks and less impressive bits. It's nice to know that the best idea of what Gorillaz could become came next. But hey, get the cool shoeshine still (6/10, 3/5 on this scale)

Gorillaz no me entusiasma, y bueno pues el álbum a mí me deja un poco fría, aunque sobre estimulada. Diría que es mi estado vital, pero siento que es así con todos los álbumes parecidos. 2.5 o 3.

Everything about this album feels pretty bold and in your face, which I think works well. Gorillaz prob has albums I like better (esp plastic beach), but this was pretty solid. Fav songs: Rock the House, 19-2000

A start of something special.

I'll always be a Plastic Beach guy, the middle of the album has some skippables (Man Research (Clapper), Punk, Sound Check (Gravity) is OK). Tomorrow Comes Today, Clint Eastwood, Rock the House, 19-2000 are the highlights.

Damon Albarn, you’ve upset me in so many creative ways over the years. in other news this album really did start his twink death

I think I overpromised myself how much I was gonna like this album and it undersold my internal promise. Extra point for my prior expectations getting in the way of simply enjoy myself #TherapyWorks

This sucked

It's a nostalgia bias, but I love it.

Another one that I know every note of. Gorillaz hit in a way that's hard to explain today.... it was the animation, sure, but it was a way for Albarn to show his chops far, far beyond what he could pull off in Blur. And it showcased his love for rap and hip-hop... Albarn has an honest love of black music and artists and pulls them in to amazing collaborations. This is true musical history here. Don't miss out. And it still fucks, 24 years later.

Clint Eastwood is kind of all the album has. Not their best.

it was ok

the problem with a front man who has a distinct voice is no matter where he goes it sounds like his main band. even when he tries to copy Jag. some nice sounds but nothing new

Somewhat uneven in concept but consistently excellent in execution

Fan

Clint Eastwood is still a banger but the rest of the album just simply doesn't live up to the hype, imo.

So so good. Can't decide if it is my favourite Gorillaz album. Favourites: Tomorrow Comes Today Clint Eastwood Rock the House 19-2000 Slow Country M1 A1

Moja včerajšnja teorija je bla, da sm zj zapovrstjo mela tok dobrih albumov, da morm dons dobit neki groznega. Ampak, Gorillaz! Prou muska mojih otroških/najstniških let, pa spet nikol nisem nobenega njihovega celega albuma poslušala. Je pa fajn tud zj z odraslega in bolj knowledgeable vidika se lotit albuma, ker vidim cel kup znanih imen zraven - Del the Funky Homosapien, Tina Weymouth & Chris Frantz! Takrat se pa spomnim, da mi še Blur in Damon Albarn ni neki pomenil, sam jasn mi ni blo, kako animirani band obstaja. Ha. So far, pri tretjem komadu sm ("Tomorrow Comes Today"), chill, trip hoppy, pa mogoč še dejansko vague Blur sound? "New Genious (Brother)" je ful preprost, v smislu, da je minimalno spremljave ob vokalih. Fajn komad. Uu, zj pa totalna nostalgija s "Clint Eastwood". Naslednji, "Man Research (Clapper)", je kr kul. "Punk" je zlo punk light. "Sound Check (Gravity)" mi je prou fajn, spet ful trip hoppy. Instrumentalni " Double Bass" je, kot obljublja, ful bassy in všečen. In spet nostalgija z "Rock the House", ki se nadaljuje z "19-2000". In potem suprise komad v španščini, "Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?)". Zadnji komad, "M1A1", ma na začetku iz Day of the Dead dialog, lol. Je pa še najbl rock komad na albumu.

I was disappointed to be honest. I know the singles, especially Clint Eastwood and was expecting more like that, not the maudlin filler it actually contains.

This was a really good album. When it came out radio play loved Clint Eastwood, but for some reason I never listened to the rest of the album. I’m sorry I didn’t but glad it wasn’t too late. I was surprised to see that there was only 2 Dell tha’ Funky Homosapien songs. A key favorites was the downtempo Man Research and Soundcheck (Gravity). The opening track Re-Hash also just grabs you and pulls you in. I may put this into a more consistent rotation.

Random thoughts: * This band has always been a bit strange. Basically a "fake" band by Damon Albarn. Represented by animated creatures. However, the music is 100% real. * Clint Eastwood is definitely one of the better songs of the 21st century. Instantly catchy. I've seen this one covered by at least by 2 different bands. * Rock The House is one of my favorite rap tracks of all time. The lines are hilarious: "seeing all the treasure and the booty", "get funkier than Funkadelic wearing Pampers", & "like I'm on a crack bend, jigglin' and wigglin'; Freaking booties, speaking to the cuties so belligerent" * The whole album is a solid listen for sure too. I really dug Double Bass instrumental track but there are lots of other good ones too. * Seminal indie and rap mashup. Definitely worthy of a 1001 spot.

I like and own Clint Eastwood, but I didn’t enjoy the rest all that much.

Haven't heard this release since 2001. Still sounds so damn fresh. Brilliant!

One classic single, quite a bit of filler. A Gorillaz greatest hits would be close to 5*.

Overall felt a bit repetitive with some highlights like Clint Eastwood but too many songs I would’ve skipped.

Client Eastwood and 19-2000 are cool songs. Everything is kinda trash. Man Research made me want to drive off a bridge. It’s like a 2.5. I’ll give it a 3 for having Clint Eastwood on it.

Forgot how good this album was, the Del tracks are obviously a highlight but there's not a bad track here.

Oddly, I had never listened to this album all the way through. It’s still so odd and futuristic, but also sounds satirical in a way? What a mind Damon Albarn has. …there is a mocking element, some of the sounds are cheap and sound like game show music but somehow it all works and sounds original and exciting. I definitely enjoyed it and want to go back for a closer listen.

Better as night music, but still boring, still nowhere near as good as Blur. What is the deal.

6/10 19-2000 Reminded me of Sylvie. I think she has played some of the songs for me

471/1001

Decent, had some good moments but not as good as Demon Days

8.0 - Very solid album. Nice progression to have good songs in the middle and end of the album. Lots of good beats, with a handful of really lyrical songs. Best songs were Clint Eastwood (8.8) the Ed Case / Sweetie Refix version (8.7) and Man Research (8.5). My least favorite were Re-Hash (7.5) and M1 A1 (7.6)

Still an absolute banger of an album

Cool album, but not their best

Varied and weird, but a bit bloated (18 songs?!). Feels like it was made with “throw this together as a fun project” energy, rather than a serious album type of energy.

Solid but demon days is better

Album should have just started with "Tomorrow Comes Today" and it would have been much improved. Just kind of unfocused and uneven. "Clint Eastwood" is by far the best track here- is there a soul on Earth who doesn't love that song? Demon Days and Plastic Beach are much better records than this, unfortunately.

Il mio album preferito dei gorillaz, ci sono elementi elettronici ma non sono cosí presenti come negli album successivi. Di recente hanno pubblicato su yt un’esibizione live di tutto quest’album (molto consigliata). Note di rilievo: punk è la sigla di una trasmissione che faceva alessandro borghese su sky uno, kitchen sound (troppo bella, quando la vita era facile); 5/4 è effettivamente in 5/4. Pezzo preferito Tomorrow comes today

funky and trippy. I like this bc I like all things gorillaz but listening to double bass at 1 am studying for my chem midterm is something I don't feel the need to experience again. i don’t think there was a dull moment in this album and it def helped to stimulate my brain at times but other times i think i got a bit uneasy sitting in my dorm room lounge at 2 am.

Decent concept

I don't tend to like factoring in too many visual elements when I'm evaluating an album but Gorillaz are a complete aesthetic and I love the gritty forever-nineties feel that they have, the album might not be captivating all the time but I'm a fan of style

Album solide, pas mal en musique de fond pour une pause lecture. Clint Eastwood reste toujours ce classique !

Still not a fan. I was always a fan of Dan the Automator and Del, but gorillaz just never did it for me. I feel like it’s kind of neither here nor there. I don’t hate it. It’s just mostly kind of boring.

clint eastwood banger 19/2000 banger M1 A1 surprisngly good

2001 anthems blessed by Del. 6/5

Demon Days is my jam. This one, not so much

Not my fave ngl. I liked the hits I already knew but the whole album? Not for me - it was fine, a bit boring

pretty good

I love this album, it holds a special place in my heart as the beginning of my personal music taste. Still holds up, it’s not their best but it’s their first, as it is a first for me also. 4.7/5.0 Best Song: Rock The House

They are fun kind of silly songs, lots of good memories attached to them for sure, but its just not really my bag I don't think. Best song: Clint Eastwood, Obvs

Mooi man

- Ist mir persönlich zu durcheinander, es gibt kein festes Genre - Sind ein paar gute Songs dabei, aber auch einige die mir gar nicht gefallen haben Topsong: Clint Eastwood

Don’t think I’ve heard a full Gorillaz album before aside from the radio singles. It was ok.

I love Gorillaz!

Me confundió como a todos, pero pego de diferente manera, a mí me duró un buen tiempo su música

Tem uma música muito boa, mas o resto é nada demais

CLassic 19-2000 is the best

Oh man this is so disappointing, and so dull. It's remarkable that you can have a great opening single / music video reveal to the world in 'Clint Eastwood', and then the rest of the debut album just be completely boring. I don't get all the positive reviews on here. The best I can say is it's 'ok'. It's kind of chill in places - in fact much more chill and slow than I was expecting. It's a bit weird, but not in a good way. It's just kind of weird and basic. I will say that I still really like a bunch of Gorillaz songs outside of this. Also, the two remixes on here (that can't be reviewed as part of the album itself) are really good. They give a lot more energy to the tracks, particularly 19-2000, which is way better as a result.

Fabulous classic

God I love the Gorillaz but this isn't my favorite album by them – by far. I feel like it was really long and there was a lot of space where I was waiting for the next thing to catch my attention. Clint Eastwood > Double Bass is a great string of songs, but the rest of the album is nice listening but not super memorable. It was fun to listen to this album again tho. Like Gibs said its interesting how time changes how we relate to an album. Gotta remember where all these artists came from.

Visions of childhood. Like playing a skating game and just pulling off tricks to this in the background. Even today I still find the sound to still be eccentric and punchy. It’s straddling this nice in-between with an alt-rock sound and hip-hop stylings. Kazoo goes hard. The Latin track is crazy. Was not expecting that. I would say it leans harder into a four since I respect its game but my personal enjoyment where a lot of the songs kinda blended into each other left me feeling more in the middle at a 3. I think I’ll go deeper into their discography to understand where this sits in relation.

It's clearly their first album - lots of experimental tracks I wouldn't necessarily lock in to listen to again. Obvious highlights are the collaborative songs with the guest features (which later becomes an iconic part of Gorillaz music). I think that the blueprint is there and looking back it's clear they knew it too. Not to mention they were incredibly forward thinking with the features they did have on this one - Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban jazz icon in a Gorillaz album? Again, wish I had a 3.5 here. I love Gorillaz, they live on my Mount Rushmore of music creators, and I am so impressed by where their discography went from here.

Interesting experimental release from Albarn and Dan the Automator but some of the album, but some of the tracks miss the mark.

There's a reason this album hit big. It's unique and so much fun. For me, personally, it's about 90% amazing and 10% awkward. It's an experience. I can see why it would be listed as a must-listen.

Solid album

Outside of the hits not something I’d throw on for fun, but a good album regardless. At times the experimentation grabs hold of you, and other times it loses you. I appreciate it for what it is, but wouldn’t put it in the upper echelon.

Instruments: 5/5 Lyrics/Storytelling: 3/5 Production: 4/5 Vibes: 4/5 Emotional Value: 3/5 Stand Outs: Clint Eastwood, Man Research Overall Rating: 3.8

not an impressive debut, better albums were to come

Classic Gorrillaz. Varied and excellent

Don’t like this

3.5 j'adore gorillaz

2001 A virtual band? Whatever next... Anyway, I've had this on my shelves from releases, but I'm sad to say it doesn't get too many spins these days. The singles are immense, but the album tracks are disappointing and at 64 mins, it's a bit of a plod. Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ only because I have it Noughties ★★★☆☆ (5/10)

I have no idea why Damon Albarn worked on this project but I'm glad he did. An amazing amalgam of rock, hip hop, pop, and more. Favorite track: 5/4

Very cool and fun. Interesting to revisit this one so deep into their career — Gorillaz became known for polished, conceptual full albums, and this debut really feels like a loose mixtape of jammin’ tunes. It’s great but pales a little in comparison to Demon Days and Plastic Beach and maybe even some later albums.

When I was in my teens and this album came out, I loved the concept and the hit singles Clint Easteood and 19-2000 (the remix version). The videoclips were refreshing, new and cool. I loved Blur so I was happy to hear more of Damon Albarn who is the founder of this project - this time he made more of a trip hop and alternative hip hop album than their previous rock oriented music with Blur. The debut album of Gorillaz is good, but not quite there yet - it starts off well then it gets a bit dragging as all songs are quite slow and have the same tempo. I think Demon Days is their best and this is their weaker album out of the three along with Plastic Beach, but it's still worth a listen.

What a fun and imaginative record. Being a big Blur fan, I was excited to hear that Damon Albarn was working with Jamie Hewlett and Dan the Automator on a new project. When this record came out, it was such a revelation. “Clint Eastwood” will forever be iconic.

In 2025, Gorillaz are a staple in the music scene. Each album is a collaborative work horse made up of a plethora or music artists with a tracklist spanning a variety of genres. The animated characters have deep lore and character arcs that become expanded with each album. You don't know what you're gonna get the Gorillaz come around but you know it's going to be good. But in the year 2001, Gorillaz was a novel concept album by Damon Alborn. If you were a music nerd, you'd be wondering why the lead singer of Blur was singing over hip-hop beats. If you were a kid, you'd be wondering if this was a new show on Cartoon Network about a band. It was so unique and confusing. Upon first appearances, it was hard to tell exactly what Gorillaz were or were supposed to be. But nonetheless, it was very cool. The debut album isn't full of features that would grow with each album. However, the few collaborative songs would become some of their most famous. Clint Eastwood is the song that ended being most people's introduction to the band and I think it perfectly exemplifies Alborn's vision. A melodica hums throughout the song supporting Alborn's smooth crooning and is eventually broken up by a brash rap verse from Del the Funky Homosapien. The track is complex but very chill and is easy to see why it became a hit. It's a debut album that would set the tone for a legendary 20+ year career for the "band". Like are you really a "cool" music artist if you aren't featured in a Gorillaz song? Probably not. 4.5 Stars

this kind of rocked

Way chiller and more experimental than I thought

Oops almost all bangers.

Liked it better than I thought I would... except for the few random ska songs lol

Classic album with a ton of bangers

Pretty fun over all but my favorite parts were all from Del

Kinda weird idea for a “band” but some of the music was decent.

It was a decent album, I don’t have much to say

one of the only things i like that Damon Albarn has done

The joke review: “nah, dog, I don’t fuck with Beck.” The album gets better as it goes, especially thanks to Del the Funky Homosapien. It serves as a good introduction to Gorillaz, but I think they really found the way with Demon Days. Eh, I’d listen again, but maybe in background or on some overhead speakers in a coffee shop.

This album also felt boring to me. Don’t get me wrong, the entire concept of this project is AMAZING, and I love all the artists individually, but it just never “clicked” with my listening style. I was in 10th grade when Gorillaz first came out, and it was a pretty big deal. Most of my friends were huge Del Tha Funky Homosapien fans, so any project he was a part of was probably gonna be good. Top it off with anime style art and characters, plus Damon Albarn’s signature songwriting style, and it was gonna be a guaranteed success. Still, outside of the hits, it just doesn’t move me much. I wonder if this project took any inspiration from KISS’s 1998 tyrannically bad album “Psycho Circus”? Certainly the KISS characters helped influence the “man behind the mask” characters of the Gorillaz?… but more than likely, like most of the intelligent world, they probably also thought “Psycho Circus” was flaming hot garbage. They probably made this album as a response to that trash fire in an attempt to save popular rock n roll music. This is all just speculation, of course…

Repeat listen

A solid debut album from Gorillaz. I think their best work came afterwards but there's still some good things here. It does seem like they try a lot of different sounds with this album- some which work and some which don't. There were some songs I really enjoyed and others I wanted to skip. 5.75/10 (2.875/5)

Clean instrumentation and beats, syncing a lot of cinematic inspiration and interesting lyrics in their debut sound. It's a really fun album and "Clint Eastwood" is a hall of fame track. However, this album has about 15 minutes of filler, in my opinion, and this knocks the experience down to 4.5/5

Enjoyable

- the album is interesting but not for me Likes: - the first song - the fun combined use of sounds are unique Dislikes: - sound is kinda the central theme of the album and I prefer music that I can sing along to generally - individually the songs are good but as an album they kind of blend together

Strong out of the blocks but DA's half hearted singing style slightly grated towards end

Super duper

Gorillaz just have a way of making you feel so cool for listening to them. Or for feeling like you can never be as cool as them and you're punching above your weight, maybe. Can't help but love their sound

Hadn’t heard this in years. I realize I mostly know Clint Eastwood. I thought they’d had more hits. Fun listen and very nostalgic.

A whole lot of ding dang fun! 8/10 Favorite tracks- “Clint Eastwood” “19-2000” “Tomorrow Comes Today”

It's a great debut. I find it lacking a bit comparedto Demon Days and Plastic Beach, but it's a great album nonetheless. 4/5

I've loved this album for years, it's difficult to see it in a new light.

Enjoyed this, its pretty unique and reminded me of some songs I used to really like

This one's tough for me... This is one of the first albums I ever heard, so obviously it has a special place for me. On the one hand I think the idea of this album is so creative, really ahead of it's time. Production (on some of the songs) is also just outstanding, mix is great. And then you have other songs which are just not quite there for me anymore. I don't think this is peak Gorillaz, I think demon days takes that title (still confused as to why it's not on the list if this one is). In my heart I want to give it a 4, but a very weak one. I might come back to bump it down to 3 later...

Tremendous album that also has a lot of of half-finished thoughts. Not quite stinkers, maybe not even skips, but they're not good songs. That's part of the appeal, though: the whole thing is kind of a "what if...?" that works, even when it doesn't. The hits are huge, of course, and the fact that they were thrift store keyboard presents somehow make them better, not worse. At an hour, it's too long for something that is fundamentally an experiment, but understandable. Musically, the combo of the plodding beats, the beeping boops, and Damon's languid crooning are a good mix, and the addition of Del freestyling the dumbest shit on top of the above is a nice mix. One thing I hadn't noticed was some slight bleed from Damon Albarn's work with Michael Nyman. Nice way to soften the digital precision. Twisting the dials to get just the right mix is obviously a work in progress, but if you favor beepboop, some tracks might land better than others, but if you're a britpop fan, you may appreciate differently. Dialing one of the sounds of the future takes time. The interesting thing about this album is that it's kind of a funhouse mirror to pop music - the visual aesthetic is so heavily tied to the sound, something that doesn't really show up when just listening. It's an art piece as much as a band/album, and both are good. Don't think it's a 5 album, but I do think it's a 5 gestalt. I mean, who remembers Geep Simulator? How many albums encourage a multi-media experience that extends to a (shitty) flash game? It might be cheating to include Everything but since I was around for it and entranced by it I'm gonna give it the bump. One thing about this list, as an aside, is how it shows how time has compressed for me. I remember this coming out and going, "wow blur was making music a long time ago, Mr. Albarn! What a new and exciting sound you have!" and this was only two years after 13? A blink.

I really thought this would be better because of all the hype.

Favorite Track: Clint Eastwood

A lot of my friends really enjoy The Gorillaz... all I can say to them is. How? I'd rather the guy start a composing shtick and write some Y2K inspired Video Game Bangers rather then this bland ass album. There's some good ideas, but terribly executed with annoying vocals and just weird instrumentation choices. 19-2000 was def the main highlight of this album, but again; remove the vocals, and pop it into a video game (i'm thinking a gas station theme for a game like Simpsons: Hit and Run but yea). Shame cause it's the sorta music I would describe as I would fancy but it fails the mark so much.

For the cultural significance of this band, I'm somewhat disappointed in how the album turned out. It is highly experimental and does neat little things, but it is so DULL. Not a fan one bit.

The first time I heard Gorillaz, someone played Tomorrow Comes Today on the radio saying they were a new band and Damon Albarn had contributed guest vocals to the track. It piqued my interest and it was a while until I realised it was actually Albarn's new project so it's funny, listening again now for the first time in years, how much of it sounds like a lost Blur album. It felt like such a departure for him at the time. This is a really adventurous, fun, creative and intriguing album that's really standing the test of time.

Off the cuff remark: a mash up of great musicians, artists etc was always destined to be interesting, at the very least. And it is. Eclectic, fun and with some very fine tunes. Standout track: it works very well as an album, which is always nice but 5/1 and M1-A1 are particularly great, oh and Clint Eastwood too. Revisit?: always nice to drop back into when the mood takes.

I had never listened to Gorillaz before. For some reason, I just assumed they were not something I'd enjoy based on the cartoon character aspect from the album covers. I knew the lead singer of Blur was part of it, but that wasn't enough to intrigue me. I read the Wikipedia page this morning before listening, and genres listed all are ones I enjoy, so I was cautiously optimistic about listening. And what do you know, I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the beats, the use of hip hop and electronic elements. The only thing that kept it from being something I absolutely loved is that it was just too long. Cutting back some of the second half of the album would've worked perfectly for me. But it was a solid listen and I will seek out more of their work.

The soundtrack to my early teen years. Such a great album and I won’t hear anything criticism about it, thank you!!

This is one of my top 5 all time favorite albums so I tried to listen to it objectively. It starts out pretty chill, which is usually difficult to grab my attention, but the varrued styles and hooks help to keep my interest. It probably helped that this one of the few cds at the time so I had nothing but time to listen to it over and over until I gained a deeper appreciation, which is something I do lament with music access today that I don’t give things enough of a chance. Cause this album was and still is totally worth the extra listens.

Album of time

Standouts Clint Eastwood Rock the House

Del on Clint Eastwood alone makes this worth a listen.

I didn't like this then, and I sure as hell don't like it any more now.

You can tell the band were deciding what they wanted to be on this album. There's some rather by-the-numbers stuff on here, as well as some tracks which are genuinely more interesting. Clint Eastwood still sounds great. The album comes alive in the second half and you can hear the genesis of their sound there. I think their follow up album is better, but this is still a good listen.

найс

I do like this but it's definitely too long. They'd move on to better things with Demon Days. 19-2000 and Clint Eastwood are absolute bona-fide classics, the latter still being their best song IMO (Del Tha Funky Homosapien is insane). The rest of the album isn't bad but it does sort of mesh in to one after a bit. Could do with being 20 minutes shorter. Still a pleasant listen.

its fine

The fact that this was picked over Demon Days and Plastic Beach is criminal. We can shave off a few Bowie albums to fit one of those in. This album is pretty good and has some absolute classics on it, especially Clint Eastwood, but the album as a whole struggles to add up to some of the ones that come after it. Some pretty annoying voices throughout along with a fairly similar feel between songs made this hard to get through at some points. The parts that were good were really good, but everything else ranged from fine to rough.

Classic

did not like it

The bangers bang hard, but there are a surprising number of misses on this debut album.

I mean I love me some Gorillaz, but I was a bit confused about the inclusion of this album over Demon Days on this generator. Regardless, I think this is still a great album. Mediocre Gorillaz music is still great music overall, and I'd listen to (and have listened to) this album again and again. Damon and Jamie are such a great creative duo. Gorillaz is unlike any other band that you will find out there, and I truly think that kind of uniqueness is rare in the music industry. 2D's (Damon's) vocals are fantastic, and the music is just so catchy. Clint Eastwood is, of course, a classic. The only reason it misses out on a 5 star rating from me is because I just don't think this is the band's best overall work. I've heard more interesting, strong albums from them, but this is still incredibly solid. I love this album.

Amazing debut, really interesting to see how many directions band could have gone but the seed of sound in this album. Clint Eastwood and 19-2000 easily best two tracks

This album made me realize is really only like the hits that Gorillaz has put out. Everything else is just meh to me. Felt tedious to go through this album. Was waiting for the end. Some beats were good but man did they drag on.

It was kinda boring honestly like I didn't really like the main singer's voice. But the song Clint Eastwood was really good.

Gorillest gorilla who ever gorilled

I had only heard clips of the Clint Eastwood song before but had never really gave them a good listen. I love Del and will likely come back to this one.

Clint Eastwood really carries this.

Kedeligt. De to ellers ok hits kan ikke redde noget.

++: Re-Hash, 5/4, New Genious (Brother), Clint Eastwood, Punk, Double Bass, Rock the House, 19-2000, M1 A1 +: Man Research (Clapper), Sound Check (Gravity), Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?), Starshine, Slow Country +-: Tomorrow Comes Today 8,2/10

Apart from Clint Eastwood, this album offered very little

Too much filler not enough killer. I feel the same about this as when it came out. Gimmicky but with a couple of nice hits. I love Del, he has such a unique flow. Prefer UNKLEs psyence fiction (1998) for a project with similar scope but with better execution

OMG GORILLAZ!! i love the members so much i used to love drawing them. cant say ive listened to much of their music beside the hits though. I cant say I hated it but I also didnt love it.

Pretty fun album. A bit all over the place but an interesting mix of rock music, electronica and hiphop. Weaker songs are definitely Man Research (Clapper) and Starshine.

A solid one!

no es mi estilo

Här finns kanske något! Är inte riktigt bekväm än, men kan nog börja tycka om det efter några lyssningar. Får kanske ändra sedan, men sätter en 4a för att komma ihåg.

One of the greats, I give 9/10

The cartoon thing annoys me so much

Great album that kickstarted a second career for Damon Albarn.

Not my favourite Gorillaz album (that's probably Demon Days/Plastic Beach), but it's a great mix of hip-hop, trip-hop, and experimental pop/rock that Damon was into at the time.

Double bass also makes me unbearably anxious.

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.

Today's music ain't got the same soul I like that old time rock and roll

There are good ones in this album. Not best of the band but i quite liked that

Yeah, I’ve tried and tired and Gorillaz just aren’t for me. A couple decent songs though, liked it more than I thought I would. 3.5 stars.

Better than it has any right to be. About half the tracks are straight up ass kickers. The other half aren’t exactly filler, but they lack the funkiness to turn this album into a total mind melt.

How got how much of this first album just sounds like Blur, and not in a bad way at all. 3.5/5

Disappointing really. I expected I waa going to enjoy this but maybe Trip Hop isn't my thing? Lots of lanquid, not very interesting songs. Very little memorable. Fave Tune = Clint Eastwood

One, maybe two bangers, otherwise just more boring britpop to test my patience with this list.

it was good

The Omnichord!

Funnily enough, listened to this the other day for the first time in years. This was the first album I ever bought. Remember being thrown by many of the songs on first listen but coming back to them years later a lot of it clicks. Love Albarn’s falsetto vocals on songs like Gravity and Man Research. Feels like a prototype for Gorillaz as a concept in many respects, but was still the beginning of a great run for the band.

Rv/g