It’s hard to believe 2D, Noodle, Murdoch and Russel Hobbs have turned just ten years old. We’ve laughed with them, cried with them (remember when Noodle was rumoured to be dead?) and danced with them – and to celebrate this memorable occasion and the recent release of The Singles Collection – 2001-2011, we now have an incredible Gorillaz gift pack to give away*:
* girl not included.
For your chance to win a limited edition Singles Collection 2001 – 2011 poster, CD/ DVD, double vinyl LP and 7″ box set, please answer this question in 25 words or less: What is your favourite Gorillaz video and why?
To recap your memory, check out our incredible Gorillaz, Best of playlist here. Send your answers here with “Happy Birthday Gorillaz!” in the subject line.
Ten years ago, a Brit pop legend and a comic book genius joined brains and gave birth to one of the coolest musical collectives to ever set a virtual foot on this planet. Gorillaz are a bunch of toons brought to life by stunning anime style animation, fascinating fictional narratives and pure musical brilliance…. the “first virtual hip-hop group” of our time. Three incredible albums later, and we’re celebrating their 10th birthday.
So does 10 years of great hits call for a greatest hits? Of course it does. To celebrate ten years of the Gorillaz,The Singles Collection: 2001-2011 will be released on November 25th, 2011. A 15-track collection of the band’s singles, videos and remixes, The Singles Collection celebrates 10 years of audio visual innovation and three studio albums from the most successful virtual band in the world ever. The Singles Collection will be released as a standard CD, CD and DVD and 140 gram vinyl. A special edition 7” box set will also be made available.
Always open to a mind-blowing collaboration, Gorillaz have worked with Del the Funkee Homosapien, De La Soul, Kano, Mick Jones, Bobby Womack, Ike Turner, Lou Reed, Mark E Smith, Bootie Brown, Tina Weymouth, Bashy, Little Dragon, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Snoop Dogg, Dangermouse, Ibrahim Ferrer, Dan The Automator, Mos Def, D12, Phi Life Cypher, MF Doom, Rosie Wilson, Shaun Ryder and Neneh Cherry.
Big birthday shout outs to Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, 2D and Russel Hobbs. Stay tuned for pre-order details!
“Gorillaz restored my faith in music – and animation. They are second only to The Archies in my list of all-time favourite bands. They make you want to dance, they make you want to smile, they make you want to drive a monster truck around the desert.” – Jonathan Ross
Still reeling from last year’s magnificent Gorillaz Australian shows? Need some headphone fodder to help rekindle the experience, but you’ve listened to Plastic Beach 293 times already?
Thankfully those pathologically productive Gorillaz boys have recorded an album on the road and it’s ready for you to download in full. As promised by Damon & co, The Fall was recorded and mixed with 20+ various iPad Apps whilst on tour in the USA during October and November 2010.
Makes my Christmas holiday in bed seem shamefully fruitless.
1. PHONER TO ARIZONA
Recorded in Montreal 2. REVOLVING DOORS
Recorded in Boston 3. HILLBILLY MAN
Recorded in New Jersey and Virginia 4. DETROIT
Recorded in Detroit 5. SHY-TOWN
Recorded in Chicago 6. LITTLE PINK PLASTIC BAGS
Recorded in Chicago 7. THE JOPLIN SPIDER
Recorded in Joplin 8. THE PARISH OF SPACE DUST
Recorded in Houston 9. THE SNAKE IN DALLAS
Recorded in Dallas 10. AMARILLO
Recorded in Amarillo 11. THE SPEAK IT MOUNTAINS
Recorded in Denver + Santa Fe 12. ASPEN FOREST
Recorded in Santa Fe + Vancouver 13. BOBBY IN PHOENIX
Recorded in Phoenix 14. CALIFORNIA AND THE SLIPPING OF THE SUN
Recorded in Oakland + LA. 15. SEATTLE YODEL
Recorded in Seattle
All I can see are lights and eyes, the colours are tickling my tear ducts. The sounds pull my heart apart and lift it 6 feet above my neck… Holy hell… But lo, be they not men – oh no! – be they G-O-R-I-L-L-A-Z!
November the 14th has become one of those stand-out dates in my mind. There’s Christmas, New Year’s, Mum’s birthday, etc… And now, we have Nov 14th, 2010: “The Best Day Ever”. And this is not just some review full of hollow gushing praise – I absolutely mean it, with every iota, organ and amoeba that makes up my being.
Oh my, November the 14th! The euphoria I experienced on that day was on an indescribable, incendiary, interplanetary level! And as a disclaimer, I can tell you there is no way I’ll be able to cover it all here. Mere words just do not cut the monkey mustard – not for an experience like this…
Hello again from the UK! It’s been an exciting week what with The Beatles practically taking over iTunes and me going to see Gorillaz for the first time. I’m obviously rather late to the table with news of the new Liverpudlian digital presence so I intend to wax lyrical about Tuesday’s audiovisual treat at the O2 Arena in London.
Gorillaz played two nights at the world-renowned arena, one on Sunday night (14 Nov) and again on Tuesday (16 Nov). I’m told however that the wide-reaching grasp of The In Sound From Way Out has conspired to give me some competition – namely in a fellow UK correspondent! *queue dramatic music*
Therefore if this review falls short of my fellow Briton’s then I can only blame our simian friends for playing a better show on Sunday. Surely the only explanation!
The show opened with the sweeping orchestral introduction to the album, and then straight in to Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach with Snoop adorning the huge screen behind the stage.
The vast majority of other album collaborators were available on the night though, Including Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Daley, Mark E Smith and Little Dragon (in Oz for sideshows this December). Highlight for me was Womack’s soaring vocals on Stylo… amazing.
From previous albums all the big hitters were out – Kids With Guns, Feel Good Inc and 19-2000 among others. Overall the live show is impressive – a huge collection of musicians coming together to pull it off, doing so in style and in force. Videos and animations accompanied the entire set, providing a feast of musical delights for the gathered crowd.
The Plastic Beach saga continues… this time, soulful Mancunian singer songwriter Daley pilots a submarine to the now famed pile of floating rubble in the Indian Ocean.
I guess Daley got left behind when De La Soul, Lou Reed, Gruff Rhys, Snoop Dogg, half of The Clash, & the rest of the Gorillaz crew led their submarine convoy to Plastic Beach in On Melancholy Hill.
Speaking of the incredible extended Gorillaz family, don’t forget that most of them are going to be in Oz in December. These shows are going to be a once in a lifetime and the final release of tix are on sale now, people!
The Gorillaz never stop – not only have they been blowing audiences away around the globe following up the release of their #1 album Plastic Beach, but they’re writing and recording new music all the time… click below to listen to Doncamatic which premiered today at 4pm on Triple J. The band have joined forces with hotly tipped UK artist Daley to create this upbeat, fun track with a Plastic Beach / underwater feel
Gorillaz, the brainchild of musical genius Damon Albarn and the artistic brilliance of Jamie Hewlett have sold close to ½ a million albums and DVDs in Australia and this December will embark on their first stadium tour of Australia and NZ which will see them play to more than 60,000 people.
The Gorillaz live band includes Damon Albarn, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon (The Clash), Mike Smith, Cass Browne, Jeff Wootton and Gabriel Manuals Wallace, as well as additional backing singers, brass sections and a full string ensemble. Confirmed special guests on their Australasian jaunt include De La Soul, Hypnotic Brass, Bobby Womack, the Syrian National Orchestra of Arabic Music, Bootie Brown, Little Dragon and Rosile Wilson. With more guests to be announced soon…
Given Gorillaz Murdoc Niccal’s affinity for cheesy Australian tunes and cinematic steretypes, he might be shocked when he arrives this December to a land of… frankly, stunning, sophisticated, non-Paul Hogan types. And to be honest, he’s the cartoon character, right?
So the question is: are you more excited for Jamie Hewlett’s Murdoc, 2D, Cyborg Noodle, and Russel… OR for Damon Albarn and his magnificent live crew of Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, Shaun Ryder, Gruff Rhys & co? (let’s see who makes it to Oz).
Having seen the Gorillaz live shows roll out across the UK and US, it looks like we’ll be experiencing the best of both worlds. UK music journo Sasha Perrera described their Camden Roundhouse gig as “a two-hour bonanza of musical entertainment boasting a stacked deck of outstanding collaborators and musicians, overlooked by a giant video screen with interactive, animated visuals.”
So without any further ado, we present Gorillaz first ever Australian shows this December:
Monday, Dec 6 – Burswood Dome, Perth
Wednesday, Dec 8 – Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Saturday, Dec 11 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Thursday, Dec 16 Dec – Entertainment Centre, Sydney
Sunday, Dec 19 – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
Tickets for all shows on sale August 6 at 9AM.
(When I was a teen, I played Clint Eastwood 100x in a row to commit every single line to memory. Now we get to sing it with 2D. Hells yes.)
* girl not included.
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