Gorillaz

Phase One: Celebrity Takedown (Zombie Flesh Eaters/EMI/Virgin)
by Lex Marburger

What a fluke, this. A side project from Tank Girl & Blur, cycled though the ears of Dan the Automator, created specifically in response to the “manufactured” pop band phenomenon, takes off because, as usually happens, Gorillaz is a new combination of elements (electronica, dub, rock, pop, cartoons, etc.). And when your band is made up of flat-screen images that only come alive when being watched (a metaphysical quandary on the state of existence, that), what better way to keep their celluloid hearts a-beatin’ than to put ’em on a DVD (computer-compatible, of course, for all you tech-savvy wankers) so you can enjoy their shenanigans to your heart’s content? Even better, make the DVD as interactive as you can get it, so you feel like you’re really there!

Anyway, the 2-DVD set puts you in the Gorillaz’ secret castle hideaway, where you (yes, you) maneuver around in their rooms to find their videos, storyboards for videos, digital environments for videos, and “Gorillaz Bites” (small vignettes that further flesh out the characters in our drama: 2D, singer and mushmouth; Murdoc, bassist and Satanist; Noodle, 12-year old guitarist and kung fu master; and Russel, drummer [possessed by a rapping ghost who sounds similar to Del the Funky Homosapien {for some strange reason}]). But you all should know this by now. So what do you get here?

Videos: “Clint Eastwood,” “Rock The House,” “19-2000,” “Tomorrow Comes Today,” and “5/4.” And for those who heard the stories, but have never seen how the hell they pull this off in concert, you also get live performances (multi-angle!) for “Clint Eastwood” (in Mandarin, as well). But there’s still more: A “documentary” where a Brit-fop reporter tries to track down Hewlitt & Albarn and uncovers the horrible truth: The Gorillaz have taken on a life of their own and are totally out of control, destroying fashion studios & beating up curious investigators. You also get some “hidden” features, most of which are, as can be expected, clever and subversive & a damn fine concept. Now, if they can only get their animated asses back into the studio & come up with a new album…
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