Gorillaz Takeover the Guardian

Virtual music crock potters Gorillaz takeover the UK’s Guardian as only the likes of U2′s marketing team could have conjured up. Their new album Plastic Beach, one of 2010 most anticipated albums, is streaming now in its entirety on the site. Former Blur frontman and Britpop king Damon Albarn as well as comic-book artist Jamie Hewlett continue their own bizarre journey into hip-hop, electronic/traditional orchestration and dub, all categorized as alternative rock since their first Gorillaz release in 2001.

What first stands out is the diverse ‘featuring’ collaborations with the likes of Mos Def, Lou Reed, Mark E. Smith, De La Soul and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music. Their knack seems to be that there’s something here for everyone. Bobby Womack standouts on ‘Stylo’ and ‘Cloud of Unknowing’, how great would it have been to have Snoop Dogg on these tracks, but this would have been too easy for Gorillaz. The synthy chill-wavesque ‘On Melancholy Hill’ might as well be the breezy hit of the summer. Our only complaint is that Lou Reed falls flat and seems like an out of touch grandfather on ‘Some Kind of Nature’, which would have been better served with the likes of Lee Renaldo. We’re curious as to how they bring it all together live as this year’s headliner at Coachella. One thing is for sure, Snoop Dogg will be there as a collaborator on ‘Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach’.

On first listen this is the sort of album you would play at your own party after all the pesky party crashers have left and only the cool kids are left. Time to get the party started by busting out the top shelf stuff you’ve been hiding and wait for the sun to rise.

Stream the whole album now with no strings attached on the UK’s Guardian