Jonk Music: Gorillaz

"On Melancholy Hill"from the album Plastic Beach 2010iTunes When Gorillaz first emerged on the music scene, the idea of a virtual band composed of edgy cartoon personas that existed only on screen seemed both foreign and brilliant. It may have been a gimmick, tailor-made for MTV back when it still regularly played videos, but it was an imaginative one.

And with huge breakthrough hits like "Clint Eastwood," "Tomorrow Comes Today," and "Look Good Inc." it was strong not to get caught up in the contagious combination of dub, hip-hop, Brit-pop and electronic music. Gorillaz is basically the inspiration of Blur frontman Damon Albarn and comic-book artist Jamie Hewlett - best known for his act on Tank Girl - who dreamed up the figure back in 1998. Albarn would address the music while Hewlett would aim the characters (2D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel), which function as the visual element in Gorillaz's stylishly animated music videos.Plastic Beach unites Albarn and Hewlett with a vast number of guests, creating yet another well-crafted and dance-friendly set of songs. Here, Albarn and company's songs demonstrate a genre-bending collection of glitchy club beats and hip-hop grooves, augmented by brass, glitzy synthesizers and Asian- and Arabic-tinged orchestral harmonies. Much of the variety in sound can be attributed to Gorillaz's constantly expanding group of collaborators. The original musical lineup - as heard on 2001's Gorillaz - blended the talents of Albarn and Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, as good as Kid Koala, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori and Tom Tom Club's Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz. Soon, with the follow-up Demon Days, Gorillaz's ever-rotating cast expanded to include Danger Mouse, Blondie's Debbie Harry, De La Soul and singer Martina Topley-Bird.Plastic Beach continues this trend, with Albarn bringing in an impressive roster of musical contributors: Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys, Little Dragon, The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music, and many more. Still, Albarn's musical feeling and wit are felt throughout. From the Thriller-infused electro-funk of "Stylo" to the bubbly grooves of "Superfast Jellyfish" and "Some Sort of Nature," there's something for everyone, and oft in the like song. Even three albums into what power have initially seemed to be a one-off art project, Gorillaz's Plastic Beach exudes fun.

~ Michael Katzif, NPR