10 Bands That Invented Their Own Genre
4. Gorillaz
When you talk about the beginnings of a genre of music, you can normally find one specific word to encapsulate the sound under one roof. Whether it's the rainy city of Seattle with defining the sound of grunge or the glam metal scene making the rounds on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, a lot of people can pin down an overarching term for their genre of music. In Gorillaz's case though, their sound is...well...Gorillaz.
Though many had gotten used to hearing Damon Albarn's voice through his work with Blur, the music he made in this virtual band was unlike anything anyone had ever heard. While it still had his trademark melodic sensibilities, there was trip hop, electronica, punk, and pretty much anything else that made him tick musically. What made it even weirder is when it got on the charts, with fans around the world chanting along to tracks like Clint Eastwood and Feel Good Inc. throughout the '00s.
The presentation was also unique for the time as well, with concept artist Jamie Hewlett providing artwork and animation for the virtual band with every single album release. With even more new material on the horizon, Gorillaz's eclectic mix of musical styles is still managing to push pop music forward into its next regime.