10 Incredible Musical Side Projects
3. Gorillaz
At the turn of the millennium, Britpop giants Blur were a bit burnt out. After the release of their album 13, the members decided to pursue solo projects. Since frontman Damon Albarn was eager to try many different styles, he hit upon an incredible idea.
What if I made music for an imaginary band? With that in mind, Albarn made incredible off-the-wall music that pulled from genres such as trip hop, electronica, and even hip-hop. Once the initial record was finished, Albarn connected with illustrator Jamie Hewlett to bring his imaginary band to life. The album quickly found an audience and led to the Gorillaz being brought to life in now-iconic music videos.
As the years have gone on, Gorillaz seems to grow more experimental with each listen. The band's mid-2000's team-up with producer Danger Mouse yielded the alternative classic Demon Days and the band has continued to wow fans with later releases like Plastic Beach and Humanz.
In recent years, Albarn has successfully been able to juggle Gorillaz material along with a reunion album and tour with Blur. With a solid track record like this, fans can only speculate what other left-field ideas will come from Gorillaz in the future.