10 Rock Bands That Defined The 2000's
7. Gorillaz
As the 90's drew to a close, many Britpop found themselves at the end of their rope. Bands like Oasis had gone on hiatus while The Verve had simply fallen apart. But Blur main-man Damon Albarn found a way to push himself in the 21st century.
Damon had an initial idea for a new project outside of Blur. What if I made the music and didn't put my face on it? After making a few electronically inclined rock tunes, Albarn hit upon the concept for Gorillaz, one of the most successful virtual bands. With the spotlight off of him, Albarn took the opportunity to collaborate with many different artists from all genres, from electronic to hip hop to ambient.
This culminated in the monumental album Demon Days with the single "Feel Good Inc.," which was met with phenomenal success. Wherever you went in 2005, you could not get away from the song's bassline or Albarn's breathy vocals. Over time, Gorillaz have kept evolving with albums like 2010's Plastic Beach and 2017's Humanz.
But is it rock? Is it pop? Is it hip hop? My answer: who cares? At the end of the day it's just great music. In the wake of the digital age, Albarn helped show the rock community how to look towards the future by using the technology as his muse.