https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoQYw49saqc Gorillaz, aka Blurs Damon Albarn and the cartoonist Jamie Hewlett were a unique proposition. They used the same idea behind The Monkees in the 60s, but this time a virtual band was manufactured instead. Their first single Clint Eastwood, perfectly summed up their philosophy. Gorillaz tapped into a huge array of genres and synthesised them into something completely new. There are references to each previous decade in pop music here, most noticeably the strut of The Specials and the chilled out Daisy-age rap of Del La Soul from the 80s and Ennio Morricones spaghetti western soundtracks of the 60s. But what was really key was the way Gorillaz manipulated the concept of the video through the virtual band. Instead of getting real life band members to play characters to tell their stories, here the band members were the story. The success of Gorillaz was as much Hewletts doing as Albarns. Taking inspiration from Manga, as well as his own Tank Girl comics, he literally brought the characters to life in a way that had never been attempted before. Inevitably Gorillaz would go onto create a live experience of their vision, using animated backdrops and no real musicians front of stage. But seeing the cleverness that this video has, one can only conclude that their ego got the better of them. The perfect incarnation of Gorillaz was to be found here in 2D.
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash