Album reviews: Gorillaz

Published on Saturday 6 March 2010 12:51

GORILLAZ Plastic Beach ***** Parlophone 6261662 £12.99

It is a wonder Damon Albarn could concentrate on the Blur reunion as much as he did. Knowing that he and Murdoc Nikkals had this wonderful record in the pipeline must have been extremely distracting.

It is strong enough to bear the weight of some high-risk collaborations – working with Lou Reed is seldom a pleasant experience, yet Gorillaz succeed in making the Velvet Underground grouch seem user-friendly. Some Kind Of Nature almost sounds happy, despite Lou trying to ban Murdoc from the studio. Sitting next to that is the majesty of Glitter Freeze, which opens with guest vocalist Mark E Smith of The Fall asking "Which Way Is North?" because he wanted to record facing that direction. It's a tortured distortion of Goldfrapp's Ooh La La and Edinburgh Man, on which the Mancunian curmudgeon sounds, perversely, almost likeable.

The title track features Mick Jones and Paul Simenon of The Clash. The latter's lolloping bass is the star of the show, echoing Guns Of Brixton.

Bobby Womack's earthy style electrifies the single Stylo, but pairing Gruff Rhys with De La Soul on Superfast Jellyfish tops the lot. All this and Snoop Dogg too!

Download this: Glitter Freeze, Superfast Jellyfish

&#149 This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday, March 7, 2010