With over twenty years of existence, the Gorillaz have given us 5 incredible albums. They were created by Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn as a concept band; the group is helmed by cartoons; 2-D (guitar, vocals) Murdoc (bass, vocals), Russell (drums), and Noodle (Melodica).
When I was 10, the Gorillaz did an MTV Cribs interview…where Cribs “went” to Murdoc’s house. I was an avid Cribs viewer, and after watching I checked out all their music. I was blown away. They have remained my favorite band because of their uniqueness. Their genre mixology and collection of featured artists is undefeated to this day.
Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo) – Gorillaz
This song speaks to me, pulling from Latin roots for its sound and its feature (the vocals are by Ibrahim Ferrer!). It’s well done and is currently my cell phone alarm clock sound….that hasn’t changed in 5 years.
November Has Come – Gorillaz feat MF Doom
I love that Damon has been very open on who he features and MF Doom is one of my top 5 artists. He makes really cool random weirdo sounds and verses and I think he compliments the Gorillaz really well.
Empire Ants – Gorillaz feat Little Dragon
GREATEST LITTLE DRAGON FEATURE OF ALL TIME.
Nuff said.
Bobby In Phoenix – Gorillaz feat Bobby Womack
I had a weird phase in my life where I was interested in folky, world sounds, and I think this track brings an awesome country-folk-eclectic-sound that was really ahead of its time…this sounds like some Alabama Shakes. Also Bobby Womack KILLS IT.
Strobelite (feat Peven Everett) – Gorillaz
It definitely isn’t the most popular song off of ‘Humanz’, but its my favorite song on there and after seemingly being in hibernation, I think this song delivers so much energy. I was happy to see Peven Everett reprise his soulful role in this electronic dance song.
Lake Zurich – Gorillaz
Again, not the most popular song off of their album ‘The NowNow” but this song continues the band’s weirdo eclectic genre-breaking music. And have you ever drove to this song!? You can thank me later.
Left Hand Suzuki Method – Gorillaz
Probably one of the more obscure tracks off of this playlist, this song is well produced and pulls from so many different sounds. Also I’m like 99.99% sure they used a dolphin as an instrument!
People – Gorillaz
If you’re overwhelmed by how much DARE gets played and wanna feel more edgy compared to the casual listener, then “People” is the song for you to put on to impress people. It isn’t a remix, it’s more of a re-imagining of how the song could have sounded.
Stylo (feat Bruce Willis, Mos Def and Bobby Womack) – Gorillaz
This track for real for real has Bruce Wills on it, and I never understood why, but I never questioned it because this is my FAVORITE music video ever by them, maybe aside from Humility feat Jack Black. Plus…it has Mos Def so there’s that.
Andromeda – Gorillaz Ft D.R.A.M.
This song really pulls from the OG Gorillaz sound in my opinion and I feel like Damon uses D.R.A.M. cleverly. It gives me serious Empire Ants vibes. Also this is one of my best friend’s favorite songs and we JAM to this.
Kids with Guns – Gorillaz
This, aside from being a thought provoking song, has aged very well and the beat is one of my favorites. I think this song remains relevant today and is a great song to end the playlist. Thanks for listening 🙂
