Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Virgin

Gorillaz. The first cartoon band to actually be any good. From Josie and the Pussycats to The Archies to the everlasting talent of MC Skat Cat, cartoon bands have been with us since the dawning of rock and roll (and so have their well-made music videos), but they've never brought with them any talent.

Until now.

On the group's first album, members Murdoc, 2D, Noodle and Russel mix styles with such ease, it seems like they've been around forever. Well, maybe that's because the people behind the curtain have been.

Formed by Blur's Damon Albarn (aka. 2D) and former Tank Girl artist Jamie Hewlett (Murdoc), the characters' sound comes to life with musical contributions from rapper Del tha Funky Homosapien (Russel), megaproducer Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, Cibo Matto singer Miho Hatori (Noodle) and members of the Tom Tom Club.

Not surprisingly, the album ends up sounding more like a collective than an Albarn side project.

The first standout song is "Tomorrow Comes Today." A mix of Automator-made beats and Albarn vocals, it’s fairly simple, yet strikingly good.

The best song on the album is the fifth track and current single, "Clint Eastwood." Albarn’s unmistakable voice sings the chorus while the verses are handled by frequent Automator collaborator Del in a way that should seem completely awkward, like a pairing between Method Man and Thom Yorke. But because the music meshes Del’s "spiritual" observations with Albarn’s tome of having "sunshine in a bag," it blends perfectly.

Afterwards, the songs are mostly hit and miss. Fortunately, the hits ("19-2000," "Slow Country") outnumber the misses ("Punk," "Starshine"). One song on the album, "Latin Simone," sung by Buena Vista Social Club member Ibrahim Ferrer, has a B-side rival, available on one of the singles, sung by Albarn. Ferrer’s vocals never click as well as they could with the Blur-sounding piano, causing the English version to win out.

The album's music is so different from track to track that the project more resembles a mix CD rather than a flowing album. Songs like "Re-Hash" wouldn't sound out of place on any recent Blur CD, while others, like "Rock the House," would fit nicely on a sequel to Deltron 3030, the previous Automator-Funky Homosapien collaboration.

Because it is so eclectic, Gorillaz may not have much lasting appeal. For now, though, it's a fun album with a sound unlike anything else this year. And, backed by a formidable Web presence, the group don’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

And, in keeping with the cartoon band legacy, the videos are damn cool.

— Alberto Diaz (soedoica at angelfire dot com)