They're known as the world's first digital band, anime characters who are simply avatars to their real life musical counterparts. The Gorillaz project was started in 1998 when Damon Albam, of the band Blur, and british cartoonist Jamie Hewlett met. They created four ape cartoon characters, 2D-the lead singer, Murdoc Niccals-the base guitarist, Noodle-guitarist and vocalist, and Russel Hobbs-the drummer. The Gorillaz universe is explored through multiple media forms, and the characters all have unique personalities. They work with many artists, such as Mos Def and MF Doom. Their music encompasses Rock, Rap, Hip-Hop, Electronic and Pop. When their self titled album hit in 2001, they were a success, becoming Guinness World Records most successful digital band. Still, the Gorillaz were considered underground untill 2005 when their Demon Days album hit, and the band got an ipod commercial, featuring arguably one of the most played songs of the decade, Feel Good Inc.
The commercial accelerated the band's success and made Feel Good Inc. an instant hit. In my opinion though, the best song on Demon Days was All Alone, it had an amazing Hip-Hop beat.
Demon Days went double platinum in the U.S. and after a five year hiatus, Gorillaz released their third album, Plastic Beach. The music off this album clearly reflects the title, as many of the songs have a laid back island feel, which makes this album a far-cry from the very urban sound of their previous album. One of the songs off that album, Stylo, featuring Mos Def currently has been climbing the charts.
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