The Gorillaz: D Sides 0
New Remix album from the world’s most popular fictional band.
Not since Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails in the early 90’s have I seen any one band mine the same essential source material so many times to produce new albums. The Gorillaz “D-Sides” marks their fifth major studio album that dances around the same two albums worth or wholly original songs.
Disc one of “D-Sides” is mostly made up of b-sides, demos and unreleased tracks, most of which have more of an electro-pop/dance vibe than either of the Gorillaz two proper studio releases. Disc two is comprised mostly of remixes from 2005’s “Demon Days”. Hardcore Gorillaz fans will almost certainly enjoy both albums, as I did, but newcomers may find themselves a bit put off by the highly experimental style of music to be found here. Disc 1 sounds more or less like the soundtrack to very bizarre indie film, and Disc 2 sounds like it would have made more sense on vinyl, for hipster DJ’s to spin at nightclubs after the top-40 DJs have gone home for the night.
Some of the tracks here, like “Hongkongatong” and “We Are Happy Landfill” will appeal to casual fans of the Gorillaz, while songs like “Rockit”, which sounds like robot-disco from 20 years in the future, may require a more adventurous musical palette to enjoy. The Gorillaz has always been a hard band to recommend, simply because they change their style so frequently. If you’re one of those people who only like rock music, or only likes hip-hop, or only likes dub music, then you will find yourself skipping around frequently. But as I’ve said before, longtime Gorillaz fans are well aware of this fact and will be pleasantly surprised by the variety herein.
If you happen to come across the deluxe version of “D-Sides”, you will get an art book, some nice buttons, patches, stickers and prints in addition to the discs. I would recommend that you pick this version up if at all possible, because the Gorillaz has always been as much about the art is it is about the music.
