Damon Albarn once picked the best Gorillaz song
It’s a rarity for all the millions of musicians in the world to have but one project that even remotely makes a dent in the industry’s often seeming impenetrable armour. Yet, others miraculously manage to go further and create not one but two (or more) world-conquering groups. Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz is one such artist.
Gorillaz were formed by Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in 1998 under the idea of creating a virtual band and a fictional universe surrounding them. The band are made up of the characters 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs. The band took the world by storm when their debut album dropped in 2001. The album featured their first single, ‘Clint Eastwood’ and the track is the one that Albarn thinks is the band’s best.
“I mean, you don’t get more perfect than that, really,” Albarn said. “It’s just complete hybrid, weird shit. And, you know, it came from switching on the Suzuki Omnichord, and the first preset was the beat. That can only happen once: [an] electronic instrument and the first thing you play you use, and it becomes a massive hit.”
“As a result of that, in the proceeding 20 years, I’ve bought a lot of electronic instruments hoping that that eventually would happen again,” he added. “I mean, maybe we just peaked early, but for me, it wasn’t peaking early because I’d already done 10 years!”
Albarn also stated that he believed that 2010’s The Fall is the most underrated Gorillaz album. He said: “I didn’t finish it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great album. If you can just imagine the songs being finished, it would be marvellous.” The album is the band’s fourth studio album and was available to members of the Gorillaz fan club four months early via digital download.
Though we feel that there is quite a bit of sonic difference between Albarn’s two main musical projects, Blur and Gorillaz, he isn’t so sure. He said, “[I don’t] feel there’s a huge amount of difference between the two.” Albarn also claimed that “‘Girls and Boys’ could have been a great Gorillaz song. ‘Song 2’, too. Gorillaz has a drum machine; I play all the instruments; that’s the bloody difference! When you hear Gorillaz, it’s just basically me when it comes to the music.”
He added, “But I mean, rhythmically, it’s different because I work with Remi Kabaka. I never worked with Remi when I was in Blur; it’s just different. But my contribution is the same. I don’t suddenly become a different person. In a sense, Gorillaz is what I would have been if I hadn’t been in Blur.”
