With just one day before Gorillaz’s new CD “Plastic Beach” hits stores nationwide, I’ve been going back and reminiscing on this band’s wonderfully crafted music (and videos). We all know “Clint Eastwood” (I ain’t happy/I’m feelin’ glad/I’ve got sunshine/in a bag…) and “Feel Good Inc.” (Windmill, Windmill for the land/turn forever hand in hand…). But Gorillaz is not just a band… it is, in my opinion, one of the most creatively genius works in the history of music.

Created by former lead singer of Blur Damon Albarn and “Tank Girl” creator Jamie Hewlett, the band is composed of cartoon characters (2D, Murdoc, Russel, and Noodle), each with back stories and interesting facts. In 2001, their first CD (self-titled “Gorillaz”) rocked the charts as a combination of hip-hop, rap, and electronic, with hits like the aforementioned “Clint Eastwood,” slow, urban track “Tomorrow Comes Today,” and hip-hop glory “Rock The House” (featuring Del The Funky Homosapien, who plays a minor character in the band’s backstory). The second CD, “Demon Days” (2005), was a major success for the band, bringing in major celebrity guests to rap, sing, and even read for the tracks (De La Soul, Bootie Brown, MF Doom, Shaun Ryder, Dennis Hopper, and Danger Mouse, who helped produce the CD). “Feel Good Inc.” hit the charts and quickly rated higher than any of their other hits, soon followed by children-anthem “Dirty Harry,” solemn “El Mañana,” and dance-worthy “DARE.” Now, 5 years later, Gorillaz has collaborated once again with “Plastic Beach.” Unfortunately, the only songs I’ve heard are “Stylo,” which is the first single off the new CD, featuring Mos Def and Bobby Womack, and “Superfast Jellyfish,” featuring De La Soul once more.

The music is really original in that it mixes different genres together to create a new type of sound. From “19-2000,” which uses techno, hip-hop, and reggae to sound like a bubblegum pop song, to “Don’t Get Lost In Heaven” paired with “Demon Days,” which uses a full string orchestra, choir, hip-hop, and reggae to sound epic and gorgeous, the band reinvents the world of urban music.

However, what makes them so interesting is the story behind the band, how they advertise themselves, and their use of advanced technology to create a fully-animated band.

Back in 2006, the “band” put out an autobiography called Rise of the Ogre, which not only chronicled the band’s successful music career but also the band members’ lives and personalities in and out of the band. For example, we find out that 2D has black eyes because Murdoc ran him over in a car, which dented one of his eyes… so, because he thought he looks silly with one black eye, 2D dented the other one. We learn about the truth about Noodle, that she is really a secret Japanese government weapon, triggered by the words “ocean bacon.” We find out that the ghost of Del The Funky Homosapien possessed Russel, and Russel had it exorcised out of his body before working on “Demon Days.” We learn about Murdoc’s obsession with being a Satanist and how he truly is an evil person.

I mean, sure, this may not sound like a lot. But considering that this is all made up to coincide with a few CDs, that’s pretty incredible!

But that’s not all… to create this image of a fully-animated band, high tech equipment have made it possible for people to really feel like the members of Gorillaz are actually real. For the 2006 Grammys, the band performed a mash up of “Feel Good Inc.” and Madonna’s hit for the year “Hung Up” live. But, because of the band’s animated appearances, a holographic projection unit was set up on stage, allowing for the band members to look as if they were standing on stage. Madonna, was also holographically projected for the first part of her act as she moves around the characters to interact with them. This is one of the first, and greatest, technical feats ever for a band to make.

Also, because of their animations, the band RARELY plays live shows (in fact, the only one they have lined up so far for their new CD is Coachella 2010). So, of course, each of their live shows out-does the other. The “Demon Days” tour included panels of changing colors, hiding the live band from the public, while the “guests” were on stage in front, brightly lit. On a large screen in the middle, pictures and video played to help visually attract the audience. Simplistic, but incredibly creative.

Personally my favorite part of the band’s creativity is what they put into their website. To help promote their band and to get their fans psyched about the band itself, they launched an interactive game on their website to explore the confines of their home Kong Studios. With the coming of each CD and hit came an update to the website… and as the lives and appearance of each character changed, the studio reflected it. For example, in the video for “El Mañana,” Noodle supposedly died at the end of the video (it was later revealed that she had not died, but was instead dragged into hell). After the video landed, Noodle’s room in the virtual world was stripped and began to fall apart every month. As the truth came out that she was actually trapped in hell, the basement of the website’s virtual Kong had a transmission of Noodle in a room, exclaiming that she needed help. Soon after the announcement of “Plastic Beach,” Kong was in ruins, with none of the rooms available. Thus, Plastic Beach was born: the newest interactive online game allows you to tour Plastic Beach, with new rooms opening pretty much every month. If you’re interested, go to the website!

So yes, Gorillaz has great music, but it goes beyond that. I mean think of it this way: 2 guys created a FAKE band with FAKE names and FAKE backgrounds… they used incredible technical equipment to make these FAKE characters REAL, and even set up strange situations for said FAKE characters (as in their Plastic Beach website). Gorillaz is no ordinary band. It is a work of creative genius. And, to quote one of my favorite Gorillaz songs, “Yeah, yeah, yeah I’ll pay/When tomorrow/Tomorrow comes today!”

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words Tyler Pell

“Mo Money Mo Problems” The Antoine Walker story:

The former Celtics Forward earned over $110 in his twelve year NBA career. Unfortunately, Walker’s career took a nose dive when a self professed love of fried chicken got the best of his slowing metabolism. Now 33, an overweight and unemployed Walker owes numerous Las Vegas Hotels sums upward of $4 million. Still not clear sure if they are gambling debts or unpaid buffet tabs, either way consider this movie a juxtaposition of the MC Hammer and Kirstie Alley stories.

“Undisputed”TheRock‘EmSock‘EmRobots story:
This classic rivalry seems to have spanned generations. But what goes on behind the scenes — when the Blue Guy and the Red Guy aren’t fighting? Is there any real animosity between them, or is it contrived? Is there a Don King of the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em circuit? Do they go out for a beer after fights? Which fighters did they look up to growing up? Did they really start the Crips/Bloods feud?

“Ellis D” The Dock Ellis story:
Consider Ellis the Hunter S. Thompson of the sports world. His most famous exploits involve a two day acid binge during which he was informed by his girlfriend that he was scheduled to pitch for the Pirates later that afternoon. Dock responded, pitching just the 174th no-hitter of all time; likely the only one pitched under the influence of a Schedule I hallucinogenic. YouTube “Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No” for a psychedelic animated re-telling narrative of the historic event.

“Pushin’ Weight” The Nate Newton story:
Newton was one of the NFL’s premier offensive linemen during the 1990s. He won three Super Bowls and made six pro-bowls appearances as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. While in the NFL, his 370 pound frame earned him the nickname “The Kitchen.” After retiring, ungodly weights continued to define Newton. In one 5 week stretch in 2001, Newton was busted with trying to move over 390 pounds of pot. After serving jail time, Newton has given up marijuana and took up Christianity. Maybe pot is a gateway drug.

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After a  cane-yielding Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey exited the Super Bowl stage with two other guys claiming to be members of The Who, one thing seemed evident: Janet Jackson’s nipple has forever altered the halftime show experience. Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and somehow, Prince have all performed since Jackson’s nipple made an unexpected appearance at Super Bowl XXXVIII. Now I wouldn’t consider any pre-or-post nipple performances “good” by any measure, but these recent halftime performers look like they would be a lot more comfortable in a Buick than anywhere near a stage.

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The stories are legendary. For example: “One time he came on stage in a space suit with a bucket of KFC and started throwing chicken at the crowd.” Another fable went, “He’s a pimp. No, literally he’s a pimp.” Last Tuesday in the Wow Hall basement between openers I heard a new myth, a first person account of a Kool Keith sighting at a Costco in LA, where he, Xzibit, and several hookers purchased some bulk goods. So no one really knew what to expect of Keith’s Eugene appearance, the first stop of his brief Cascadia tour with Foreign Objects.

For those unacquainted with him, Kool Keith is a man of many aliases. His better-known titles include Kool Keith, Dr. Octagon, Dr. Doom, and Black Elvis; his website lists more than fifty in all, though most were used only once or twice on isolated singles throughout his thirty year career.

He began in ’88 as a member of the New York old school crew Ultramagnetic MCs. He gradually established himself as a solo act, and in 1996 he released Dr. Octagonecologist, a psychedelic, futuristic collaboration with Dan the Automator; it was an instant hip-hop classic. A clever lyricist, Keith stands out starkly from the banal background of mainstream unoriginality. But don’t be mistaken; Kool Keith is not another politically poignant underground rapper who parades a vocabulary of multisyllabic words. His message is more often disturbingly raunchy than profound. He is difficult to pin down, a schizophrenic entertainer with as many personalities as monikers.

He mounted the Wow Hall’s modest stage wearing a sequins headscarf and wielding his microphone. His DJ cued a record from the Ultramagnetic MCs years, and Keith began to rattle off rhymes in a funky old-school pentameter.

In essence, the show was a chronological recap of the many chapters of Kool Keith’s career. After a five-minute spree of uninterrupted free styles (which bested the average written rap), Keith and his hype-men moved on to songs from the Dr. Octagon era. The crowd erupted with excitement for “Blue Flowers” and “Earth People,” two better-known singles off of Dr. Octagonecologist.

With his albums, the listener is able to turn a blind eye to Kool Keith’s less wholesome (i.e., degrading) lyrics. But when confronted with his living presence, one is forced to see the sheer crudity of his words. Aside from a few outliers, Kool Keith’s raps are only about sex. It is sometimes suggested that he means to satirize the misogyny of the mainstream. If so, then he’s doing a great job. Between songs, he asked, “How many ladies here like hotels?” The audience laughed nervously, unsure whether it was creepy or hilarious. He went on: “Who here is a freak? Are there any secret freaks? Ok, who here is a conservative freak? We’re looking for secret conservative confined freaks.” He eventually dropped the issue to play more raunchy songs released under his Dr. Doom alias.

After a satisfying survey of Kool Keith’s contributions to hip-hop, the show took a turn for the worse. For the last twenty minutes or so, Keith and his posse performed half-minute song segments, abruptly ending one and moving on to the next. They were attempting to cram the show’s tail end with as many songs as possible: it was quantity not quality. And it was annoying. Just when you settled into the groove of a beat, the record flipped, the tempo changed, and you had to readjust.

Despite ending on such an irritating note, the overall concert experience was a fascinating and enjoyable glimpse at who Kool Keith really is: a very strange man.

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            After birthing legendary indie shredders Monotonix, Israel offers the world yet another musical gift: Soulico, a crew of four Tel-Aviv DJs with an impressive library of rare Middle Eastern folk and disco vinyl. Last October they put forth their debut album, Exotic on the Speaker, an energetic amalgam of hip-hop, dancehall, and traditional Mid East music.

            Twelve of thirteen tracks feature MCs and singers from all over the world including scores of Israeli hip-hop artists; Panamanian dancehall maestro MC Zulu; Ghostface Killah; underground rappers Lyrics Born, Pigeon John, and Del the Funky Homosapien; and Rye Rye, M.I.A.’s streetwise teenaged protégé from Baltimore. Although almost half of the lyrics are in Hebrew, the language barrier isn’t much of a problem; “Pitom Banu 2020” hasn’t one word of English, yet it is easily one of the album’s most appealing songs.

            The first song, “El Nur,” commences with a shout of “Salaam alaikum” (peace unto you in Arabic), and then Ghostface Killah delivers a verse in his classic Wu Tang cadence. The overall thesis of his rap: I’m super tight, I’m hard, don’t fuck with me. It’s hubristic and unoriginal, yet charming as always. The beat that backs him consists of standard electronic drums, rapid pluckings of some foreign-sounding string instrument, and a loud, buzzy synth line. The rest of the song features Hebrew rapping and singing (no idea what they’re saying…but it sounds neat?). Each collaborator pulls his or her own weight, making the song fantastic as a whole.

            Unfortunately, some of Soulico’s musical guests are not so worthy. For example, on the eighth track titled “Come Back,” Onili, an Israeli pop diva, sings in a breathy, overly sexy voice. But it’s not sexy. It’s just frightening. She and a couple other featured artists whose performances add no value to the album ought not to have been included in the otherwise awesome debut project.

            But the most incredible song of all, and the most Israeli in sound, is the title track, “Exotic on the Speaker,” featuring Rye Rye. A cheap-sounding synthetic orchestra pounds thrice, a Klezmer fiddle sings a folky phrase, and a drum machine creates an intricately detailed beat. Rye Rye fills her two minutes and forty-three seconds with rhymes about nightclubs and parties in her sincere and youthful voice. Inclusion of Rye Rye on the album was surely a good call.

            But for their part, the DJs of Soulico (Sabbo, Rob, Shimmy Sonic, and Wido by name) mix and produce a superb album. Perhaps their greatest virtue is their transcendence of the confines of genre. “Queen of Hearts” is an ultra-catchy dancehall reggae song, “Politrix” could easily be a song off of Beck’s Midnight Vultures, and “DaraboukaTron” sounds like a bunch of robots on acid partaking in a tribal drum circle. They’re a dynamic team, Soulico, a talent that is exciting to hear regardless of your culture, homeland, or language.

Exotic On The Speaker (Feat. Rye Rye) MP3

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Pitchfork has released an article announcing that Andrew WK and one of my personal favorite hip-hop groups, People Under the Stairs, have collaborated and created a new variation of Danny Elfman’s Simpson’s theme song. It will air in the end credits on January 16th’s all new episode. Will you check it out? I know I will.

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Doug Martsch, Patron Saint of Rock

On November 15 Doug Martsch, in a brown rain jacket and a thinning mop of hair, climbed the WOW Hall stage with his Built To Spill band mates and dutifully setup shop sans roadies. “Christ,” I thought. “These guys are geezers!”

Initially, I questioned whether going to the concert would be the “right thing” to do. I had a major test the next afternoon and my conscience was saying DO NOT GO NO NO. But BTS is too hard to resist. I’ve been a fan for some time and I had never seen them live. Before I knew it, their familiar maestro guitar attack–that  I had recently forgotten– rocked the living daylights out of me. If the band is an apple of temptation, their genius is baring some badass fruit.

Martsch, who formed BTS in 1992, is surprisingly reserved onstage considering he is revered  as a founding father of indie rock. The Boise musician said little more than a feeble “Thanks” between their lengthy songs (which are that much longer live). It seems that for Martsch, the music comes first.

Guitarist Brett Netson did most of the crowd-schmoozing.

“This is dedicated to men who built WOW Hall..and to the people who throw rocks in the windows of corporations,” Netson exclaimed before the sheer force of BTS’ signature guitar echo, loops and feedback, essetnially  brought down the house.

(The name “Built To Spill” is definitely not a misnomer.)

Yet it was during “Strange” as Martsch’s plaintive voice whimpered, “yeah its strange but what’s so strange about that/ yeah its strange but what isn’t strange/ yeah its strange but oh well” that their anti-establishment vehemence felt most genuine and the results are absolutely mesmerizing.

Martsch so prolifically converts feelings into remarkably assured rock n’ roll, its no wonder he is considered one of the best guitarists in the business  today. He might resent the Rock God ascription, but well, that’s what he is.

Yes, in the midst of popping my “BTS Live” cherry, I became a born-again believer.

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We here at the Voice are more than pleased with the reinstatement. Since the cash-strapped athletic program could no doubt use some assistance —  and because we’re tired of renovating our office every year — we decided to spend some of our cash surplus on a gift that will no doubt make Blount’s transition a little smoother… 

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