They have been around for the last 10 years and now after almost a decade in the music scene, like most music artists, Gorillaz release their first ever best of collection of hit singles aptly titled ‘The Singles Collection 2001 – 2011’ that contain 13 tracks right from their inception to the very recent. The songs on the album are from their four albums namely…’Gorillaz’ (2001), ‘Demon Days’ (2005, ‘Plastic Beach’ (2010), ‘The Fall’ (2010).

Some of the songs that you can run through are the inevitable favorites ‘Tomorrow comes today’, ‘Clint Eastwood’, ‘On Melancholy Hill’, the best of all being ‘Dirty Harry’ and ‘Feel Good Inc’. You can also go for ‘Stylo’, ‘Kids with guns’ equally likeable. The Gorillaz quartet visually look freaked out stars in their own way, there’s 2-D, the cute but spacy singer/keyboardist; Murdoc, the spooky, Satanic bassist and the brains behind the group; Russel, a drummer equally inspired by "Farrakhan and Chaka Khan" and Noodle, a -old Japanese guitar virtuoso and martial arts master.

Gorillaz was the creation of former band members who came together to create a new outfit which would play a flipped up version of hip hop and alternative rock music. The band originally identified themselves as "Gorilla" and ‘Ghost train’ was one of their first songs. The band showcases themselves as an extensive fictional universe depicting a 'virtual band' of cartoon characters.  Their fictional universe is explored through the band's website and music videos that have eye and ear catching visuals and music, as well as a number of other media, such as short cartoons to look forward to.

Gorillaz are a twenty-first century update of such animated music groups as the Archies, the Chipmunks, and Josie & the Pussycats. The difference from their counterparts is that Gorillaz comprises of several established, respected musicians. Created by popular British rock band Blur's Damon Albarn and comic writer Jamie (best known as the creator of the cult comic Tank Girl) Hewlett in 1998, the idea came in a very novel way. Hewlett thought of the plan of the Gorillaz concept with Albarn, while the duo was sharing a flat in London. The two realized they had much in common, and decided to combine their artistic and musical talents to bring about something new and something that no one had ever done before. They created four members…. 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel, and Noodle in a way that each member was also given their own personalities and idiosyncrasies.

The Gorillaz quartet visually look freaked out stars in their own way, caught in different moods and at times slightly spooky too. There’s 2-D, the cute but spacy singer/keyboardist; Murdoc, the spooky, possibly Satanic bassist and the brains behind the group; Russel, a drummer equally inspired by "Farrakhan and Chaka Khan" and possessed by "funky phantoms" that occasionally rise up and provide some zombie-style rapping; and last but not least, Noodle, a ten-year-old Japanese guitar virtuoso and martial arts master.

Now here is what the four animated band members play; you have 2D on lead vocal and keyboard and melodica, Murdoc Niccals on bass guitar and drum machine, Noodle the lead guitarist who also plays keyboard, and occasional vocals and Russel Hobbs on drums and percussion. Their musical style is a composition of multiple musical genres and varies from alternative rock, dub, hip hop, electronic, reggae, funk, and pure bubblegum pop music.

In reality or in the non virtual world, the band members current lineup (including those who play live) are The Clash (Mick Jones and Paul Simonon) while the studio album have work by Damon Albarn (vocals, keyboards, bass guitar, melodica) and  Jamie Hewlett (illustrations, visuals and FX), Mike Simth (keyboards) and Cass Browne (drums, percussion). The first album featured the voices of Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto as Noodle, most notably on the song ‘19-2000’, and Tina Weymouth, formerly of The Talking Heads, Phil Cornwell who provide the voice of Murdoc.

Rating: ****

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira