Gorillaz

Alternative / Alternative

Damon Albarn has been a controversial subject in the pop world since Blur's first big hit with 1991's "She's So High." Carrying the burden of pop royalty hasn't been easy for Albarn, but instead of packing in creatively he's expanded his horizons (and those of his fans) by branching out into territory other stars of his caliber would flee. In 1999 he teamed with acclaimed composer Michael Nyman to score the feature Ravenous (starring Robert Carlyle and Guy Pearce), lending a catchy yet clever sensibility to the film's somewhat bleak story of cannibalism. That same year, Blur released the album 13, which was a record so very unBlur-like that everyone read it as a sign the band were breaking up. But touring and a greatest hits package followed, and despite the fact that each member has a side project, Blur remain a married unit ‹ even as Albarn is now receiving massive critical acclaim for Gorillaz, his newest and most far-out experiment to date. Although Albarn, Dan the Automator, Del the Funkee Homosapien and Miho Hitari (Cibo Matto) are parents to this motley gang of animated characters, Gorillaz stand strong independently thanks to music's power and the strong personalities imbued in their renderings (the work of "Tank Girl" creator Jamie Hewlett). According to Albarn, the artists were drawn to such collaboration because there had never been anything like it before. "It gave me and the people I like working with an opportunity not worry about anything and just make experimental pop music. If Gorillaz are fighting for anything, they're fighting for the right for people to experiment in the mainstream. I don't want to experiment in obscurity -- I want to experiment where people can benefit from it."

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