3 Ideas For Gorillaz To Get Back In The Mainstream

This title shouldn’t come across as any sort of insult. Gorillaz still have a large, widespread fan base, and a devoted following never leaves a band. Plus, with a new album coming this year, there will (hopefully) be a whole new wave of publicity to go along with it. Nevertheless, it’s fair to say the group doesn’t quite get the international attention or general radio play it did back in the “Clint Eastwood” days. This will probably only change if the group strikes another hit (which we all know Damon Albarn is capable of doing). But just for fun, we have a few ideas for how Gorillaz can start generating some more attention again.

Go Political (With A Major Video)

Not every band wants to get political, or is even comfortable doing so. Gorillaz might not necessarily go this route, and in some ways that would be commendable. One could argue that opting to dive into politics is sort of an easy way to score points, particularly in today’s incredibly polarized environment. Both in the U.S. and in Western Europe, politics have been a little turbulent for the last few years, and a song that makes a political statement is nicely situated to make a splash.

Even if it might be considered pandering however, this isn’t a bad idea specifically where publicity is concerned. Consider the recent example of U2’s “Get Out Of Your Own Way,” a politically charged tune that earned itself a Rolling Stone feature because of the quality and impact of its music video. A lot of that has to do with the fact that the video is incredibly creative (the band employed an Israeli graffiti group to design a stop-motion animation video) – but it’s also because of the tone of the song. Now, U2 is always going to get attention for something like this, because the band is known for political activism. But it’s hard to imagine a group like Gorillaz putting out a similarly sharp social critique with a great video wouldn’t generate a lot of attention.

Get Into Gaming

The link between major artists and video games definitely seems to have gotten more noticeable in recent years. In fact, sometimes even deceased artists are getting mainstream popularity boosts via gaming. Case in point, a digital slot machine based on Jimi Hendrix and some of his hit songs is a fan favourite among innumerable similar games with different themes. Much of that probably comes down to people who happen to be Hendrix fans – but no doubt some of the player base consists of gamers who simply liked what they bumped into. This is just one example, but given that Hendrix has been gone for so long and his brand of music isn’t exactly at the top of the charts today, it’s probably the most impressive.

And wouldn’t Gorillaz be the perfect group to go into gaming? It’s already referred to as a “virtual band” and comes with its own animated characters (and to some extent personae). The group could easily lend its material for a game like the Jimi Hendrix one, or else work with a developer to put out a new and original mobile game (something the world famous DJ Steve Aoki did just recently). A Gorillaz game done right, and featuring a blend of old and new music, would definitely get people talking again.

Snag A Guest Rapper

For this one we really don’t need to go into too much detail, because the idea speaks for itself. A guest rapper can make a single these days, and it’s hard to imagine there wouldn’t be a line of popular artists willing to work with Gorillaz. Crossover material like this has become an incredibly valuable tool for artists, and in this case it would give a rapper a fun new sound to try out and give Gorillaz a (relatively) easy way to top the charts. It’s a win-win that the group really ought to try.

Jamie Hewlett talks about on Damon Albarn in his New Book

Famous for his work as the illustrator half of the band Gorillaz with Blur singer Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett has published an autobiography book on his life’s work. The artist’s first monograph contains more than 400 pieces of artwork, spanning the artist's career.

Get inside the mind of Jamie Hewlett - with influences ranging from hip hop to zombie slasher movies, Hewlett emerged in the mid 1990s as co-creator of the zeitgeist-defining Tank Girl comic. With then-roommate, Blur frontman Damon Albarn, he went on to create the unique cartoon band Gorillaz, a virtual pop group of animated characters, which recorded four studio albums and mounted breathtaking live spectacles.

Hewlett also did a new interview on January 15th where he talks about Gorillaz, Damon Albarn and his new book's launch. He also talks a bit about how he met Damon Albarn, how he started Gorillaz and what inspires his Tank Girl character as well as his love for all things "girl power".

Buy his book on Amazon HERE.

Watch his new interview HERE. 

Damon Albarn - New Tour Date for 2018

Heads up! Damon Albarn is going to perform in Tigery, France on March 17th 2018 (Saturday) from 9:00pm onwards. This show marks the first for the Blur frontman in a long time, after his successful Humanz tour last year for his other project Gorillaz.

Albarn will perform with Jupiter & Okwess, a group Jupiter formed with Okwess International. The genre of their sound can be described as an experimental trance. This sound like no other was the delight of Damon Albarn during his album with Congo music and DRC Music in 2011.

Gathering a tight slew of rhythmic patterns, Jupiter creates an electroshock, modern vibe using a traditional trance digest digested in the kinoise fashion. As Jupiter says, "They call me: Jupiter, Living Monument, Rebel General, Hope of Youth, Prophet of Congolese Music ... I accept all these nicknames! "

Book tickets HERE.

New Jamie Hewlett Interview - on the New Gorillaz Album

Hey all, sorry for the small hiatus! We're back to bring you more latest Blur and Damon Albarn news! This time, check out the latest interview with Gorillaz co-founder Jamie Hewlett!

Gorillaz launches G Foot Store- Check out their Merchandise!

With Gorillaz set to descent upon the UK for one of the final shows of their sold-out tour in support of their excellent comeback album Humanz, the group’s co-creator Jamie Hewlett has announced that his clothing line G Foot will be setting up a pop up store featuring exclusive clothing and accessories unavailable anywhere else.

The store, which was a pop up store in the USA last month, has recently gone live online. Included in the unique merchandise is the limited edition Gorillaz “Hollywood” shirt, which was created exclusively for the occasion and will only be available as long as supplies last.

The range has beautifully designed hats and t-shirts, as well as sweatshirts, jumpers and socks for the Humanz fan. Everything is designed in limited batches, so things will sell out fast!

Check it out now! http://eu.gfoot.store/uk/

Our Top 5 Blur Songs To Get You Through This Winter

So it's nearly winter and there's only one thing to do- compile a list of our favourite 5 Blur songs to get you through this cold, dreary weather. The British weather is unbearably cold and rainy, so we're going to find songs that can compliment a nice cup of tea, a cozy fireplace and a chilled evening at home. Here are the top 5 Blur songs that you need to listen to!

1) Some Glad Morning - this underrated masterpiece deserves to be Number 1 on our list. You'll be glad that your mornings will be filled with the subtleties of this tune. It's a bit dark, a bit cold, and screams of British passiveness, just like the cold weather we're going to have. Give it a go!



2) Mellow Song - winters makes everyone more subdue, and what's better than to listen to the mellowest song of all- Mellow song. Blast this out loud on speakers for the best experience, as earphones won't do it justice. It's super calming and relaxing, and perfect as background music.



3) Trimm Trabb - we love this song from 13 because it's so dark, twisted but beautiful at the same time. Damon Albarn sings of shoes, but all we want to do after work is take off our shoes and relax. It's perfect as it's the epitome of Blur's dark, grungy, post-break-up blues.

4) On The Way To The Club- Damon Albarn croons soothingly about how he walks to the club- this song is, in our opinion, one of Blur's best since it's mellow, soothing but also slightly raw and energetic. It's totally perfect for the cold winter evenings. Listen with a friend or a partner for the best experience!



5) Coffee and TV - who can resist this classic, which deserves to be 5th on our list because it's so overrated. But nonetheless, it's a masterpiece in it's own right. Blast away during the late evenings after work, or on the tube back home, and it will be the tune that accompanies you to sleep.

New Damon Albarn Interview- 2017

It's been a while since we've posted here on Blurballs, but we want to apologize for the hiatus. The following is an interesting little interview taken from Vulture (source below) whom interviewed Damon Albarn about his recent work on November 2017.

Yes, we're back! 

In exploring the differences between Damon Albarn’s twin flagship bands, it never occurred to me that Albarn viewed the one as a commentary on British life and the other as an exploration of America through music. It tracks, though. The sound experiments of 2001’s Gorillaz imagined the breakbeats and turntable wizardry of the States’ bubbling independent hip-hop scene growing a natural affinity for pop hooks and melodies, a prescient concept to revisit in a year when the beats on the new Jay-Z album sound more like Roc Marciano than Rocafella Records. The washed-out sonics Danger Mouse brought to Demon Days rolled aspects of American surf and psych rock into modern pop, presaging the ’60s-rock vibes Mouse teased out on Gnarls Barkley, Beck, and Black Keys albums in the middle aughts.

Gorillaz’s sound didn’t always scan as American in its roots because early on I was discovering the work of Albarn’s collaborators through him. I stumbled onto his music in high school when “Song 2” broke in America and dug deeper after a snarky older kid’s withering remark that I wasn’t cool enough to listen to Blur.

Albarn’s late-’90s and early-’00s output helped nudge me toward indie rock, Britpop, and underground rap. I was curious how my pop-music Zelig always got into the right rooms with the right people. He swore cosmic providence: “I’m more interested in the right person sort of finding me somehow.” But the guest list on Humanz — D.R.A.M., Popcaan, Little Simz, Danny Brown, Kelela — sounds like it was put together by someone tapped into the cutting edge of modern pop culture. I got my answer when an assistant ambled over to inform Albarn that his kid was heading over to watch Future perform.

More intriguing than Albarn’s future-forward ear for music are the times his songwriting has seemed wise to some coming catastrophe. It’s not justHumanz, which he half pridefully, half morbidly describes as being “no longer a future record, but a record of now.” There’s a dull fatalism haunting the singer-songwriter’s late-’90s work, across “Death of a Party,”“Strange News from Another Star,” “Coffee and TV,” and “Battle,” that I’d understood for years as simple, textbook Albarn melancholia until a question about the Gorillaz live show drew an aside about 9/11. TheHumanz tour does away with the AV theatrics that obscured the band on stage on past tours, dropping the cartoon band conceit to showcase the people making the music. “I want them to see the humans,” he said.

Is that a methodological response to the feeling of the record, the way that you’re performing it?
I think so, yeah. I’m also trying to get to the spirit of the songs from the past. That’s the hard thing, to go back to 2001, when I was in a very different space, and the world was pre-9/11. And then putting a record out while that was happening … It’s very powerful stuff, so you can’t be insensitive to the resonance around what you do. I was just trying to get back to that, to be sensitive to where I am.

It’s interesting that you mention making music around 9/11, because, in retrospect, 13 feels like a record that’s got this sort of coming panic to it. 
Yeah, there seems to be … I dunno what’s the matter with me.

Sounds shamanistic to me.
That’s the second time that conversation has come up recently. For me, that’s what I aspire to. It’s just something you have to practice and be very open-hearted about. It’s as simple as that. Opened eyes. It’s emotional ritual, that’s what shamanism is.

I think that Blur and 13 kind of telegraph the tug-of-war between electronic music and rock that came together on other records to louder acclaim. I’m wondering how you continuously find ways to keep readjusting the formula of rock music. 
I honestly just get up in the morning, get stoned — I get up. I do yoga. Have a little bit of breakfast. Go to the studio. Get stoned. Work. Leave at 5.

There are a lot of musicians who strike whenever the inspiration comes. It could be three in the morning or —
Well, not three in the morning. Not these days. But yeah, sure. Fuck. I made one record, called Democrazy, which was entirely written at five o’clock in the morning for a month. Sounds like the fucking mad clattering insides of someone’s brain, but that’s good for what that is. I always get frustrated because a decision is made about who you are on the basis of that one thing. And it’s like, “Man, I do a lot of different things!” That’s who I am. Thewhole thing. Not just Gorillaz or … And in a way it doesn’t really matter. Forget about personalities. Share the experience together.

Gotcha.
I mean, obviously that means something entirely different in 2017 than it did 1968. The thing is, we have to be sensitive to what we create. Because, literally, you are the future. You can see the future everywhere. We think we can’t see into the future, but we can see everywhere. [Laughs] Also the past.

Does that come with obligations?
Uhhh … no, that’s just the way it is. If you accept the spirit into your universe then you have to follow the spirit. Different people have different spirits. There isn’t one full, cohesive, one spirit. There is spirit, but it then subdivides into a billion different … If you’re gonna get into the, uh, bureaucracy of that, you’ve gotta be an angel or something like that.

Are you a profoundly spiritual person?
I wouldn’t say I’m profoundly anything, but I am spiritual.

Source: Vulture 

A New Gorillaz Album is to be out in 2018 !

Head's up! Damon Albarn has just announced that a new Gorillaz album may be out in 2018. Yes, that's right folks, it might just be coming soon!

But that's not the whole story. After the release Humanz this year, lead singer Damon Albarn has revealed that he’d like to release another “surprise” album, similar to The Fall from back in 2010, which arrived after a short surprise announcement.

“I really like the idea of making new music and playing it live almost simultaneously,” Albarn announced after speaking with Q Magazine. “It will be a more complete record than The Fall, but hopefully have that spontaneity.”

The virtual band still has a number of tour dates to get to, as Damon continued regarding live performances.

“We’ve been discussing ideas for a new kind of live show,” he added. “If we’re going to do more with Gorillaz we don’t want to wait seven years because, y’know, we’re getting on a bit now. We’re excited but we need to get these shows finished first. You never know what’s around the corner.”

“My dream of being able to see holograms of real people onstage is close now. That was the idea at the beginning. We’ve been very patient and we don’t have that long left.”

So is this a teaser for a new Gorillaz album? Is this one of Albarn's many contested hints? Who knows - but what we know for sure is that the future of a new Gorillaz album remains out there for good!

Stay tuned for more (and we're back after our little hiatus!).

Gorillaz carries its energy through San Francisco’s curfew

A cartoon band, Gorillaz may have started from behind Jamie Hewlett’s caricatures but permanent frontman Damon Albarn didn’t pretend to be anything other than flesh and blood at Outside Lands in its headlining set Friday night. Albarn stepped up to the crowd in dark jeans and a black shirt, bereft of inky outlines and purple-y oil paint sheen — it was just the sort of outfit you’d expect from someone who’s 49 years old and English and not a cartoon.

Storm clouds of stage smoke floated around him, sliced through by striped, white lasers and backlit by villainous sci-fi bursts of emerald green. He stood steadily behind the mic stand in the center, singing through the color-saturated air, as the sky at the fringes of Golden Gate Park turned pink then black.

The spotlights refracting around the stage hopscotched the color spectrum as Albarn jumped around the band’s discography — seizured flashes of emerald for “M1 A1” from Gorillaz, a glare of hazy blue at Albarn’s call of “Are we the last living soul?” from Demon Days, a single sheath of white on Albarn as a twangy keyboard synth plucked out the bouncy melody from “19-2000.” It was a song played twice because the band lost its place after Albarn forgot the lyrics while down in the crowd: “I fucked up and I don’t want to fuck up so we’re going to do this again,” he said as the crowd went bananas.

Through the mishmash of alternating colors and sonic eras of Gorillaz, Albarn presented a parade of guest artists — Yukimi Nagano of Little Dragon followed American hip hop group De La Soul, who followed Pusha T, who followed Kali Uchis.

Guest artists are a common staple for the Gorillaz, the result of his role as a creative producer. Perhaps the best collaboration — performed and recorded — was that with Nagano on “Empire Ants.”

Nagano waltzed in from from stage left in a second impressive outfit (having played an hour prior with her own band Little Dragon on the same stage in a wide-brimmed neon yellow hat and puffy, ruffled dress). Her voice fluctuated gorgeously and easily over the lilting synths and driving drum line on the song from the upper half of Plastic Beach.

But, of course, it’s hard to top “On Melancholy Hill,” which the band played immediately before. The song’s keyboard line is instantly recognizable, as are Albarn’s megaphone-esque vocals as he opens with, “Up on Melancholy Hill there’s a plastic tree / Are you here with me?” It’s also one of the few songs of the night that was easy for a large crowd to sing along to — so as hands waved darkly silhouetted against a jewel-toned watercolor stage light, you could hear them shouting back the lyrics.

Following “On Melancholy Hill” and “Empire Ants” in the middle of the set, Gorillaz played 10 more songs before beginning its five-song encore with “Stylo.”

What followed “Stylo,” though, was probably the best moment of the night: Vincent Mason (Maseo) of De La Soul returned to the stage, murmurs of anticipation filling the crowd as he shuffled and leaned toward the edge of the stage, Albarn asking the audience to hush so Maseo could focus. The laugh at the beginning of “Feel Good Inc.” resounded across the park as cheers erupted alongside the prominent drum lead in. Nobody stood still through the end of the song.

The end of Gorillaz’s encore brought “Demon Days” and Albarn’s question: “We’re going to keep playing until they switch us off, okay?”

Of course, the audience deemed it perfectly okay, and Gorillaz was cut off before the end of the tune, the geometric colors of the stained glass projection behind them fading out along with the musicians. But not even the SF noise curfew could fade out the crowd’s energy.

Source- Dailycal.org