Gorillaz - D-Sides

Back to the drawing board

Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz have been in a kind of on-off state since Demon Days came out back in 2005. He has produced operas, formed global-yet-British supergroups and offered the ever-tantalising tease of a Blur reunion.

But anyway, here we are with a second collection of Gorillaz odds and sods. Where Demon Days floored with its collaborations and melody, D-Sides leaves the listener cold, being disjointed and often indulgent to the point of hilarity. Rough sketches of DARE (named People, without Shaun Ryder’s genius adlib) and Don’t Get Lost In Heaven jostle for position with second-rate dub and B-sides that should just have stayed that way.

A second disc of remixes is more interesting, the highlight being DFA’s take on DARE. Said retool blurs the line between a club track and pop track, taking the pace up and up before bringing it, perversely, right back down. Hot Chip and the excellent Metronomy work their magic too, and with a theme to guide it, this disc is easily the better of the two.

So what happens next? Who knows, only one man can answer that, and he’s saying nothing. Slim pickings.

Parlophone | 5105582 (2-CD)

Reviewed by Jake Kennedy
<< Back to Issue 345