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  NPR Offers up Recording of Gorillaz Performance in Syria

  07.29.10

  My guess is that few if any of you blog readers were in Syria last Sunday to catch Damon Albarn and the Gorillaz crew tear apart the Damascus Citadel, which is why NPR has hooked up the inter-web with a recording of the entire set. After an appropriately odd phone-in intro from bassist Murdoc, you can catch all one hour and twenty-five minutes of the concert, from crowd reaction to guest spots by De La Soul, Bobby Womack and Mick Jones of The Clash among others. Fans of Plastic Beach will also recognize the National Orchestra for Arabic Music which is featured on track White Flag on the album, and at the show. So head over to NPR for a preview of what’s headed our way this fall when the Gorillaz travel the globe on their world tour.

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  Go Ape Shit: Gorillaz to Tour the Globe

  07.22.10

  If your calendar wasn’t already full of tiny little red x’s marking all the fall tour dates in your town, you bet there will soon be one huge X as the Gorillaz have announced a world tour. The Escape to Plastic Beach tour will bring the cartoon band’s multimedia affair to four of the seven continents (sorry South America, Africa and Antartica!) for dates that will likely stretch over at least a three month span. No word on opening acts yet, and only certain dates have been released as of now. For example, only two North American shows have been revealed so far: one in New York, and a Montreal show at the Centre Bell on October 3rd. So get out that red marker, park yourself in front of your calendar and check out the preliminary schedule for the tour right here. (more…)

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  Aquatic Gorillaz

  06.14.10

  Impossible-to-classify Brits Gorillaz have just released the second video off new record Plastic Beach, this time with a little submarine scenery to go along with the bloopy, mellow track On Melancholy Hill. The video shows the cartoon band discovering their new hideout, the island oddity that fans will recognize from the album cover, and while Bruce Willis doesn’t make an appearance in this one, a few cartoon versions of artists on the album, like Snoop dog, do pop up in the sub scene. The video hits iTunes today. Less pleasant news also surfaced however, as the previously reported opera collaboration between Gorillaz and graphic novel genius Alan Moore will not be going down, reportedly due to conflicting schedules. I was really hoping this would happen and smash Green Day’s Broadway creation out of popularity.

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  Gorillaz Replace U2 and Save Glastonbury Festival

  05.26.10

  As previously reported, U2′s been forced to pull out of their headlining slot at the Glastonbury Festival due to the prescribed recovery time frontman Bono must observe following emergency back surgery. Never fret festival goers as the Glastonbury organizers pulled up their socks and scored some big boys to fill the void. We are proud to announce cartoon heavyweights known as Gorillaz will take on the headlining challenge at this year’s festivities. Gorillaz frontman Murdoc shared his thoughts on replacing U2 for the show saying, “We’re like some great big horrible warship pulling in to the Bay of Glastonbury to save the day. It was us or the Beatles, and they split up years ago. The previous soldiers got pulled from duty last minute so it’s up to my Plastic Beach naval cavalry to sail in and sort the battlefield out. I can assure you though, I’m bringing extra troops. Loads of them. Glastonbury will be ours… cutlasses drawn, trumpets ready. We’re coming in…” Son of a bitch Murdoc, you make it really difficult for me to toss narcissistic zings at Bono after saying something like that. In any case this writer thinks the switcharoo is delightful, although 100,000 people may disagree with me.

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  Summer Sounds From Across the Pond

  05.14.10

  As if you need any more convincing that these 10 mind-blowing festivals are worth the trip to Europe, here’s another reason to add to your list: luxury “camping”. These accommodations located on the festival sites are all the rage right now: huts, cabins, pods, tipis and capsules, all with a variety of decadent amenities such as flat screen TVs, refrigerators, iPod docks and speakers. Check out the list below to be tempted further… (more…)

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  Gorillaz to Stream London Roundhouse Show Live

  04.28.10

  For Gorillaz fans who are more than a stone’s throw from London, you may be excited to learn that the virtual band has opted to stream their upcoming Friday night show at London’s Roundhouse on MTV sites around the world. The 2D outfit’s set will reportedly feature tracks from Plastic Beach, along with bouts of artwork, animation and film. Got a King Kong size craving? Then tune in to Gorillaz.MTV.com at 5pm ET on Friday April 30th for a chesting pounding good time.

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  Comic Book Brave Alan Moore Releases Unearthing Box Set

  04.27.10

  Mastermind comic book engineer Alan Moore sets aside his Watchmen and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen fame to focus on some projects leaning toward the more audio side of things. Aside from collaborating with the Gorillaz on a piece outlining the life and times of English alchemist John Dee, Moore is to reportedly release an audio box set dubbed Unearthing. The collection of music is set against a backdrop of the comic creator himself reading a story while the stylings of Fog’s Andrew Broder and Doseone’s latest duo titled Crook&Flail helm the score. The box set comes complete with the 120 minute piece on CD and vinyl, a copy of the script, an EP of special instrumentals, images courtesy the photographer/director Mitch Jenkins and a featuring cast of artists the likes of Mike Patton, Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai, and Jesu/Godflesh’s Justin Broadrick. Look for Unearthing to drop on July 5th in the UK and July 6th in the US.

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  Coachella Releases Complete Festival Schedule

  04.13.10

  You arrive at Coachella primed and anxious to experience three days of exceptional music in the warm California desert. But what to watch? Where to watch it? And what time to see it at? Questions that have plagued Coachella goers for some time now. Well lay your anxiety to rest as the Golden State festival has released their complete festival schedule and we have it listed below just for you! (more…)

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• CD Reviews

  Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

  03.13.10

  

  Big number three from the English lipped hazy beat-rockers Gorillaz comes monikered as Plastic Beach; an album piled so high with cameos it spins like variety hour at the most eclectic exclusive club on earth. (more…)

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  Lady Gaga Plans 3D Tour?

  03.09.10

  I thought that real people saw other real people in 3D anyway, but rumors are abound that Lady Gaga has plans to embark on a tour which will involve a 3D concert and DVD in the near future. Perhaps, after the host of recent appearances and awards, the singer herself will be staying at home and sending a hologram to do the job for her, Gorillaz style. Interscope have stated that a concert and DVD were potentially in the pipeline, but did not reveal details of the visuals fans should expect. Gaga gave away 3D glasses with the release of her The Fame Monster album package in December, along with a message saying they would be useful for “things happening soon”. Mysterious.

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  New Gorillaz Video Featuring Car Chase and Bruce Willis!

  03.02.10

  More Gorillaz news! As we’ve been reporting this week, the new LP by the British electro-punks, Plastic Beach is out March 9th via Virgin. Now, as well as being able to stream the whole album, you can viddy up the first video for the song Stylo. The semi-animated clip features a car chase across a desert, with none other than Bruce Willis – presumably taking some time off from promoting the unspeakably bad new Kevin Smith movie – chasing them.

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  New Gorillaz Album Streaming Now!

  03.01.10

  Plastic Beach, the third album from Damon Albarn’s electro-punks Gorillaz gets its official release on March 9th. But! You can stream the album now via NPR, which features Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mos Def, the Bee Gees‘ Barry Gibb, The Fall’s Mark E. Smith, Bobby Womack and The Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, here and now. Go!

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  Gorillaz Launch Online Computer Game

  02.24.10

  As we previously reported, Plastic Beach, the new album by Gorillaz, Damon Albarn’s band of computer-generated ruffians is due for release on March 9th. In the lead up to its release, Gorillaz have posted an online video game based on the aforementioned record. The game allows mere mortals access to the bands lair on the beach, Players tumble through the Gorillaz themed levels, following talking seagulls, and collecting clues whilst a soundtrack of ambient dub. The action controlled by a certain “GOD device” at the bottom of the screen, which kind of looks like an iPhone app. Sounds pretty interesting right? Head on over the Gorillaz site to check it out.

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• FROM THE CORNER comes...

  Peter Project

  01.27.10

  by Canyon

  It’s about time someone did something about this age old problem; the elephant in the corner of every concert and club show we’ve all learned to endure: bad B.O. On a mission to bring good hygiene practices to the people, Toronto’s Peter Project offered his latest EP dubbed FRESH in the form of a soap. Yes, an actual bar of suds (in the shape of an iPod no less!) containing a download card with a code to access the album online. “I want to get soapy with you!” proclaims the dirt-less DJ to the sound of sampled video game beats, beeps and bleeps. Cleanness is definitely the theme of this epigrammatic recording, and is delivered via a variety of mediums such as the talented vocals of More Or Les, Laura Barrett, Masia One and Maylee Todd, instrumental tracks like Rubbing Garbage (In Your Face) and even organ solos courtesy of Project’s father. Check out Peter Project for the breath of fresh air he infuses to hip hop.

  Genre: Hip Hop
  Latest Album: FRESH
  For Fans Of: Beck, Anti-Pop Consortium, Gorillaz
  Listen To: Peter Project

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  Gorillaz Reveal Album Details With First Single to be Released January 26th

  01.20.10

  Your favorite merry band of computer generated electro-popstars are back, and although it may never be possible to meet them in the flesh, you will soon be able to hold their new record Plastic Beach in your hands. On March 9th, to be exact, if you live in the US. But first! A new single, Stylo, featuring Mos Def and Bobby Womack, will be available for your downloading pleasure, and to whet the appetite on January 26th. Parachuted onto Gorillaz’s Plastic Beach, on “a secret island floating deep in the South Pacific” made up of “the detritus, debris and washed up remnants of humanity,” according to the band’s press release, have been some pretty excellent guests. They will include Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, De La Soul, Mancunian sourpuss Mark E. Smith of The Fall, as well as previous Damon Albarn collaborators Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash. (more…)

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  Alan Moore And The Gorillaz Collaborated On Opera

  11.10.09

  While many fans are looking forward to the next Gorillaz album, working title Plastic Beach, I am far more excited by the band’s plans to collaborate with legendary author Alan Moore. For those who don’t know, Alan Moore wrote the groundbreaking graphic novels that were eventually fashioned into the films From Hell, V for Vendetta, and most recently Watchmen. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, the names responsible for 2007’s Monkey Journey To The West, are throwing in with the notoriously eccentric writer on a new opera. Moore said, in an interview with Mustard; “We’re planning for me to do the libretto on their next opera project.” He also went on to say that the Gorillaz are planning on getting their hands on a few pages from Moore’s new magazine Dodgem Logic.

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  Damon Albarn Possible Olympic Ceremony Director

  09.24.09

  After Björk opened the Olympics in Athens in 2004, Beijing threw down with a horde of drummers. Your turn, London. What’s it going to be? What sort of one up-manship can we expect? How about a whole mess of cartoon apes rocking out? Yes, it seems like a far outside chance, but its possible if Damon Albarn is involved in the opening ceremonies in 2012. Reports for UK news source The Independent are saying Blur frontman and Gorillaz co-mastermind is “a leading contender” to become the artistic director of the 2012 Olympics. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has begun preliminary discussions with Albarn. After providing the animation and music for the BBC’s coverage of the games in Beijing, Albarn and co-Gorillaz mate Jamie Hewlett have put together a little international sports coverage experience. Load them up with massive screens, copious amounts of fireworks, and an embarrassingly large operations budget, and sit back and watch the world’s collective jaw drop.

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• FROM THE CORNER comes...

  N.A.S.A.

  05.20.09

  by Canyon

  Rounding up the ultimate dream team of collaborators, Squeak E. Clean (Sam Spiegel) and DJ Zegon (Ze Gonzales) have devised a relevant concept by the name of N.A.S.A. The project, who’s moniker stands for North America/South America, has artists from both sides of the equator mixing and fusing styles to produce a massive creative explosion showcased wonderfully on their album The Spirit of Apollo, where we find the cross cultural duo sculpting a unique sound built on a base of Brazilian funk samples. While recording the tracks, the pair dreamt up the ultimate fantasy list of guest acts best suited for each cut. Kanye West, Santigold and Lykke Li pitch in on Gifted, a single with a club-friendly vibe. Watchadoin?, one of the record’s funkiest tunes, features a dial tone as an instrument and appearances by Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santigold and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The collaborative energy around the project has also blown up into other mediums such as the album’s artwork, remixes and an upcoming full-length documentary film.

  Genre: Rap
  Latest Album: The Spirit of Apollo
  For Fans Of: Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley, Outkast
  Listen To: N.A.S.A.

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