Gorillaz: Gorillaz

What do you get when you combine Damon Albarn, singer for Britpop superstars Blur, with hip-hop producer Dan The Automator? Gorillaz, silly! Albarn takes a busman's holiday and avails himself of the opportunity to take the kind of sonic risks one would be unlikely to find on a Blur album. This isn't hip-hop or dance music per se, though "Rock the House" is a bona-fide party rap tune, and Dan The Automator adds plenty of hip-hop elements and trip-hop beats throughout.

Ultimately, GORILLAZ is occupied by Albarn's arch, twisted pop vision filtered through a dizzying array of electronic sounds and studio manipulations. There are some interesting stylistic experiments, too, as on the Latin-style "Latin Simone," which features a guest vocal from none other than Cuban legend Ibrahim Ferrer, and "Slow Country," which, despite its title, is an excursion into the atmospheric land of dub reggae. This is a far cry from Britpop--imagine Blur in a sonic kaleidoscope. And then try in vain to imagine either of the Gallagher brothers attempting anything close to this.