Everyone loves an Ape. Trevor is particularly partial to Orangutans. However no Orangutans have yet (to Trevor’s knowledge) formed a band. Some Monkees did but sadly they are a dying species. So the Gorillaz have to carry the mantle for the non-human primates. They have been doing so for a startlingly long time as well. One of the first songs ever to catch Trevor’s interest was their single Clint Eastwood…or maybe it was just the cool video. Either way everyone knows it so there’s no point posting the link. What everyone may not be aware of is the Soulchild remix of the Gorillaz ’19/2000′ from their first album:
Their eponymous debut was a hodge podge of tracks held together only by the fact this was a band unlike no other, represented through their 2D likeness’. But the album is oddly listenable. More than can be said for their second album which seemed to pass Trevor by. However if anyone else has listened and wants their opinion shared through Trevor (and the world) then feel free to place a comment below. Anyway after listening to the first album to death Trevor’s love of Gorillaz faded…
Until recently, through a chance listening to BBC Radio 6, when Trev heard the unmistakable soft, English voice of Damon Albarn in the track ‘On Melancholy Hill’:
A laid back, nonsense song with a summery feel and a catchy synth riff. And Trevor remembered how good the Gorillaz could be. Plastic Beach, Gorillaz 3rd album, was retrieved from Trev’s store cupboards and listened to with a new found interest. It’s eclectic mix of hip hop, rap, electronica and Kinks-esque English country vibe is as jumbled as ever but there is a maturity and polish not found in their earlier albums. Tracks range from the ridiculous:
to the seriously grittily electronic:
Remembering that as the Gorillaz had grown so had Trevor brings a nostalgia for this music, however new it is it still reminds Trevor of youthful summers.
Fresher Than Trevor 