4Play

June 22, 2005

Gorillaz - Demon Days - Virgin Records
Who would’ve thought that an idea for a cartoon band would last through more than one novelty album? Blur’s Damon Albarn and crew did (as did, of course, tons of fans), making Gorillaz the little side project that could. The success of Gorillaz is due more to musical talent and crafty songs than to the novelty factor, though - Albarn’s songwriting skills combine with a variety of producers and guests (among them Dan “The Automator” Nakamura (on the previous album), DJ Danger Mouse, De La Soul, and Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder) to create crazy juxtapositions of elements that work like crazy - funky bass lines, spoken-word narratives, danceable beats, and melodic choruses - on tracks like “All Alone,” the wacky “Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head,” and that first uber-cool; radio-happy single “Feel Good Inc.”

Athlete - Tourist - EMI Records
Like a layer cake of sound, Athlete put together an album that showcases just what they can do with their many talents. Carefully filling each song with varied elements that beautify and expand their songwriting, it’s easy to see why the band are past Mercury Music Prize winners - their songs are addictive bits of melody that get better with each listen. Highlights of this effort include the anthemic “Half Light,” the very catchy “Twenty Four Hours,” the also pretty “If I Found Out” with its surprising choir refrain, and the one single that has so far managed to slightly crack American consciousness, “Wires,” a beautiful number sung with care by lead singer Joel Pott. Sonically full, emotionally melancholy, and lyrically smart, it’s a disc you’ll want to run out and get before all of your friends discover this band.

Paul Westerberg - Besterberg - Rhino Records
The Replacements disbanding was perhaps both the best and the worst thing to ever happen to Paul Westerberg - the worst, in that the seminal punk band has been sorely missed by devotees, and, one senses, a little bit by Paul himself - and the best, in that Westerberg’s solo work has been some of the best singer-songwriter alt-rock to ever avoid the charts. Dipping his toe in with a couple of songs on the soundtrack to the movie Singles (the super-catchy “Dyslexic Heart” with it’s na-na-na-na refrain, for one), Westerberg then moved on to his acclaimed studio debut, 14 Songs, and continued to grow over following albums. Songs from most of his major label works can be found here, including “Star is Bored,” “Stain Yer Blood,” “Love Untold,” and the aforementioned “Dyslexic...” track - it’s a pretty great overall view of a sometimes overlooked talent.

Sinead O’Connor - Collaborations - EMI Records
Ireland’s O’Connor - she of the gorgeous voice and temperamental personality - has had quite an up-and-down career as far as the press’ interest in her has gone. But one thing that hasn’t changed is her unique, beautiful vocal quality and ability to collaborate with a wide range of equally talented peers. And that’s where this album comes in. There are some pretty big names on here with Miss O’Connor, including U2 (on “I’m Not Your Baby”), Moby (“Harbour”), and Peter Gabriel (“Blood of Eden”) - and these tracks are all really great combinations - but let’s not ignore the less mainstream offerings, like Sinead with The Colourfield on “Monkey in Winter,” Sinead with Conjure One on “Tears from the Moon,” or Sinead with Asian Dub Foundation on “1,000 Mirrors.” Whomever she sings with, the results are more often than not just short of remarkable.