Gorillaz

Compilation Reviews:

2001: G Sides

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G Sides

1. 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) 2. Dracula 3. Rock the House (Radio Edit) 4. The Sounder (Edit) 5. Faust 6. Clint Eastwood (Phi Life Cypher Version) 7. Ghost Train 8. Hip Albatross 9. Left Hand Suzuki Method 10. 12D3
Enhanced Content: Clint Eastwood [Video], Rock the House [Video]

Some of us will never sleep again

Gathering B-sides from three singles and one EP from the era of their first album Gorillaz (March 2001), G Sides (December 2001) doesn’t quite know whether it wants to present itself as a proper clean-up collection (nine months after their debut?) or a sort of belated bonus-CD. The tendency for remixes lets them stretch out into club and dance styles. These means: more hip hop, more alternative dance, more dub, overall simplifying the dizzying genre-mélange of the album.

The “Clint Eastwood” remix with a new rap flows well, the relaxed dub of “Dracula” could have been a minor album highlight. Each track rather settles into one genre instead of exploring a variety. Although fusion is what makes this band great and what made their debut pertinent, this works well for B-sides. Yet consumed as a record, there is not enough substance here: Some of the tracks are so self-sufficiently worked over, they tend to sound like not quite finished demo tracks for another coming album again: Laidback guitar loops and some programmed beat varying between trip hop, dub and the occasional rockier approach. As a clean-up compilation, it serves its purpose quite well, and the longer I have it, the more I like it as a collection.

1, 8, 9: 19/2000 (2001 single)
2, 6: Clint Eastwood (2001 single)
3, 4, 5, 7: Rock the House (2001 single)
10: Tomorrow Comes Today (2000 EP)