What better time to review a couple of Christmas decorations than January?
Isn't it wild that Daft Punk's been dead for three-ish years, now? Well, kinda. For a group that's officially called it quits, Daft sure keeps chugging along. They just released a drumless edition of 2013's Random Access Memories... for some reason... as well as an extended version featuring all kinds of wicked unheard demos and alternate cuts, such as the grand finale single, Infinity Repeating. The band's "over", sure, but one cant help but feel it's yet to truly end when there's still so much new content to be enjoyed - even if it happens to be... drumless? I can't complain.
Call it cool, call it sell-out behavior - all I know is, naturally, the temporarily dormant Daft Punk merch machine is back up and running, and I love me some funny French robots. Most of the new offerings are your run of the mill sweatshop classics - printed tees, a bag or two, we've seen it all before. One band's merch page is every band's merch page. However, there's at least one item that'll definitely catch any collector's eye - the Discovery helmet ornaments set.
Daft's Discovery getup was revolutionary for the band, introducing the silver and gold cybernetic personas we immediately associate with the band today. Though Discovery's costume designs have been phased out in favor of the more iconic, basic look introduced with the following album Human After All, the Discovery look is definitely my favorite of the bunch - and certainly the most complicated; both helmets lined with dozens of flashing neon lights, pixellated screens and psychedelic rainbows. They're seen all throughout Discovery's related media, from single covers to action figures, and totally represent the hyper-futurefunk album. I think they're put to their best use in the haunting alternative music video to Something About Us.
The ornaments come packaged in a slick black box, the Daft Punk logo in white across it's face with their seal of quality and further legal crap hidden on it's back. It's nothing flashy, but matches the usual Daft aesthetic and looks co next to the robots themselves. Collector friendly, too! Both Punks are secured by thick Styrofoam and tissue paper, and can be easily stored back inside after opening. You love to see it.
Getting on to it, these guys are, simply, sick. Each and every little detail matches the real duo, right down to Thomas' groovy smile and Guy-Man's rows on rows of LEDs. A small bump on the top of their heads loosely secures a thin decorated metal base to their strings, which are color coded to silver and gold respectively. Cool little detail. While this does mean their strings are easily removable, they don't look so hot with hollow little spouts poking out of their skulls. I'd leave them in ornament mode.
Their paint decos are clean, with no slop whatsoever. Both ornaments are mirror reflective, with a matte, but still shiny finish to their visor screens and a touch of glitter over their holly-jolly red text. Just as sleek as the real helmets.
At about four inches tall, these guys may not immediately look very big onscreen, but they're just over the size of your average ornament - not too huge, but still perfectly eye catching. They're not as heavy as I expected, being hollow, but aren't fragile at all.
At about $50 retail as of 2023, they're a bit expensive; though, in past years, they've gone up to the hundreds on eBay. I think their current price is more or less fair, only $5 more than their original 2018 price, though it's definitely still a little inflated for exclusivity's sake. For fifty bucks, it would've been nice if they were fitted with actual miniature light effects.
Nevertheless, I think they're simple, effective, and most importantly, unique - what can I say, I got a thing for weird holiday stuff. They're an eye catching addition to my Daft Punk collection and I'd love to see more takes on the concept; how about the neon red Alive 2007 helmets, or the chrome TRON: Legacy look?
Super7's Reaction Figures just released their Kenner-ized take on your favorite rapper's favorite rapper, MF DOOM; his first official action figure since KidRobot's 2007 Madvillain vinyl, which, like all DOOM merch, has become a bit ridiculously overpriced as the years go on. So it goes.
I've been a massive DOOM fan for years, as well as toy collector, so you know I jumped all over the chance to finally own the supervillain in poseable, playable, toxic plastic form; needless to say, it immediately sold out, but I was one of the lucky few to swoop in before the scalpers.
Reaction is known for their basically endless re-releases, redecos and repackagings, so don't feel left out if you weren't quick to the draw; as suggested by the packaging design and flavor text, this particular DOOM is themed around his wicked debut album, Doomsday - all but guaranteeing variants based on cuts like Madvillain, Mm... Food and his further discography. They've already got a head start on King Geedora.
DOOM's in his iconic green hoodie, ten and a half Timbs, and metal-face mask; its actually his more recognizable Roman-esque mask which debuted following the release of Doomsday, rather than the spray painted Kane mask seen in the album's promotional materials. They obviously made the right choice, but I do hope they try their hand at its original design someday. Could be a neat exclusive. The mask is a real shiny silver, which stands out nicely against the otherwise matte, but bold palette. I also really like his gruff beard, painted on in small dark patches - looks great.
His sculpt is a solid mix of accuracy and style, keeping within the concept of retro Kenner while still appropriately capturing DOOM's likeness. As one might expect, he's got five points of articulation - more or less universal to the ReAction series, per Kenner tradition. Very "toyetic", but not so much as to make it cheap, or any less of an art piece - in fact, I think that just makes it all the more visually interesting.
Destro comes with a tiny little mic, which I immediately feared would get lost fast; but, thankfully, his right hand is sculpted in a very solid gripping pose, so chances are it at least won't fall out while on display. That's all she wrote, as far as accessories go, and I can't say I expected more - but, I would've liked to see a big ol' bottle of brew, or maybe some MF-Os.
DOOM is just the eye catching, hip-hop twist on Marvel's classic baddie you're promised, and in every way looks awesome. A vintage inspired action figure is truly the perfect match for DOOM's old school nerdball persona - I just wish he were still here with us to pit this little dude against Vader and the crew. Here's to the future of these wicked mini DOOMbots - assuming we obsessive collectors didn't hit a lucky strike grabbing this one.
I recently got this sick Handsome Boy Modeling School album sampler; "Free Introductory Course!", it reads - a promo-only mini-mix of So... How's Your Girl? album tracks;
Look at this Face
Rock n' Roll
Metaphysical
The Truth
Holy Calamity
The Projects
Modeling Sucks
Father Speaks
It's a totally unique, and for that matter, pretty cool little set; with a couple clever transitions and great forward momentum. For only eight minutes, it's hard to understate just how multifaceted the sampler's sole track is; from jazzy lounge, to experimental, free-form rap, to cut-and-paste turntable jams - the Handsome Boys have proudly put their best foot forward. It's too bad they omitted a couple of my favorites, such as Magnetizing, Once Again, or Waterworld, but the CD nevertheless certainly gives a bold and representative taste of the album's impressive range of sounds. Hell, you even got Guido Sarducci. What more could you ask for?
I think my favorite part is the packaging itself; a nice little cardboard slipcase, as simple - yet attractive- as you'd expect. I'll take it over the standard garbage plastic tray these sort of obscure items usually come jangling around in. The sleek, posh-meets-punk front and back covers matches the School's sense of high style perfectly; the dense wall of collaborators, taglines and text giving that touch of designer class to perfect a snarky duality between the urban and the idyllic as an adorably young Nathaniel Merriweather (Dan the Automator) and Chest Rockwell (Prince Paul) peruse the monochromatic streets. Parody this entire concept may be, these guys sure have an eye for looks.
I've uploaded the track onto my archival YouTube, Bubblebabybumblebee, where you can also find some other cool Automator rarities such as Time Keeps On Slipping live, Lovage's Fireplace mix, and the making of Book of the Month. I think I'm the first to post it online (at least in recent, findable history) - do I get an honorary Handsome Boy diploma?
Released in 2012 by Stunt Records and Stunt Grafx, respectively, Return to The Neverhood - this time written by not by series creator Doug TenNapel, but instead in-house Neverhood Inc. musician, Terry S. Taylor - offers an experimental, artistic, and pridefully pretentious take on the Neverhood's classic bag of tricks; with Christian theming and Play-Doh imagery to the nines, complete with beautiful new art by the aforementioned TenNapel.
However, rather than a point-and-click, a side-scroller, a laser battle, or a failed reboot, Return to The Neverhood is perhaps best described by it's tagline, "a musical fairy tale"; a brand new Neverhood inspired narrative paired with an album's worth of inky, slick, mud-covered tunes. A mixed-media daze of clay cowboys and rusting robots, showing only at the mind's eye.
As a young fan, Return to The Neverhood trudged to life at just the perfect time; I had only discovered the original series the year prior, and as far as I could tell, I was the last living evidence of a Neverhood fanbase. Then - what do you know - out of thin air, radio silence, and a third descriptive phrase, The Neverhood was back! I pre-ordered a physical copy - complete with 19 track CD, 36 page graphic novel, and beautiful thin-plastic slipcase - and, later than sooner, thanks to the horrors of media mail shipping, plunged into the hauntingly abstract tale of faith, fourth walls, and surfin'.
The old man ponders an abandoned sculpture
A bearded, heavy-footed old man - modeled lovingly after narrator, Terry S. Taylor, who opens the story with a self-aware introduction to this, his latest dream - wanders down a muddy,
wooded path; mumbling to himself as he stumbles upon an abandoned
sculpture; distant, yet familiar memories seeming to pass him by as he ponders it's familiarity.
Entranced, the
old man joyfully begins to further the forgotten sculpture. As the sun began to set, the disheveled sculpture grew to a bustling, beautiful world; dotted with buildings,
animals, landscapes, and more - as the old man began his crowning
achievements; Clay-Guy, and Mud-Gal - bringing life to the mud-clay world.
Clay-Guy awakens
Lord Lurker
Nearby, a half-mechanical, half-clay being, Lord Lurker, watches in hot silence; filled with sickened rage as he plots against the joyous creatures invading the world he thought was his alone.
As further clay residents are created, the people entitle their world The Neverhood; celebrating as the old man - or, as he comes to be known, the sculptor - offers two commandments via letter; To stay within the Neverhood; as they, themselves, were mere clay; and to only consume foods of their own growth; as any others would inflict them with a terrible illness. The people celebrate, and happily carry on.
As Clay-Guy and Mud-Gal spent their days falling deeply in love, many
Neverhood residents inevitably found themselves drawn to the dark Lord
Lurker - promised a life of further pleasures, only to be arrested and
enslaved by the cyborg upon arrival to his compound. Determined to
capture the entire population of the Neverhood, a large apple - of
Lurker's
creation - is left just outside The Neverhood; only to be discovered by
Clay-Guy and Mud-Gal, who, in a moment of weakness, immediately mow down
the oddly enticing fruit.
As forewarned by the sculptor, the couple begin to deform and dilapidate; Clay-Guy's soft limbs melting to exposed metal armature, as Mud-Gal sprouts a bulbous hunch.
The lovers
Nevertheless, the couple remain
deeply embraced in love; eventually regaining some of their features as they
inevitably age, easing in to the world around them all but completely corrupted by the influence of Lord
Lurker.
Soon, a sudden earthquake tears a massive tidal wave across the Neverhood - drowning many of it's residents. As Mud-Gal sits pretty in a high-rise tower, an increasingly cocky and self-centered Clay-Guy - surreptitiously discovering a piece of wood with which he fashions a makeshift surfboard - narrowly escapes the flood; thanking only himself, with no regard for the sculptor, who, as is revealed, had placed it there.
Clay-Guy surfs the tsunami
The
narrative briefly halts as the omnipresent Taylor, recalling his dream, peers into himself;
apologizing for the somewhat incoherently remembered series of events
thus far, as he wistfully mulls upon the world around him. A tall oak catches his
gaze; the morning sun beginning to break as the looming, shadowed branches turn to a golden crown of leaves. He reflects upon the futility of fear, having dreaded the tree's
foreboding silhouette in the dark of the night - only to see, as the day came, its everlasting, permanent beauty. Overall, he remains pretty confused.
Back in The Neverhood, another apocalyptic event rocks the clay world; a powerful wind thrusting it's way through the
vast city; countless lost to the destructive rush of air, sent flying into the sky. Evading the disaster, Clay-Guy and Mud-Gal develop an odd
affliction; spewing fire should they as much as open their mouths, let alone scream -
inevitably creating a dense wall of fire as they puke flames into thick
hurricane around them. Carried by the wind, the wall of flame overtakes Lord Lurker's compound; freeing the enslaved, and
destroying Lurker's villainy; yet, ultimately, engulfing the Neverhood.
Clay-Guy's metamorphosis
The sculptor, too, grows ill; stuck in a state of deep, inescapable sleep, as the years quietly
pass him by. Eventually awakening, he discovers himself in the world of his own creation; The Neverhood.
Wandering through the forest, the sculptor - now greatly aged - comes across the surfboard,
forgotten so long ago; beside it, a fishing pole; heading for Neverhood Lake.
Mud-Gal, implied to have left the insensitive Clay-Guy, assists in what is left of the city; as nearby Neverhood Lake, a bearded Clay-Guy looms over the shores; staring in awe as a man, perched atop a surf board, grabs fish from the lake with his bare hands -
the waters seeming to magically teem with life, despite once being barren. Clay-Guy transforms; half-clay, half-fish, yearning to be caught - struggling to leap into the water below, to be captured by the man. He
hesitates with fear, sobbing - Lurker's lingering evils pumping fear throughout his being - before finally - overcome by willpower - taking the plunge;
completing the transformation.
The last fish caught
As the sculptor pulls his final fish of the day, he finds in
it's maw, an infant, "... a wondrous discovery that for one brief moment makes him think he's starring in a low-budget remake of 2001: A Space Odyssey."
The Neverhood returns to its former glory; Clay-Guy and Mud-Gal joyous
with life, and love, as the city celebrates it's newfound youth - the old man, too, now
young, dancing away; his existential journey and mission complete, as the grave
of Lord Lurker rests lost amongst the brush.
Clay-Guy and Mud-Gal dance
So, I'll get it out of the way - it's different. As a younger fan, that fact alone, admittedly, put me off. I had expected a more straightforward follow-up to the bleak ending of previous installment, Skullmonkeys; or, at the very least, a bit of self-indulgent fun - bubblegum fanservice for the odd hive of fans who still adore Neverhood's unique stories. Instead, Return offered a surreal mirror image to the Neverhood we once knew; a through-and-through reimagining of the series' core concepts and ideals, changed not only out of necessity, which we'll get to, but also in aide of the captivatingly new direction by Taylor.
As time's gone on, though, my need for "consistency" within a series has sort of faded; as I got more into anthological series such as Godzilla, Masters of the Universe, or even the MCU, I slowly learned to appreciate brazenly alternate interpretations of a series' main set of ideals. There's always plenty to explore outside of the usual creative playing field, and I think there's a lot of humanity in the nature of a "retelling". Variety's good.
Still, it should be emphasized this new creative direction was either inspired by, or a result of, EA Games' stranglehold on the dormant Neverhood franchise; leaving it, effectively, just out of reach. In TenNapel's words, "Dreamworks Interactive paid for [The Neverhood] to be made, and own the Neverhood characters... I own the name Neverhood, but can't make a project that represents itself as that game. Dreamworks Interactive was sold to EA. We've tried for years to work out a deal with EA, but it never made sense to them..." He continues to note, "If I put Klaymen, or Ottoborg, or any other character from The Neverhood in [a] new game, even in the tiniest way, I've... used EA's [intellectual property] without their permission.... On the soundtrack and movie deals, we get permission from EA to do anything."
To summarize the issue, as per the terms of their original contract, it would cost EA Games too much money to sign off on new Neverhood game due to a royalty structure putting Neverhood Inc. on the higher ground. "It costs them money even to look at us... A movie or a soundtrack doesn't trigger that royalty agreement... Our contract is so tight on the game, they wouldn't want to come to the deal table in a weak position. That's not how EA works."
Meaning, new characters, same vibe. This was the first time I'd seen a reboot like this, though nowadays it's not too uncommon. Think... Yooka-Laylee, or Mighty Number Nine. Still, interestingly, the only true case of a full-on expy, or counterpart in Return comes in the form of Clay-Guy; a round, self-indulgent parallel to Klaymen's absentminded and distant slouch, most certainly meant to contrast by design. Everyone else is wholly unique, if not vague. I prefer style, over substance; as Taylor's story delves further into metaphor, and metaphysical, plenty is left intentionally unsaid about it's cast of characters beyond their relevance to Taylor's recollection; and is, as such, meant to be inferred through the character's designs - a true testament to TenNapel's talent, as large elements of the story's multifaceted world are communicated soleley through character illustration. Lord Lurker bears a large, cybernetic eye - not to mention a small arsenal of deadly arms; totally unlike to anything we've seen before with the crooked Klogg or vicious Skullmonkeys. The Old Man, though clearly intended as Taylor's author surrogate, remains solid, and stoic; hidden behind an expressionless wall of bright orange beard, and deep, dark glasses - just narrowly revealing his humanity at the close of the narrative, as happily jaunts away from the dark resting place of Lord Luker, back turned. Even the aforementioned Clay-Guy - though certainly, and unavoidably, a bit of a stand-in - seems newly flawed; tempered and hedonistic, despite his Klaymen-like innocuous nature.
Through and through, it should be noted Taylor's overall mood and style of writing perfectly matches the dark humor of it's predecessors. I will admit it isn't much of a character piece, but for what its aiming for - I.E., more of a folk tale, than cartoon - I'd say they hit the nail on the head, eh? (link the nail sneverhood song)
That being said, and in mind, Return strives to remain only broadly inspired by the iconography and ideals of The Neverhood's previous episodes; despite what visual and tonal similarities there are bound to be, there's almost nothing in the story I'd say is directly duplicated from, or blatantly reminiscent of The Neverhood or Skullmonkeys. Oh - or Klaymen Gun Hockey. It's all-new, for better, or worse. I say better.
Both covers used for the album's digital release
A spiritual successor not only to The Neverhood games, but also to it's beloved series of OSTs, Imaginarium - their original release featuring an interestingly familiar caricature of Taylor at it's center, a bit of surely unintentional foreshadowing - Return's true heart comes in the exciting, memorable and all-around awesome score by Taylor, perfectly complementing and diving into the story told symbiotically through his writing and TenNapel's art. This multi-media approach to creating a vividly tangible world is beyond exciting, and something I always love to see done. It's very much a unique and psychedelic experience in media that's best consumed in conjunction; just like the original scores and their accompanying games, in a sense. Taylor and Tennapel have not only accepted the project's inherent limitations, but embraced, and even expanded within them; effectively shifting focus from one aspect of the franchise's popularity and success, to another.
When asked the inspiration for The Neverhood's unique brand of sound, Taylor remembered Doug's initial direction; "As I recall, the only specific instruction I got from Doug in pre-production was that he wanted the music 'to sound like clay.'... I didn’t find this vague at all! I immediately knew exactly what he was talking about and left the meeting with ideas for my approach already percolating." As any fan will know, this perfect match of creative vision couldn't have been more apparent through the wildly abstract and artsy tones all throughout the games scores, inseparable from and genuinely important to the games' presentation, themes and overall visions.
With from an overall sense of jovial, yet haunted jazz, the album includes everything from Yello-meets-Beach Boys surf rock, to show-stopping ballads, to carnival showtunes, to good, old fashioned Neverhood jams, all perfectly meshing with the Imaginarium albums composed so many years prior. If Imaginarium One can be described as ghostly, incoherent folk jazz, and Imaginarium Two as a more eclectic blend of country, tribal and electronic, I'd describe Return as a uniquely carnival-y, brassy, and structured artistic piece rounding out the musical evolution of the trilogy. I think my favorite would have to be The Love Sweet Love Suite Part 2, a haunting and unusually lyrical track that truly reveals the extent of Taylor's performative ability, some facets of which are perhaps unfamiliar to those only acquainted with his Neverhood work. It's neat to catch glimpses of the more traditional, album-centric artist side of Taylor seeping into the experimental Neverhood theme.
Very little tangential media seems to exist in relation to Return, despite its recent production. The project's teaser tailer features some interesting exclusive elements, such as various semi-animated interpretations of Doug's art, as well as well as a cool cross-faded mix of the full album. An early mix of "Let's Go Fishin' " was shared by Taylor in advance of the album's release, with a cute little spoken intro by the man himself teasing the project. You can also still purchase a signed copy of the album off of BandCamp to this very day - I even double checked and ordered one for my own collection! Thanks a ton to you, Mr. Taylor. It's beyond wicked to get your signature! Not to mention, a second copy.
Though featuring a prominent tagline reading "Issue One", Return exists in and of itself, with no sequels. As of 2022, Return marks the quiet end of The Neverhood Chronicles; closing not on any sort of all-encompassing finale, but instead an introspective, earnest, even heartfelt, wave.
TenNapel continues to embrace and illustrate the Neverhood cast, even recently launching a Neverhood-inspired collection of NFTs, "N.E.K." - or, "Neverhood Eternal Klay" - a digital art series starring various Neverhoodian oddballs. I'll note right off the gate, outta the the bat, NFTs are a hilarious waste of time and money for each and every party involved - be a big boy, don't fall for it. Nevertheless, for completion's sake, I figure it's worth mentioning their existence. Don't take this as any kind of advocation, but there's a certain creativity to NEK's homogenous style I can at least appreciate from a safe distance. Behind a blast shield.
They really ought to have just sold these as cute little prints. I probably would've snagged a few.
TenNapel joined forces once more with Taylor and further Neverhood Inc alumni on 2014's Armikrog, a now fully indirect successor to the original Neverhood game featuring a new alien cast of clay creatures and characters, many elements of which are directly inspired by first Neverhood's concepts - perhaps surprisingly, even moreso than Return. Where Armikrog effectly one-to-one retells the fallen angel plot of The Neverhood, Return recycled in very broad strokes - you see the influence, but the logline isn't quite so similar. I've yet to get around to playing it - if I do, based on the game's ratings - but it at least seems like a visually (and musically!) exciting return to the good old 'hood.
It's a bit of a non-sequitur; rather than showing us the true destiny of our heroic Klaymen, rather than a jolly a catch-up with his weird, memorable friends, rather than a totally different story set in the already expansive universe described through The Neverhood's sea of lore; we got a touching return. Everything is new - yet, beneath the surface, the same. There's something to be said about closing off such a complex and surreal anthology with it's own Klay reflection.
We already covered the tie-in toy line, but another aspect of Gorillaz' twentieth anniversary cycle came in the form of a re-release of their first album, now including remix album Laika Come Home, b side compilation G-Sides, a small EP of unreleased demos, and their 2001 live performance at the Forum. While I'm not too crazy about the release otherwise - it seems to be going for the original Gorillaz aesthetic without any of the Matt Wakeham - to have brand new set of classic, old-school Gorillaz cuts sounds wicked alone, and a cleaned up concert just makes it even better... yeah?
Well, it cost $300 bucks, and isn't on streaming, CD, or et cetera. So, naturally, I downloaded all of the exclusive tracks from some kid on the internet the day after release for free. I love piracy!
We'll begin with the new material; and, first thing's first, G-Sides this is not. These are demos in the much more literal sense than you often run into around the music scene these days. Of the bunch, really only two sound anywhere near finished; however, given the context, that's not completely a bad thing. The EP, "Demoz", gives a fascinating insight into the vision for Gorillaz before calling in trip-hop producer Dan the Automator, who gave the album it's distinctly urban gothic drudge. Paired with the previously released demos from this point in production, such as I Got Law, Clint Eastwood or Faust, you definitely get a more Eastern tinged kick on the familiar britpop sound compared to the deeper, dubbier, Deltronier throes of the final product. There's a certain similarity to the slick foreign styles of Albarn's Mali Music, and you can absolutely hear echoes of Blur's beautifully angst 13 (particularly through the melodies of Genious). Suprisingly, though, no Phi-Life-Cypher to speak of; a Star Wars themed parody group booted off the album before release, as you might've concluded from the above Eastwood demo. Poor chaps.
I'd say my favorite is easily Shaga Laga, the most finished, and most catchy of the bunch; a sort of twisted hillbilly electro jam, just seeping with that surreal, pixelated weirdness Gorillaz used to have. It easily could've been on G-Sides, or any other oddball one-off release. I love the sudden bursts of metal, the harsh sawtooth sounds, the dissonant looping guitars - sounds like something you'd hear on Goat Simulator. As wack as it absolutely is, it's sick to hear a truly hypnotic Gorillaz song again, let alone one that also sounds like a cartoon. Big thumb in the air.
Another standout is Hand Clapper, which has a bit of background to it. On the Gorillaz' website, there was a little game where you could mix your own song, stems and all. The few stems available came from this demo, though the full, complete version was never released in any form. From the game, a fan created their own "full" take on the song, which circulated as official for years; only the truly disgusting omega-fans, such as I, realizing otherwise, pretty much up until this version's release. Now I imagine the fan version will become something of a rarity itself in the coming years. In a way, I still sort of prefer the quote-unquote original; its got a more chill vibe to it, and I'm frankly pretty used to it by now. Hearing a new version that's also the actual version is pretty surreal. My life is a lie. Still, hearing the intended vision is really cool, and is pretty much the only example of the EP meeting any long sought after fan requests. Someday, we'll hear Gor Beaten. Someday.
Finally, the album's closer, an early version of Latin Simone titled Acoustic 2, is such a beautiful and dreary dive into the infectious sadness Albarn so often manages to convey. It's the sound that really got me hooked in the first place, and I think it came from a very genuine place - in reality, and otherwise.
Apparently sponsored by Run-DMC, for reasons unknown
Besides these, though, these are largely very rough and meandering. Shocking, I know. In other words, yeah, they're demos. If you're expecting more, you're looking for the 2001 version. That said, I feel like five tracks total is a little sparse for a brand new edition of the album; sure, you've also got the G-Sides compilation in the same deal, but even that inexplicably doesn't carry the complete international tracklist. Plenty of wicked early Gorillaz stuff is left totally absent. Hell, I've offhandedly mentioned two in this very writeup. It's great these demos are all brand new, but for a complete box set that's running that expensive, I think it's a letdown. But hey, it had a pretty dope etching of 2-D on the b side. So that's something...
Anyway, let's look at the other real headliner of this lovely little shelfwarmer.
As for Live from the Forum, it's a pretty by-the-numbers y2k Gorillaz performance, sure, but that's not to say it isn't well done. It's great to look back on a time when a Gorillaz show was a bit less flash, a bit less hype, and a whole lot more animated. Hidden behind a stage-spanning projection, Albarn and the band performed fully in silhouette as Gorillaz' psychedelic visuals droned before them; complete with the Gorillaz voice cast of Nelson De Freitas, Phil Cornwell, Remi Kabaka and Haruka Kuroda shouting to the crowd throughout the show. I adore how, during this era, they really went out of their way to sell the illusion of the multimedia project, still remaining somewhat "hidden" behind the surreal twang of their animated avatars.
The show consists of various first album picks, though certain surprises such as b side Dracula or Phi Life Cypher's take on Rock the House, normally featuring Del the Funky Homosapien, spice things up for the more aquatinted listener. That's right; after being swiftly tossed aside, Phi were wrangled back to play stand-in. Seems awkward. I dig the sort of grunge, echoed out sound of the performance; it perfectly matches the visions of surreal neon lights, stomped cigarettes and plumes of Marijuana smoke the trippy music paints through your mind. It's a concert, no question, but the droll atmosphere really helps in elevating it to something conceptually more. It really feels like you're watching a gang of animated assholes pluck away at odd, alternate dimension anthems. One of the best parts comes near the end of Punk, the snarky Murdoc commenting "I love reverb! Listen to that!" as a guitar screeches endlessly over 2-D's attempts to wrap up the show. I love stuff that isn't afraid to get conceptual.
The concert was originally a Gorillaz.com release, all the way back in '01. Pretty obscure, and low quality, to boot, so I think it's neat to have it re-included as a more straightforward part of the discography. I will say, though, I don't think it's a particularly stunning or definitive performance to document. Perhaps as a result of it's heavily compressed digital release, large sections of crowd interaction or otherwise silence between tracks seem to have been sloppily cut short; it's not a deal breaker, but it can be distracting. Also, at only fifty or so minutes in, the performance ends on an encore-reprise of two previously heard tracks ‐ what's up with that? They sound better the second time through, certainly, but at least three songs from the main album weren't brought out at all. I'd assume the band simply hadn't expected to do an encore, that's all good, but again, it just hammers in my point that this probably isn't the performance I'd choose to showcase. Double Bass, the greatest song in history, forgotten yet again.
If you ask me, the reason they chose this particular show was simply because the audio existed at all. Not much else. Again, this isn't to insinuate it's bad - I'm just saying it was pretty at home as a GorillazGuy1993 YouTube exclusive. In fact, the art they've associated with the performance in the box set itself comes directly from said YouTube upload, about a decade earlier. Huh.
All this criticism and thinky-think aside, it's cool to return to this era of Gorillaz. While I most prefer the dub nightmare it quickly became, Gorillaz' prototype era is otherwise very undocumented, and often goes forgotten as the history/credibility of the band dredges on and on. Likewise, the artistry and atmosphere of their original shows is just unmatched - if I could jump back in time, you know I'd be high as "bollocks", front row, staring head-on at whatever Windows screensaver their fuzzy shadows are dancing against. It's just a shame they didn't give us more.
Among the rarest Gorillaz-related items I own is The Cornerstone Player #024; a promotional compilation CD set featuring various artists, mixtapes, music videos and more. Though I couldn't quite narrow down the total number of Cornerstone Player releases, it seems to have ran from 1999 to the mid-2000s, serving as a joint effort between the closely related Cornerstone marketing company and Fader record label. Intended to promote up-and-coming musical artists, Cornerstone Player's are simply riddled with names sure to inspire nostalgia; when's the last time you remembered The Dandy Warhols, Gang Starr, or Spacehog?
The front and back covers
Though Gorillaz' singles made various appearances throughout the Player's lifetime, their most notable contribution came in the form of "Gorillazish Mix"; a deftly DJ'ed mixtape put together by Gorillaz producer Dan the Automator, mashing Gorillaz tunes and interviews into an eclectic variety of tonally similar tracks, featuring appearances from Cash Money, Marvelous, Brand Nubian, Sizzla, Sigur Ros, Deltron 3030, EPMD, Handsome Boy Modelling School, and Depeche Mode - some of which hearken from Automator's long musical backlog. Being exclusive to the Player, the mixtape has fallen to total obscurity; so much so that, in fact, my rips and scans of the compilation are the only high-quality copies available. Always fun to make a significant contribution to the following, regardless of relative scale.
The main sleeve contains three pieces; disc one and two's slipcases, and an insert. Unfortunately, all three pieces don't quite fit into the sleeve properly, leading to some damaging along the sleeve's spine. More often than not, I simply unfold the spine to allow enough room for all it's contents. As a promotional item with a very low production rate, it's not surprising a few design flaws may have resulted from their more low-key approach.
The first disc in the set is referred to as "The Tripwire", which seems to be the main disc of the two; featuring the majority of the compilation's unique artists, presenting a wide variety of hot singles. With selections such as FatBoy Slim, Dub Pistols, Afroman, Long Beach Dub Allstars, and Nickelback, it's not hard to tell the disc came from 2002.
Alongside this set is the aforementioned insert detailing each track, offering insight and opinions via upbeat, anecdotal, ready-for-print blurbs; describing Bad Ronald as "...the slickest new kids on the block", Moods for Moderns as "...three long haired members of the That 70s Show cast", and Farrah as a "...straight up barbershop quartet band". The turn of a century certainly was a unique time for popular music, wasn't it?
Disc two, "Summer Music Special 2001" offers both the mix itself and a handful of assorted music videos. It seems to have been specifically designed to coincide with Fader's eighth issue, which featured the unique photo of Gorillaz dissing Fader itself as it's cover. Perfectly subversive - I suppose 90's irony hadn't quite died by that point.
The mix itself is very interesting and fun, and, being so rare, is one of my favorite pieces of neigh-lost Gorillaz media. You can't go wrong with Automator's eccentric mixing skills, and Gorillazish Mix never fails to remain cool. It's most interesting elements are the intertwined voice clips of 2-D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel, a unique remix of 5/4, and a rather strange tracklisting error. Sigur Ros' track, "Staralfur", is actually "Svefn-g-Englar" - a mistake carried into just about every online tracklisting I've come across. Something tells me very few have bothered to identify the song, as with even a cursory glance, the difference is pretty apparent.
Gorillazish Mix is a neat piece of obscura, and represents the band's earliest form rather well; an electric, artsy, everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink approach to alternative hip-hop, with wild mood swings and big club bangers to boot. If you can track down my rips, give 'em a listen - you won't be disappointed.
This go-around, I'll be looking at a bootleg that's grown somewhat common on digital marketplaces over the past year - Gorillaz: Greatest Hits. Fitting for a post written a mere day before New Year's Eve, huh?
This compilation features Gorillaz tracks spanning the band's entire discography, from 2001's Gorillaz, to 2018's The Now Now. To the untrained eye, it's extremely hard to tell that the set is, in fact, a bootleg; featuring appropriate official artwork and extremely Gorillaz-accurate design choices, including a hot pink motif, the modern incarnation of the band's logo, and more.
Greatest Hits' package design is nothing short of impressive - clearly designed by a fan with a solid grasp on what's what in Gorillaz' most modern incarnation.
Being a Digipak, the case opens to reveal artwork of Noodle and 2-D, both taken directly from artist Jamie Hewlett's Instagram; the latter being paired with a cohesive rundown of Gorillaz' discography. Great touch, if you ask me. Though made of paper, the packaging is very strong, and unlikely to tear or dent; which can't be said of some of Gorillaz' official releases, such as Plastic Beach or The Fall - both of which are prone to deterioration.
One fold further, and the discs themselves are revealed; along with Murdoc and Russel (likewise taken from Hewlett's Instagram), completing the quartet. Both discs are held in by plastic trays, which feel very sturdy and well applied. Unfortunately, a bit of glue seems to have swept across Russel on my copy, but small imperfections are to be expected with this sort of release.
Finally, on the back, we have a complete tracklist covering both discs (using an odd font that seems to connect all paired Os), artwork, and further legal information - which seems to have been adapted from past Gorillaz releases... clever, clever.
Both discs are ordered according to release date, from oldest to newest - with the only errors being in regards to their source album's original tracklists. Between both, there's a great mix of singles and album cuts; with 6 from Gorillaz, 1 from Laika Come Home, 7 from Demon Days, 3 from D-Sides, 3 from Plastic Beach, 2 from The Fall, 7 from Humanz, 2 from Humanz: Super Deluxe, 7 from The Now Now, and 3 non-album releases. The only album missing is G-Sides - an admittedly fair oversight.
For a collection of Gorillaz highlights, I must say, the creator has done a fine job showcasing the band's musical history. Though I'd like to have seen more selections from Plastic Beach, it's omission seemingly in favor of more successful albums is understandable. To finally have Sleeping Powder, DoYaThing, Andromeda (DRAM Special) and Garage Palace on a physical format is really awesome, and I've found myself popping in these CDs far more than any other official Gorillaz release.
Compared to Gorillaz' only other mainstream compilation release, The Singles Collection, Greatest Hits is beyond a home-run. With attractive packaging and an excellent selection of songs, this is a bootleg certainly worth owning - and likely one to become highly sought after once it's surely limited production run has come to an end.
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