Summer Mix Tape, Track 3

Alright, lets do this again party people…finally

Put This In Your Pipe and Smoke It

Parlophone, Virgin – Track 8

Unique in rock as the first virtual band of all time, the Gorillaz public image is made up of four band members, (see below, from left) Russel, Murdoc, Noodle and 2D, each with rich backgrounds, detailed personal histories, and their own “room” within the website, where you can spend many happy hours dicking around – I highly recommend it.
Back on the physical plane of existence, these virtual rock stars were created in 1998 by Damon Albarn, formerly of the Britpop band Blur,
who you may remember from such hits as Song 2 and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the graphic novel Tank Girl . They sound unlike anything else out there and have a wide range of collaborators from Del tha Funkee Homosapien to the London Community Gospel Choir to (actor) Dennis Hopper.
The band, I hesitate to use the word “project” because it sounds so pretentious, however in this case it might be more appropriate because of the Gorillaz eclectic involvement in not only musical styles but also in multi-media platforms.
Aside from the albums, music videos, dvds, merchandise, etc. that one would expect from any successful signed band these days, the Gorillaz have a mobile phone game, Gorillaz Entertainment System (GES), their own talent contest, Search for a Star, to find an artist to collaborate with, and a public activism campaign, “Reject False Icons” .

Thoughts:

This song is the perfection of the summer night groove. It makes me think about driving home on I-95 after some awesome rock show at the Electric Factory or the E Center with Kelly Ferroni.
Windows down, warm and humid, no traffic, cruising through patches of street-light orange, the song draws you in gently with some eerie vocals, soothing acoustic guitar, a sprinkling of light piano chords, and then…they bring the thunder. The bass drops like water from one of those helicopters used to fight forest fires, it hits hard, inundating and saturating the aural space around you and facilitating that groove .

Like it? Let me know what you think – about the song, the info, anything. Also, keep sharing your summer songs with me. What tune(s) do you turn up when the weathers warm and the windows are down? Post a comment here, or email me at ejosgood@syr.edu

Until next time, keep it funky.

~emily