Gorillaz
D-Sides

THE REVIEW

Sometimes it happens that an artist with b-sides is able to be more communicative, or at least more qualitative, than they are with albums of new material. I think, for example, of Oasis, a mediocre band that possesses b-sides that are on par with the "not discarded" songs. After all, that's what these are, discarded songs that didn’t find a place on the so-called "main" albums. Perhaps for reasons of quality, other times because they don't fit into the context of a particular concept album, and other times because they don’t resonate with the other tracks, so better to shelve them, relegating them to the b-sides of successful singles (and not - in this case, yes).

This is not the first time the virtual band has undertaken such an operation, which is anything but a commercial operation (how can you sell well an album of discarded tracks without a lead single?), but rather a way to communicate and reveal the behind-the-scenes, and in some cases the most hidden side of a band. This is one of those cases.

Thus, Gorillaz abandon their darker side and here emerges on this double CD the group’s more playful side from the first album, which seemed to have been lost. Qualitatively, with a light listening, this heap of songs may seem insignificant, soulless, meaningless, and above all difficult to listen to. Yet try listening to the album after the other albums by the collective ("Gorillaz", "Demon Days" etc...), this "D-Sides" will suffer little by comparison.

"68 State" seems to come straight out of one of those many 80s cop shows, "People" is nothing more than "Dare" with fewer synths and a different lyric, "Hongkongaton" is a little electro pearl with Japanese influences, extremely repetitive but fun, ending with a toy laser gun "played" (so to speak) by that prankster Jamie Hewlett!

Next comes "We Are Happy Landfill", one of the most bizarre and catchy compositions of the entire Gorillaz production. "Hong Kong" was previously included in a charity album, and it's undoubtedly a beautiful and moving piece, where Damon Albarn's unmistakable voice is perfect in its most delicate guise, and a very particular Chinese instrument becomes the absolute protagonist until the final tail that strikes the senses of the listener. Truly one of the best pieces in the repertoire, a notch above all the others. It is noteworthy how the album version has been seasoned (in my opinion unnecessarily) with strings that overshadow the original production and separate the Japanese element from the purely English one (electronic background). Also noteworthy are the neurotic "Spitting Out The Demons", "Rock It" (a piece that, if revised, could even be danceable!), and the ending with the ethereal "Stop The Dams". Disappointing, however, is the collaboration with The Bees for "Bill Murray". The second CD consists of lousy remixes that only lower the average of the work.

In conclusion, it is certainly not a masterpiece, nor even an album of beautiful songs, but an excellent soundtrack for those who want to hear something that is at the same time original and catchy. However, I recommend it (paradoxically) only to the band’s enthusiasts.