G-Sides : Gorillaz : Review : Rolling Stone

It happens to even the most beloved cartoon superheroes: Eventually the magic wears thin. Blur frontman Damon Albarn, beatmaker Dan "The Automator" Nakamura and the assorted other humans associated with Gorillaz -- the fake band whose debut conjured a fantasyland of hip-hop and punk, ambient dub and dark electronica -- are doing all they can to avoid that fate. Hence this winter's tour, and this album of rarities titled G Sidesdesigned to further the Gorillaz myth. Alongside the funky "The Sounder" and the atmospheric "Faust" are two mixes of Gorillaz' current single, "19-2000," several fully amped B sides previously available in the U.K. only, and the clever videos for the singles "Tomorrow Comes Today" and "Rock the House." While each of the nine tracks exhibits that Gorillaz irreverence and typically taut sense of rhythm, the standout is the rumbling "Ghost Train," in which Albarn plays a testifying preacher as a choir and buzzy analog synths pound behind him. The animated outfit fashions words of praise and ecstasy into a delirious gospel throwdown, a collision between a carload of still-buzzing ravers and a bus packed with hymn-singing believers. Looks like these cartoons have another season left in them.