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What comes to mind when you think of an island? Sand, waves, coconuts, and a cool breeze most likely. How about a virtual band? A virtual techno-rock-hip hop band at that. Gorillaz creates their own loving island with their latest release, Plastic Beach. It’s a quirky, original album that explores the world that was given to us and how we interact with it. Whether you see it as a home run or a flop, creator David Albarn takes you on a ride through his own Plastic Beach.

The album opens up with a bang. A “Orchestral Intro” with birds chirping and calm strings quickly evolves into a heavy strand of brass and power.  Then the catchy drops reminiscent of a hip hop song sneak their way in before “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach” starts up.  With Snoop Dogg’s calm vocals weaving their way in and out of the song, it’s a nice track to help start the album off.

“White Flag” has an interesting mix of techno, hip hop, and Arabic music. Helping out on the song are British rappers Bashy and Kano. Also lending a hand on the song is The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music. The unusual mix is enough to grab your attention, but may not be enough to keep it for long.

From there on, Gorillaz goes to impress having everyone from rapper Mos Def to Bobby Womack to The Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon. The album has at least one featuring guest on all but four of the 16 tracks on the album.

The middle of the album is strong, drawing inspirations from all over. Its almost seems like Gorillaz aren’t trying to fit into a genre, or even break out of one. It makes you feel like they’re trying to make their own.

“Cloud of Unknowing” and “Pirate Jet” are the last tracks on the album. Where “Cloud of Unknowing” has a more serious, self-reflective side, “Pirate Jet” has a futuristic pop feel to it. Most of the time, I like to say that the last few songs on an album help wrap up the main idea and leave the listener satisfied, that’s not the case here. This time, the songs are something new, they’re not repeating something that previous tracks have stated, and you’re not happy about it when the C.D. plays its last note. That’s something rare in a C.D., especially one that’s 16 tracks long.

Maybe Gorillaz is the future of music. Virtual band members don’t get in fights and break up, there are no creative differences, and a concert will never get cancelled due to “illness”. Plastic Beach proves that they have the ability to produce an amazing album, and when you’re through listening to it, you’re ready to travel to the depths of the ocean or just lay in your backyard, feeling the cool breeze on your forehead.

For Fans Of: Beastie Boys, Rage Against The Machine, The Flaming Lips

Overall Rating: 10/10

Recommended Tracks: Stylo, Glitter Freeze, Some Kind of Nature