Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.

“Every great band is destroyed by their success: cartoon bands are no exception.”

Feel Good Inc. is the first single from the new album Demon Days by highly acclaimed virtual hip-hop group Gorillaz. Consisting of three fictitious band members, by now most would be aware that the ‘real’ band consists of such high-profile musicians as Damon Albarn of Blur (who provides the infectious vocals of 2-D), as well as visual artist Jamie Hewlett.

Albarn and company certainly had a lot to live up to after the praise thrown at their debut self-titled album. I can say, without hesitation, that they certainly live up to expectations with this track. With guest rappers De La Soul complementing Albarn’s vocals, you can’t help but like this song. Add to this the excellent production skills of Danger Mouse, and you have what would seem a fool-proof recipe for success.

Sure, Feel Good Inc. certainly doesn’t seem to break any new ground for Gorillaz. The formula is very similar to that used for previous singles such as Clint Eastwood. However, why bother fixing something if it’s not broken? The fact is that although the sound of this track isn’t a new thing for the band, it’s still unparalleled by anything else around at the moment.

I guess the only shame is that, when the band is entirely animated, it is never actually possible to see Gorillaz live.