Spacemonkeyz Vs. Gorillaz

07/23/2002 7:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Ken Micallef

Looking for more of that freakin' fresh collagist exotica found on Gorillaz' million selling debut? Well, keep on looking. Smelling another way to swell their already flush coffers, Gorillaz' brain trust Dan The Automator hands over his cash cow to remix trio Spacemonkeyz and while new versions of "Clint Eastwood" and "19/2000" don't remotely resemble the originals, they are outstanding examples of post millennial tensioned dub music.

Spacemonkeyz--Darin, Richie, and Gavin--add guitarists, percussionists, brass players, keyboardists, and one guy on "Stylophone" to reshape Gorillaz; they rename each track as well. "Clint Eastwood" becomes "A Fistful Of Peanuts," "Slow Country" turns into "Strictly Rubbadub." But the titles don't matter 'cause nothing else remains the same. Damon Albarn and Miho Hatori's vocals still peek through the mixes, but the melodies and arrangements have been morphed and mashed to Twilight Zone lengths. Like Mad Professor remixing Massive Attack, Spacemonkeyz create dub as twinkling and torpid as a night out with **Lee "Scratch" Perry**. Spacemonkeyz' treatments are precise with a subtle electronica flavor, making tracks like the half time loping "Mutant Genius" ("New Genius") and the interstellar R&B thrusting "Come Again" ("Re Hash") excellent reasons to kick back and cruise.