Gorillaz
D-Sides
(EMI)
Two years after the release of the magnificent Demon Days, D-Sides provides the opportunity to hear the album in its early drafts alongside some thumping remixes.
Aside from the sketchbook-like quality of some songs - of which some are truly terrible, such as the sloppy Highway (Under Construction) - D-Sides has some gems. The original banjo-plucking demo of Don't Get Lost in Heaven reveals that it was late in the day before Albarn made the inspired move of hiring a youth gospel choir to sing the song instead.
The highlight is Hong Kong, a sublime moment written for the War Child compilation, Help: A Day in the Life. Of the two versions, the live one packs the wallop as Albarn references the neon lights and junk boats of Asia's World City. He's accompanied by the lump-in-throat inducing guzheng of Zeng Zhen, this is Albarn at his melancholic best. It touches on a mood that would later engulf side-project The Good, the Bad & the Queen.
