GORILLAZ

The Best Vinyl Releases Of February 2023

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Best Vinyl Releases
Derrick Rossignol

Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.

Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of the best new vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of the best vinyl releases of February below.

Whitney Houston — Whitney Houston and Whitney (Reissues)

whitneyhoustonvinyl
Legacy Recordings

Whitney Houston’s music is as impactful now as it was when it debuted back in the mid-’80s, so there’s never a bad time for a vinyl reissue. Houston’s first two star-making LPs, Whitney Houston and Whitney, and among the pair is a handful of classic No. 1 singles, like “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” and “Saving All My Love For You.”

Get it here.

Gorillaz — Cracker Island

gorillaz cracker island vinyl
Parlophone/Warner

Gorillaz went all out for the vinyl editions of their latest album, Cracker Island. There are a number of them available in the band’s webstore, including some bold picture discs and a deluxe box set that comes with a CD, sticker sheet, poster, notebook, and more.

Get it here.

Neutral Milk Hotel — The Collected Works Of Neutral Milk Hotel

nmh
Merge Records

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is the defining Neutral Milk Hotel work, but there’s a ton more worthwhile material beyond that, too. Now, it’s all been collected in a new box set… well sort of new: It was sold before, but only in the band’s online store. The collection includes a bunch of goodies, like a number of 10-inch and 7-inch records, as well as the band’s two albums (the other being On Avery Island) as gatefold LPs.

Get it here.

The Strokes — The Singles — Volume 01

strokesvinyl
RCA Records/Legacy Recordings

The Strokes’ early era was one to remember, and their new box set is a fantastic time capsule of it. It brings ten of the band’s singles from their first three albums — Is This It (2001), Room On Fire (2003), and First Impressions Of Earth (2006) — which means rare B-sides from the original releases.

Get it here.

Mötley Crüe — Crücial Crüe: The Studio Albums 1981-1989

motleycruevinyl
BMG Rights Management

Mötley Crüe went hard in the ’80s, dropping a number of platinum albums and iconic singles like “Girls, Girls, Girls” and “Dr. Feelgood.” That decade has been wrapped up in a fresh box set, which compiles all of the band’s peak-era albums into a five-album collection that truly encapsulates a heck of an era.

Get it here.

Paramore — This Is Why

Paramore This is Why
Atlantic

Depending on where you shop, you’ll find a different pressing of Paramore’s latest album. Target, for example, carries a lovely gold version, while Urban Outfitters has a coral edition of its own and Walmart is keeping it classic with a black pressing.

Get it here.

Naughty By Nature — 19 Naughty III (30th Anniversary Edition)

naughtyvinyl
Tommy Boy Records

It’s been 30 years since Naughty By Nature dropped 19 Naughty III (fantastic name for a 1993 album, by the way), and now the group’s celebrating with a reissue. Notable are the six bonus tracks this new release comes with, including the previously unheard extended mix of “Hip Hop Hooray” and remixes from Pete Rock and The Beatnuts.

Get it here.

Kacey Musgraves — Same Trailer Different Park (VMP Reissue)

kaceyvinyl
Vinyl Me, Please

Kacey Musgraves is a crossover star now, but once upon a time, she had yet to carve out a space in the pop space and was dominating the country scene. Same Trailer Different Park was a striking debut album back in 2013, and for its tenth anniversary, Vinyl Me, Please pressed it on gorgeous “cactus green” vinyl, a fantastic visual complement to the album art’s greenery.

Get it here.

Pearl Jam — Yield (25th Anniversary Reissue)

pearljamvmp
Vinyl Me, Please

Pearl Jam still sounds as vital(ogy) as ever these days, and perhaps in a “time flies” example for some readers, the band’s 1998 album Yield turns 25 years old this year. Naturally, there’s a new vinyl reissue, and it’s pressed, as press materials note, “on 2LPs for the very first time on 180g translucent red & black hi-melt vinyl in a double gatefold, direct-to-board and die cut jacket.” It doesn’t ship until this summer, but we have a feeling that it will go fast.

Get it here.

Truth Is Where It’s At — A Gospel Truth Collection

Vinyl Me, Please Gospel Truth
Vinyl Me, Please

Vinyl Me, Please is shining a light on The Gospel Truth Records, a 1972 gospel imprint on Stax Records, with a new box set. The release highlights a number of releases from a number of artists: The Rance Allen Group by The Rance Allen Group, Jesus People by Maceo Woods and The Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir, A Tribute to Mahalia Jackson by Louise McCord, Whatever Happened To Love by Clarence Smith, The Gospel Artistics by The Gospel Artistics, and Blue Aquarius by Blue Aquarius.

Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Trugoy Posthumously Leads The Way On De La Soul And Gorillaz’s New Collaboration, ‘Crocadillaz’

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De La Soul member Trugoy The Dove (real name David Jolicoeur) died on February 12 at just 54 years old. The week before, De La Soul had been part of the 10-minute performance commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at the 2023 Grammys. Collective disbelief and grief permeated the internet once the news hit, from his bandmates Maseo and Posdnuos to Common and Nas.

Gorillaz honored Trugoy more formally today, February 27. The famed animated band dropped a deluxe version of their new album, Cracker Island. One of the new tracks is “Crocadillaz” featuring Dawn Penn and De La Soul, and the first voice heard is Trugoy’s.

“Send a sentiment / Taste a destruction,” he raps over an upbeat loop. Elsewhere, Trugoy intricately balances the benefits of his hard-earned position (“Life is intoxicating, I need a beer”) with the potential pitfalls (“Hypnotized by the crocodile smiles / The exchange is brief but watch for the teeth”).

Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn first acknowledged Trugoy’s passing with an Instagram video on February 13. “A loop for Dave. I love you,” he wrote in the caption.

De La Soul was previously featured on Gorillaz’s Grammy-winning, ubiquitous track “Feel Good Inc.” in 2005.

An official cause of death has not been publicly identified, but as noted in Uproxx’s obituary for Trugoy, he shared he was suffering from congestive heart failure in 2018 and was hospitalized in 2020.

Listen to “Crocadillaz” above.

Gorillaz And Bad Bunny’s ‘Tormenta’ Is A Brewing Storm Of Emotion On ‘Cracker Island’

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Cracker Island, the eighth studio from Gorillaz, is out now. Although leader Damon Albarn is open to the idea of eventually stepping down from the mantle for the right person, for the time being, the group is going to celebrate its latest release by dropping a new single, “Tormenta.”

The reggaeton and indie fusion track, whose title translates to “storm,” features one of Latin music’s biggest stars in Bad Bunny. On the outside, the credit for the crossover track belongs to Albarn’s daughter Missy and her friend Salima who introduced him to reggaeton. During an interview with The Sun’s Simon Cosyns, Albarn shared, “[Missy and Salima] grew up together and went to the Spanish school at the top of our road. So they’re attuned to Latin music and into reggaeton.”

The song chronicles the pre- and post-emotional dealings of deep romantic love. Bunny is a fierce rapper, but on “Tormenta,” his vocal abilities are the central focus as he sings, roughly translated roughly translates to, “And make the most of me today, because tomorrow I’m gone / And I don’t know when I’ll get back, if I get lost in your eyes / And make the most of mе today, because tomorrow I’m gone / And I don’t know whеn I’ll get back, if I get lost in your eyes.”

Albarn was overwhelmingly impressed by the music star’s talents, saying in the aforementioned interview, “Bad Bunny’s the real deal. He’s got one of those annoying voices, which is exactly right every time. So accurate and so consistent, it’s amazing,” before jokingly adding, “If I could sing like that, I would be the biggest artist in the world, but I can’t, so I’m not!’”

Take a listen for yourself. The full track is embedded above.

Cracker Island is out now via Parlophone. Get it here.

Gorillaz is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Gorillaz Drops New Album “Cracker Island”

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Gorillaz has just dropped Cracker Island, marking the band’s eighth studio album. The English band has been hinting at this project since August and has teased its release with a few singles from the album. With 10 tracks in total, the collective work further solidify’s Gorillaz’s indescribably unique take on music that blends genres together seamlessly. The album itself boasts a wide range of featured artists, including Latin singer Bad Bunny, rock icon Stevie Nicks, and psychedelic-inspired producer Tame Impala.

Cracker Island also includes the band’s recent release of “Silent Running,” in which they collaborated with vocalist Adeleye Omotayo. Prior to the drop of the album, band members expressed their anticipation for their first large project since 2020’s Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez in a press release. Guitarist Noodle stated, “Cracker Island is the sound of change and the chorus of the collective,” with bassist Murdoc Niccals adding, “the hallowed tones of Cracker Island will soundtrack our collective ascension into the new dimension!”

Gorillaz’s “Cracker Island” Defies Genre Expectations

Niccals and Noodle both hit the nail on the head with their descriptions of Cracker Island. In all, Gorillaz has again showcased its incredible skills in versatility and fearlessness in experimentation. From the groovy and deep beats of “Cracker Island” featuring Thundercat to the band’s unlikely take on alternative reggeaton in their Bad Bunny collaboration “Tormenta,” Cracker Island takes listeners on an unmatched journey through contemplative sounds and danceable tunes.

Of course, the album cover features the iconic cartoons of the band, illustrated by co-founder Jamie Hewlett. The release of Cracker Island follows the unfortunate news of Gorillaz’s Netflix movie being canceled. But, Hewlett has still found a way to bring unique animations to the screen in the debut music video for the latest project. Be sure to check out Cracker Island, now streaming on all platforms, and let us know what you think in the comments below. For the latest news about hip-hop and pop culture, keep in touch with HNHH.

Cracker Island Tracklist:

  1. Cracker Island (feat. Thundercat)
  2. Oil (feat. Stevie Nicks)
  3. The Tired Influencer
  4. Silent Running (feat. Adeleye Omotayo)
  5. New Gold (feat. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown)
  6. Baby Queen
  7. Tarantula
  8. Tormenta (feat. Bad Bunny)
  9. Skinny Ape
  10. Possession Island (feat. Beck)

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Gorillaz Movie Canceled By Netflix

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In October 2020, Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn announced that the band had a movie in the works. The English group confirmed that they had “signed contracts” with Netflix just a year later, according to NME. With co-creator Jamie Hewlett pioneering the iconic cartoons that represent the band, the project was to be an animated movie using Gorillaz’s branded characters.

Unfortunately, Albarn confirmed in an interview with HUMO that “it will never happen.” Netflix has allegedly canceled the film due to cutbacks in the network’s animation department. The 54-year-old musician explained the situation bluntly. “The streaming platform for which we were making the film has withdrawn,” he said. “They started to panic because they were making too much content and decided to cut back on their movie offerings.”

Gorillaz’s Iconic Characters Get The Boot

Albarn continued to throw shade on the “classic Hollywood practice.” The English-Icelandic singer reflected on how the Netflix representative the band was working with had left the company. “From then on you have lost your guardian angel, and there seems to be a bad smell hanging on you,” he began. “Hollywood is quite territorial: if a new guy comes along, he must and will have a different opinion, even if he secretly agrees with his predecessor.”

When Albarn initially announced the project, he spoke with Apple Music enthusiastically. “I’m at Netflix because we’re making a full-length Gorillaz film,” he told the streaming service. “Yeah, we’re having a writing session in Malibu this afternoon. It’s really exciting to do that. It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. It’s been through so many incarnations…this Gorillaz doing a movie. Honestly.”

Gorillaz Not Giving Up, Despite Cancellation

Despite the disappointing setbacks of their movie, the band will be releasing its eighth studio album, “Cracker Island” on Friday (February 24th). Although we won’t be seeing the Gorillaz characters on our Netflix screens, the band dropped their “Silent Running” single featuring Adeleye Omotayo earlier this month. Check out the music video for that above. As always, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news on your favorite hip hop artists.

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Gorillaz And Del The Funky Homosapien Performed ‘Rock The House’ Live For The First Time Ever

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Gorillaz revved up their North American tour last week and last night at San Francisco’s Chase Center, there were a lot of surprises in store. Before the next Gorillaz album, Cracker Island, comes out in early 2023, Damon Albarn and company were churning out every possible Gorillaz classic for their 20-plus years as a band at the show. Last night’s concert was nothing short of a sermon led by Albarn, as he was joined on stage by collaborators from over the years in Bootie Brown, Pos of De La Soul, Fatoumata Diawara, Earthgang, Sweetie Irie, and in his own Bay Area backyard, Del The Funky Homosapien.

Del joined Gorillaz for “Clint Eastwood” (as can reasonably be expected), but it was the other song that the Deltron 3030 and Hieroglyphics MC performed with Gorillaz that was historic. You see, on the band’s very first album, Gorillaz, Del also appeared on the popular track “Rock The House,” co-produced by Dan The Automator (who was in the crowd and got shouted out by Albarn). But surprisingly, Del had never performed the song with Gorillaz ever before. This is despite the rapper having toured the world with Gorillaz in the past many times over. In fact, the band hadn’t even performed it with any MC since 2002.

So to the crowd’s delight, Albarn announced to the crowd that they would be, “Playing a song we’ve never played before with Del.” A three-piece horn section scurried up on stage and they laid down the signature horn opening to “Rock The House” before Del — decked out in a sleek track suit — masterfully delivered the classic Gorillaz tune. It was a vibe. One of many in the more than two hour set from Gorillaz.

Watch Del perform “Rock The House” with Gorillaz above.

Gorillaz is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Who Is Opening Gorillaz’s Tour In North America?

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Gorillaz Cracker Island 2022
Gorillaz

While we have to wait until next year for Gorillaz to drop their eighth album, Cracker Island, the band is heading out on a North America 2022 tour starting in September. Cracker Island will feature appearances from Thundercat, Beck, Bad Bunny, Tame Impala, and others, but the slate of openers for their concert tour is different from the album’s guests.

Who Is Opening Gorillaz’s Tour In North America?

The Gorillaz North America tour begins on September 10th at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena and ends on October 23rd at Miami’s FTX Arena. The two opening acts on the tour are EarthGang and Jungle. Credit to Gorillaz for choosing two vastly different-sounding acts to support them on tour, but who both fit perfectly within the scope of the Gorillaz musical universe.

EarthGang are the hip-hop duo from Atlanta consisting of Olu and Wow Gr8. They’ve drawn comparisons to fellow ATLiens Outkast with their funky, eccentric style and dropped their most recent album, Ghetto Gods, earlier this year on J.Cole’s Dreamville label.

Jungle are an electronic-leaning band from London led by the duo of Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland. They’ve stood out with their vocally-charged songs that feel more like being on the West Coast than in the UK. Their latest album, Loving In Stereo, came out in 2021 via their own Caiola label and AWAL.

Check out the full list of Gorillaz’s tour dates with EarthGang and Jungle below and get tickets here.

09/11 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
09/12 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
09/14 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
09/17 – Las Vegas, NV @ Life is Beautiful Festival
09/19 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
09/21 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
09/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
09/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
09/28 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
09/30 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
10/01 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
10/03 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/05 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
10/06 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
10/08 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
10/11 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
10/12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
10/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
10/17 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
10/19 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheater
10/21 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
10/23 – Miami, FL @ FTX Arena