Customer Reviews

Spacemonkeyz Vs. Gorillaz: Laika Come Home

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

How long has it been since you heard a great dub record? For so long it seemed like dub was dead and gone forever. Yeah, portions of it have been incorprated into modern electronica (specifically: drum'n'bass) but I mean a good, fat bass, layin' on the horns, engulf it all in reverb thick enough they hear it across time kinda dub. Scratch Perry dub, King Tubby dub, even Mad Professor dub.

Well, enter this disc, and ka-pow you have your gift from the dub gods of Jah. Bad dub, especially nowadays when the perpetrators are so far removed from the original sound, is easy to do. But this, THIS is great dub, done by professionals who clearly know what makes a great dub record. Listen to "De-Punked" (dub mix of Punk from the original) and TELL me these guys don't know what they're doing! It's cosmic. This disc is everything G-Sides SHOULDA been. From head-bobbing to downright head-thrashing, this disc WILL move you, guarandamnteed. I'm listening to it as I type, and the brass sections are just incredible.

It's funny how people compared the Gorillaz album to the Clash's ahead-of-its-time melting pot triple-album Sandinista, and now we have dub versions of the Gorillaz tracks, just like there were sides of Sandinista that were nothing but dub versions of the album's own songs. It's great! Honestly, if you have any prediliction towards dub reggae AT ALL, you need to hear this. It's like a time-machine and a future-transducer all in one 12-track package. Makes me happy. Long live the dub!!!!

...and that's ok, too.
Let's review the flaws, first:
1) Its the same songs, AGAIN.
2) Its nothing like the source material.

OK, downsides listed. Perfectly respectable downsides, yes, we all already own these songs once or twice. However, true to roots dub, that's sort of the point and its well represented here. And, since it is well represented here, its nothing like the original rock songs, its not even like the hiphop songs, its dub.

You get dub (real dub, not electronic thumpathumpa crap) when a producer would take the source material and manipulate it to create fresh music for the sound systems. Vocals out, lead insturments out, rhythm in. Up the bass, up the drums, and let it roll. Punch in a riff, punch in a word, then out again and run the whole thing through more reverb than you can shake a stick at. That's what you've got here. And its not just dub, but its fantastically well done dub. Its an album that's tuned for raving Gorillaz fans, dub fans, and ideally for people who are both. Or will become both.

This may not be the record for you, thankfully Amazon provides you with sound samples. Use them. What you hear is what you get, so stop whining about how much it sucks cause its the same songs over again or because its a style you don't like.

I bought this cd on a whim when it came out, having heard ( and seen the video for ) Clint Eastwood.I have since bought the original Gorillaz cd, and I must say I prefer this over the original, being a big fan of dub reggae and chill-out type grooves. This is AWESOME. If you have the original Gorillaz cd and appreciate the diversity of the songs, you will more than likely not get into this one, as the songs admittedly all sound somewhat the same, they all have a very laid back reggae groove to them. But I can highly recommend this for fans of dub reggae.

The progression of my purchase: this album, then gorillaz 1 & 2. Yeah gorillaz know how to kick it, but this album? I go through life with a soundtrack, and this cd isn't going anywhere, anytime soon. Cmon, lets face it y'all, there is <way> more to reggae than we think. This is just a step in a new and right direction. Mixing the low bass and mystical fog feel of dub with the feel good sound of reggae, and a splash of dance, this is it. There's nothing better than a 20 minute instrumental, with smooth tunage and sounds out of nowhere to mezmerize the soul.

If you dig this, you should pick up the Dead 60's dub/extended version of their only album. Plus, Reggae From Finland, out last year. Soul Captain Band, and a plethora of dub djs (plus hot smart women) make Finland worth visiting..

So yeah, buy this. And Spacemonkeyz? PLease make more of this!

This is a dub masterpiece, and much more. Not since the Mad Professor took on Massive Attack on No Protection has there been such a successful dubbing of a full CD.

But this CD goes beyond being an atmospheric dub chill-out. The opening track is a full-on reggae reworking of 19/2000 that is so successful that anyone not familiar with the original would swear it was written as a reggae piece. As well done as tracks like this and the reworking of Slow Country are, they are not what makes this CD so brilliant (and they may well be the biggest reason hardcore Gorillaz fans aren't that thrilled with this CD - they sound too much like yet another remix version of the original tracks).

The real genius of this CD is in tracks like Tomorrow Comes Today (Banana Baby) and Man Research (Monkey Racket). These are atmospheric and moody dub/trip hop pieces constructed from the essence of the original tracks. Normally, even an excellent dub piece like these would stretch one or two musical ideas into an extended soundscape. But these are full of musical ideas, twists and turns; and because of that, they work both as background chill-out music and as music to listen to for entertainment.

Space Monkeys production job on this is tight and awesome. Effects units have been tweaked to the point where the repeats aren't just musical, they are as dead on rhythmically as a drum machine. This attention to sonic detail breaths fresh life into dub clichés. This CD deserves a Grammy for both production and engineering. The playful humor and wit of the CD's title is reflected musically throughout the album.

Sadly this CD is unlikely to find its most appreciative audience. Gorillaz fans wanting more of the Brit-pop hip hop of the source album are going to be sorely disappointed. And dub fans are likely to dismiss it out of prejudice that the Gorillaz connection makes it a little too "major label" to take seriously. But this CD along with Massive Attack vs. Mad Professor's "No Protection" and Bill Laswell's "Radioaxiom" would make an awesome desert island collection (in more ways than one).

this CD blew me away... when my friend, juanki, first told me about it, i thought they were most definetely going to KILL the original gorillaz songs, but I was dead wrong. Hypnotic beats, and slow melodies make the gorillaz come alive, like something out of Dub Side Of the Moon (Easy Star All Stars)... any gorillaz fan, or reggae fan alike will definetely LOVE this album

As you'd expect with a cd that doesn't even list the name of the big band first, "Space Monkeys vs. Gorillaz: Laika Come Home" is like eating just the complementary rolls at a steakhouse. Sure, they're delicious, and there's nothing wrong with it, but the experience could be so much better with some of the restaurant's trademark meals. Such is the case in the Gorillaz eatery.

Some of the tracks fall flat, such as the lack of the spooky background voices in "New Genious". The real problems are mostly due to monotony and similarity within the tracks, most noticeably the first two, both of which go the reggae angle, almost identically. The only reggae track which doesn't overstay its welcome is the mix of the top single, "Clint Eastwood". Rasta's an everpresent theme throughout the album, but luckily, other tracks make up for the sins of the others.

"Banana Baby", a remix of "Tomorrow Comes Today", is the first great track of the album, beginning with a haunting and everlasting techno beat which can never seem to get enough steam, thankfully. "P45" offers the most energetic and perky Gorillaz track since the "19/2000" remix from the Ice Breakers commercial. "Dub 09" somehow manages to be even creepier than "starshine" the track from the self-titled cd from which it was mixed.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the metaphorical steak dinner is the first cd, the self-titled, best selling tribute to 2-D, Noodle, Russel, and Murdoc. "Laika Comes Home" is a good cd, and while it isn't nearly as good as "Gorillaz", and probably not quite as good as "G-Sides", Gorillaz still prove their abilities. Listen to these two back to back, and when Gorillaz begins to add more menu items, you'll be sure to return for seconds.

As you'd expect with a cd that doesn't even list the name of the big band first, "Space Monkeys vs. Gorillaz: Laika Come Home" is like eating just the complementary rolls at a steakhouse. Sure, they're delicious, and there's nothing wrong with it, but the experience could be so much better with some of the restaurant's trademark meals. Such is the case in the Gorillaz eatery.

Some of the tracks fall flat, such as the lack of the spooky background voices in "New Genious". The real problems are mostly due to monotony and similarity within the tracks, most noticeably the first two, both of which go the reggae angle, almost identically. The only reggae track which doesn't overstay its welcome is the mix of the top single, "Clint Eastwood". Rasta's an everpresent theme throughout the album, but luckily, other tracks make up for the sins of the others.

"Banana Baby", a remix of "Tomorrow Comes Today", is the first great track of the album, beginning with a haunting and everlasting techno beat which can never seem to get enough steam, thankfully. "P45" offers the most energetic and perky Gorillaz track since the "19/2000" remix from the Ice Breakers commercial. "Dub 09" somehow manages to be even creepier than "starshine" the track from the self-titled cd from which it was mixed.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the metaphorical steak dinner is the first cd, the self-titled, best selling tribute to 2-D, Noodle, Russel, and Murdoc. "Laika Comes Home" is a good cd, and while it isn't nearly as good as "Gorillaz", and probably not quite as good as "G-Sides", Gorillaz still prove their abilities. Listen to these two back to back, and when Gorillaz begins to add more menu items, you'll be sure to return for seconds.

I have read a handful of reviews now that have been not so fond of this CD. Well, I have to respond by asking, "what is it exactly that you are expecting from a Dub CD?" I mean, this think has all the bases covered in an effort reminiscent of the Mad Professor/Massive Attack 'No Protection' CD from a couple years back. I really liked this album, but I am very picky about going with 5 stars unless I am completely blown away... But nonetheless, if you are not expecting some dance remixes (check out the G-Sides album for that) or to completely recognize all the songs then check this out. It's dubalicious!

You will enjoy this Album, especially if you enjoy Reggae.

While randomly going through CD's on sale at a store (somewhere in India) I saw this one for about $7. For 7 bucks, it wouldn't hurt to listen. Having heard it, the experience was worth more (maybe the full price too).

The background is traditional Reggae rhythym, yet each track is contemporarily styled and fused with different Instruments. I guess this is a hallmark of the SpaceMonkeyz. I often find myself listening to this album alongside tracks from Willie Williams, Max Romeo, UB40 and even Pink Floyd amongst other artists that have a strong anchoring in easy tunes and rhythyms. The mixes were all originally part of the Gorillaz album from 2001 (except perhaps one track at the end). Even if you do own the original album, buy this one, it is very different and will not fail to surprise you.