Brit Pop's tougher side

Skirting within the mainstream of Brit Pop are acts that carry more serious musical pedigrees, and flirt with such genres as rock, hip-hop and electronica. The two bands today have new albums out, and they exemplify how musical hybrids can work and find a broad cross-section of fans while garnering the critics’ nods.

Gorillaz — Plastic Beach (Virgin). Originally a side project of Blur’s Damon Albarn, Gorillaz and their animated band members now have a career all their very own, and their CD releases are highly-anticipated events. Plastic Beach is like some surreal voyage to a musical island that’s uniquely Gorillaz’s. Rock, funk, hip-hop, electronica are the main musical elements that fall into the mix with intoxicating results. The trademark “slacker” approach to performing the vocals is still evident, and it’s the contributions of such guests as Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Bobby Womack, et al. that provide the surprises. Some tracks do seem like filler, but when the music “heats up and cooks,” one appreciates, and is thankful, that Gorillaz’s musical proposition still exists.

Hot Chip — One Life Stand (EMI). Hot Chip is a perennial favorite among critics; best described as an electronica band, they combine intelligent lyrics with well-constructed and whimsical musical arrangements. One Life Stand would put one in mind of such past bands as Erasure and Human League, but updated for today’s music scene. Cerebral yet eminently danceable, listen to the first four tracks — Thieves in the Night, Hand Me Down Your Love, I Feel Better and the title track — to discover what the band is all about. They also compose ballads, but these compositions are pale in comparison to the upbeat tracks. The falsetto of one of their lead singers is part of their trademark sound; and it’s British electro-pop at its very finest.