Gorillaz's eponymous debut bucked the trend and sold 4m copies, but more by default than by design: it was a scrappy collection of interesting but largely undercooked ideas, powered by the atypically catchy single, Clint Eastwood. The side projects of moneyed rock stars are hardly renowned as guaranteed hit-making machines. However, pinning hopes on Gorillaz seems a desperate move. You can understand EMI banking on Coldplay, a band who seem no more likely to throw a musical curveball than they are to star in a hardcore porn film. This was not a statement likely to instil confidence in the future of Britain's most august record company. Now Albarn is being held responsible for a leading UK company cutting its profit forecast by £30m: last February, EMI records claimed that its dip in sales was due to the late delivery of Coldplay's third album and the second release by Gorillaz, Albarn's cartoon-themed, hip-hop-influenced side project. When Albarn began dabbling in rap, James waggishly referred to the singer as "the blackest man in west London". Bass player Alex James famously mocked Albarn's Britpop-era pin-up status by publicly noting his resemblance to the boyishly charming panto character Buttons. Even the other members of Blur seem unable to resist the temptation. N ever the most popular of pop stars, Damon Albarn is presumably used to being called names.
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