So, here we are again, Damon Albarn and his team of cool-ass chimps are back with a fresh slice of twisted beats going by the name of Dirty Harry and believe me when i say that this weapon is not carrying a silencer, because this is a sure fire hit and one of the best tunes on the Demon Days album. With Dangermouse on the production and Albarns futuristic songwriting skills, the Gorillaz have stated their intention to dominate the music charts and have followed it through to match the success of the debut album back in 2002.
The track features a lively, low-slung flavour retrofitted with electro flourishes and featuring an explosive stream of consciousness rap from guest performer Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde. The video is another groundbreaking Gorillaz production which sees the entire band, plus Bootie Brown and the San Fernandez Youth Chorus, relocated to the desert around Swakopmund, Namibia. Directors Jamie Hewlett and Pete Candeland, along with animation director Heath Kenny, have once again produced the perfect visual complement for the music; a startling mixture of live action with CG and 2D animation that follows the band’s attempt to rescue the children’s choir from the unforgiving south-west African desert.
This is the first Gorillaz video to be shot on location, and features an armoured personnel carrier borrowed from the Namibian military, plus an authentic WW2 uniform modelled by Bootie Brown, who found himself buried in the sand for take after take… and didn’t complain once.
B-sides include new tracks Hongkongaton and Murdoc Is God, plus an exclusive live performance of album track All Alone and the Chopper remix of Dirty Harry. Formats are as follows:
CD 1: Dirty Harry / All Alone (Live)
CD 2: Dirty Harry / Hongkongaton / Dirty Harry ‘Chopper Remix’
DVD: Dirty Harry Video / Murdoc Is God / Dirty Harry Instrumental / Dirty Harry video animatic
Dirty Harry is released by Parlophone on Monday 21st November. Go grab it!