Hmm, I have mixed views on this one. I love Hewlett's style and the Taschen book is beautiful. This is nicely priced and if you are a die-hard Gorillaz fan, it's probably worth a look.
That said, I feel it's a little sad that it doesn't feel quite like an art book. It would have been nice to get some annotations or a little history about the art. Some sketches etc would be nice.
The weird feeling that you get is that by trying to be an annual, the likes of which us Brits might have picked up in WHSmith in the 1980s, it's trying to be slightly edgy and cool. It's sort of trying to be Scarfolk. It's edgy nostalgia aimed at people like me who are maybe one decade away from buying cosy slippers and arthritis medication.
It's weird looking at something that is trying to be edgy but that also knows that young kids probably ignore Gorillaz (I hope not, it's their loss) but also that its target demographic are not as edgy as they used to be.
Look, this is probably more about me than about Gorillaz. Albarn, Hewlett etc are amazingly talented. I am more into the art than the music but they are strong on both fronts. This book just made me reflect on getting old rather than my love of the style. Hey-ho. If you love Hewlett, get his Taschen book. If you have a few quid left over, get this but try to get it cheaply.I have bought so many great art books over the years and I just can't help but feel that this doesn't quite cut it. I guess 'not fitting in' is something Gorillaz is all about but this book is not quite the square peg in the round hole that they may have wanted. Or maybe I'm not.
Hmm, I have mixed views on this one. I love Hewlett's style and the Taschen book is beautiful. This is nicely priced and if you are a die-hard Gorillaz fan, it's probably worth a look.
That said, I feel it's a little sad that it doesn't feel quite like an art book. It would have been nice to get some annotations or a little history about the art. Some sketches etc would be nice.
The weird feeling that you get is that by trying to be an annual, the likes of which us Brits might have picked up in WHSmith in the 1980s, it's trying to be slightly edgy and cool. It's sort of trying to be Scarfolk. It's edgy nostalgia aimed at people like me who are maybe one decade away from buying cosy slippers and arthritis medication.
It's weird looking at something that is trying to be edgy but that also knows that young kids probably ignore Gorillaz (I hope not, it's their loss) but also that its target demographic are not as edgy as they used to be.
Look, this is probably more about me than about Gorillaz. Albarn, Hewlett etc are amazingly talented. I am more into the art than the music but they are strong on both fronts. This book just made me reflect on getting old rather than my love of the style. Hey-ho. If you love Hewlett, get his Taschen book. If you have a few quid left over, get this but try to get it cheaply.I have bought so many great art books over the years and I just can't help but feel that this doesn't quite cut it. I guess 'not fitting in' is something Gorillaz is all about but this book is not quite the square peg in the round hole that they may have wanted. Or maybe I'm not.