Big Ups: Gorillaz Pick Their Bandcamp Favorites
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February 23, 2026
Only on a new album from Gorillaz could Dennis Hopper share space with Omar Souleyman or the voices of the late Mark E. Smith and the legendary Asha Bhosle appear just a few tracks apart. As always, the album is a giddy grab bag of sounds: “The Moon Cave” features vocals from Indian disco icon Asha Puthli and is a lithe and silky track tailor-made for couple skates, while “The Empty Dream Machine,” with Black Thought, Johnny Marr, and Anoushka Shankar, is Bowie-esque in its free-floating atmospherics. Yet all of it flows effortlessly, and has the feel of a long, winding, deliberate journey under humid, overcast skies. It also betrays a wide host of influences, so we corralled the group’s four members to get an idea of what they’ve been listening to lately.
Murdoc
Mao Tse Helen
Maize
“Like Black Midi meets Big Black but weirder, Ron T. Curry is an absolute legend. We called him Ruby—can’t remember why. Up and down that fretboard like his fingers were on fire. Maybe they were. Did you know this record was made in 1996, when grunge was God? Didn’t think slo. This, my friend, is riff rock more angular than a bag full of set squares. You’re welcome.”
Fave Tracks: “Sweet Love” and “Circus Peanuts”
Noodle
Blood Cultures
Skate Story
“Imagine Sonic Youth made an album with the Avalanches: This is that record. Psyched-out samples with breakbeats, angry guitars, and spacey synths. Blood Cultures has an incredible knack of combining chaos with cool in a way that’s beyond unique. The best soundtrack to any video game.”
Fave Tracks: “Overlord” and “It’s Hostile”
2D
Peel Dream Magazine
Rose Main Reading Room
“This…is sunshine, in a bag. Like a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows.”
Fave Track: “‘Counting Sheep,’ ’coz it helps me sleep.”
Russell
John Robinson
Mad Collabs Vol. 1
“If you like J-Live or Talib Kweli, then this is the cut for you. Golden era boom-bap with conscious rap lyrics, deep cuts, jazz-infused remixes, and some mad collabs, like it says. I love the images JR comes up with in his lyrics, those Keith Murray-type metaphors. The best of underground hip-hop is here, quietly keeping the faith. Tune in.”
Fave Tracks: “Just Listen,” “The Things They Carried,” and “Poetry In Ertia”
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