Laika Come Home (EMI, 2002)

The genre-splicing Gorillaz (I still wonder why some people insist on calling them a hip-hop group) venture into another musical realm -- dub -- on Laika Come Home.  This is essentially a remix album of the Gorillaz self-titled debut (a few songs aren't included on the remix set), re-worked by the ambiguous Space Monkeyz to bring electronica and remixing back to their reggae roots.  While the music on Laika has a distinctly modern, spacey vibe (How could it not, with the Space Monkeyz?), it for the most part impressively stays within the confines of rootsy, old school '70s dub.  Only occasionally does it overstep those bounds and veer into an overly modern (with hip-hop DJ scratching or screaming rock guitars) and/or sterile sound -- "Come Again" and the ska rock of "Lil' Dub Chefin'" proving to be the biggest, most irritating offenders.  Overall, though, this album is true to the classic dub sound; it's relaxed and pensive -- even brooding, as on the slow, melodica-driven "Banana Baby" and "Monkey Racket" -- yet manages a certain playfulness on tracks like "Jungle Fresh" and "A Fistful of Peanuts."  Lead singer Damon Albarn's whiny British vocals echo in and out of several songs, sometimes sticking around longer than is tolerable -- although it works quite well on the ethereal "Mutant Genius."  Though it won't (and shouldn't) be included among the all-time great dub albums, Laika Come Home is a welcome diversion.  Its crisp, layered sound is rarely dull, and it has an appeal that will likely draw those who are unfamiliar with dub into the genre's weird, wonderful world.