Originally just a playful side project for Blur frontman Damon Albarn, the animated quartet Gorillaz captured creative lightning in a bottle with the hip-hop-infused synth pop of their debut. Much credit goes to Bay Area rapper Del tha Funkee Homosapien, co-producer Dan the Automator, and the anime-influenced art of Tank Girl illustrator Jamie Hewlett for their initial appeal. Of course, the biggest attraction about Gorillaz is that they’re not real—the elaborate backstories of 2-D, Noodle, Murdoc and Russel have gone on for years. But musically, they never sounded better than the dynamite “Clint Eastwood” and “Rock the House.”

– Miles Marshall Lewis