In the late '90s, Blur frontman Damon Albarn hooked up with cartoonist Jamie Hewlett to create a "virtual band." The quirky side-project, which they named Gorillaz, quickly became the duo's most ambitious venture to date. Hewlett handles the band's distinctive punk-meets-anime visuals and Albarn lassoes a dizzying variety of sounds. Featuring a lineup of all-star guests like Snoop Dogg and Lou Reed, albums like 2005's Demon Days and 2011's Plastic Beach spin infectious and unpredictable tunes out of bits of hip-hop, indie rock, reggae, gospel, techno, and soul.