Image: Gorillaz.comAfter almost 5 years of silence, the Gorillaz finally reappear with their new studio album Plastic Beach which is released today.

Gorillaz is the long-time collaborative project between Damon Albarn and Tank Girl artist Jamie Hewlett. The project is underpinned by Albarn and the musical collaborators that switch in and out from album to album. On Plastic Beach, Albarn has yet again grabbed contributions from some musical heavyweights including Mos Def, Lou Reed, Bobby Womack, Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash, and Mark. E. Smith of The Fall.

The album, as a whole, is the most diverse and easily accessible of all of the Gorillaz albums. Even though the musical styles vary from track to track the album flows seamlessly right from the opening as Orchestral Intro leads straight into the P-Funk-esque Snoop Dogg/Hypnotic Brass Ensemble track Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach. 

Of all the tracks on the album, Stylo stands out above all others with vocal duties split between Mos Def, Damon Albarn, and Bobby Womack. The whole track is a homage to the early 80's electro sound with Mos Def giving his best Afrika Bambataa impression as Womack's vocals soar.

Other stand out tracks include the quirky Some Kind of Nature which features vocals by Lou Reed, the catchy title track Plastic Beach, Rhinestone Eyes, and the simple orchestration of Cloud of Unknowing.

Although this album will probably not produce the radio hits of the previous albums and may disappoint some Gorillaz fans, Plastic Beach remains an intoxicating album to listen to and will no doubt be listed in many a "Best of 2010" list.

Plastic Beach is available now in regular and enhanced verisons from iTunes, Amazon.com, and other fine music retailers.