Leave it to Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn to pair soul legend Bobby Womack with Mos Def on a track where both vocalists sound as out of place as the stranded plastic debris that inspired this album. Of course, out of place is precisely what Albarn aims for, with every sound tailored to disorient, then reset the listener's musical sense of direction. As usual, he has plenty of help: Lou Reed, Snoop Dogg, Mark E. Smith, De La Soul, and former Clash members Mick Jones and Paul Simonon all take their turns appearing in the distorting ultraviolet glow of Gorillaz' crowded guest spotlight.

Like fellow genre-inversion specialist Mike Patton, Albarn has a taste for fresh sounds that borders on the perverse. It might seem like he's just going out of his way to be strange, but to his credit, he manages to push Gorillaz into unprecedented new territory for a third time in a row. Unlike Gorillaz' debut, "Plastic Beach" doesn't have the bounce of a party record, but whether or not it grows on you, you have to admit you've never heard anything quite like it. And once all the sonic novelty and marquee-player excitement recedes, what's left is a startling amalgamation of hip-hop with god knows what else. In the end, Albarn's rhythmic instincts win out: given enough listens, "Plastic Beach" harbors grooves in places you probably never thought they could exist.