2.5 stars (out of 4)

Recorded in hotels on ring-leader Damon Albarn’s iPad while Gorillaz toured North America last year, “The Fall” (Virgin/EMI) was originally made available only to fan-club members, but now receives its official release. In comparison to the three previous Gorillaz albums, laden with guest stars and ambitious production, this comes across as a far more modest affair, with its bedroom beats, gentle guitars, purring keyboards and wistful vocals. A sinister vibe burrows into the buzzing foundation of “The Snake in Dallas,” but most of the 15 tracks come off as a dreamy travelogue – America as seen from the window of a tour bus. In keeping with the album’s sparse tone, the star turns are reduced to a bare minimum – the Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon add a bit of guitar and bass, and Bobby Womack sings the folk-soul lament “Bobby in Phoenix.” Mostly, this is Albarn making one for the headphone-obsessed in his fan base, a soundtrack for kicking back in the back seat and watching the world drift past.

greg@gregkot.com

As 2010 winds down, we’ve still got a bunch of potentially terrific shows to look forward to, including Ludacris at the Allstate Arena (Sunday), Elvis Costello at the Chicago Theatre (Monday) and the Hold Steady at Lincoln Hall (Dec. 30), plus a gaggle of New Year’s Eve shows that we’ll preview in future columns.

But it’s also time to take stock and look back on a year of heavy-duty concert-going. Out of more than 100 shows I attended, here are my favorites from 2010:

1. Gorillaz, Oct. 16 at UIC Pavilion: The cartoon band invented by Blur’s Damon Albarn and Jamie “Tank Girl” Hewlett more than a decade ago has morphed into a real band, with more than 30 musicians and singers, including a core group built on former Clash members Mick Jones and Paul Simonon. Albarn orchestrates it all, blending hip-hop, dub reggae, Eastern music, punk, soul and myriad other genres into a soundtrack for a dying planet that doesn’t sound like a eulogy at all. Instead, it becomes one the year’s biggest dance parties. 

    Midway through Gorillaz concert Saturday at the UIC Pavilion, the cartoon character/rock star Murdoc popped up on the big video screen looming behind the band and vented his exasperation.

    “How much longer is this warm-up band gonna hog the stage?” the green-tinted bassist snarled.

    The creation of cartoonist Jamie Hewlett and Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn, Murdoc is Albarn’s alter-ego. On the virtual band’s first tour a decade ago, flesh-and-blood musicians played behind a scrim while the cartoon band led by Murdoc took center stage.

    The roles have been reversed on the current tour, and while Murdoc has undeniable charisma in the snaggle-toothed tradition of Keith Richards, he was no match for his “warm-up band.” Albarn was accompanied by more than 30 musicians and singers, including a core group built on former Clash members Mick Jones and Paul Simonon.

Gorillaz: Rare tour by the cartoon alter-ego band of Blur singer Damon Albarn, coming off an album, “Plastic Beach,” that plays like a chilled, chilling elegy for a dying planet, 7:30 p.m. Saturday at UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine, $61.06, $77.03, $107.97; ticketmaster.com.

greg@gregkot.com