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Demon Days
Gorillaz
Retail Price (not our price): $18.98
Release Date: 2005-05-24
Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
A side project doesn't usually hit gold, especially when said project is a quirky virtual collective fronted by cartoon characters. But the first, self-titled album by Gorillaz--the brainchild of illustrator Jamie Hewlett and Blur frontman Damon Albarn--actually hit platinum and turned into a surprise worldwide hit. Naturally expectations were a lot higher for Gorillaz's sophomore effort, but Demon Days actually is even better than its predecessor. With producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura gone, Albarn, a.k.a. 2D, has paired up with DJ Danger Mouse (responsible for the infamous Grey Album that illegally mixed the Beatles and Jay-Z) to steer the musical ship, while a whole new slew of guests enlivens the proceedings. Albarn has described Demon Days as being darker, but there's a real kooky dance-party vibe coursing through the CD. Despite its somber tone, "Kids with Guns" is lifted by a killer bass line, for instance, while the catchy first single, "Feel Good Inc," is augmented by an appealing contribution from De La Soul. Other noteworthy guests include Roots Manuva and Tricky collaborator Martina Topley-Bird on the dubby "All Alone" and Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder on the bouncy "DARE." And yet it's a 69-year-old actor who gets to deliver the most baffling contribution--just listen to Dennis Hopper's spoken-word narrative on "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head." Elisabeth Vincentelli

2) Amazon.com
Gorillaz Photos More from GorillazGorillazG-SidesSpacemonkeyz Vs. Gorillaz: Laika Come HomeGorillaz - Phase One - Celebrity Take DownGorillaz - Phase Two - Slowboat to Hades Demon Days Live

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) Beachside   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This music soothes even the savage beast. I prefer the middle of this cd.Kids with Guns - a masterpieceWhite Light - a daring narrativeDARE is a kinky track

2) What a Beautiful Masterpiece!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I mean, WOW! I love Electronic Music, and I can't seem to get enough of it! But this album is great! Not only is it Electronic, it blends acoustic beats and industrial samples and stretches them to the perfect pitches!It is pure beauty! I absolutely LOVE this album, it may not be as good as the FIRST Gorillaz Album, but it is very, very close!PERFECT FOR A CRUISE AROUND TOWN!

3) Great for your collection   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
Lots of tracks with a diverse collection of songs, all expertly performed and arranged. An upbeat soundtrack to add to your mix and kudos to the band for their innovative take on alternative rap.

4) Superb   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Ok, so writing a review praising Demon Days seems almost redundant at this point, but it can't be helped. This album is superb. Demon Days has it all - catchy melodic lines, clever raps, beautifully layered synth instrumentation, dance-worthy beats, intelligent lyrics - what more could you ask for? Each track is an innovative, genre-stradling work that stands alone nicely, but the album is best when taken in its entirety. As you can probably ascertain from the other 300+ reviews, Demon Days has a bit of a somber streak, with lyrics that indict humanity's frailty and corruption. I'm not going to go into the whole "it's an allegory for the Iraq War" theory - lyrical analysis is for English class, not Amazon reviews. :P Furthermore, this album retains its charm through multiple listens. Even though I was a Gorillaz fan prior to Demon Days, I originally got this album for "Feel Good Inc." and "Dare." Both songs are excellent, but I find that the songs I paid little attention to at the get go are now the tracks I enjoy most (Kids with Guns, Oh Green World, November has Come, etc.). Like I said, it ages well. So when it comes right down to it, who should buy Demon Days? If the playlist on your MP3 player consists solely of top ten hits, then this album probably isn't for you. However, if you enjoy an eclectic mix of music, appreciate songs with both a surface and a deeper meaning, and have a bit of a melancholy soul, by all means buy Demon Days.

5) Very creative!   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
You know, not even a year ago I wouldn't have considered buying this album. The term "alternative rap" gets applied to it a lot, and the "rap" part would've scared me off. But hey, my brother got really into the group because of "Feel Good, Inc.", bought the whole album, and played it for me. I was hooked. This isn't rap - it's far too melodic to be so, and the arrangements are way too elaborate. It's more of a funk-rock thing, with emphasis on the funk. There are some raps, though, but most of those are brilliant (again, see the ridiculously catchy, three-part "Feel Good, Inc." - though I've gotta say my favorite part of that is not the rap, but the melodic bridge).All right, so there are a couple minor problems I have with this. I don't even like "White Light" (kinda boring), "All Alone" (VERY boring), or the title track (overblown); some of the rap is a hinderance ("November Has Come", which is pretty good outside of that - then again, other than Run-DMC and Public Enemy I can't say rap does much for me), some of the synthesizers are too gimmicky ("O Green World", which does have a pretty good vocal hook); and it's sometimes derivative (the single "Kids with Guns" has a nice groove, but it's rehashed from "Hello, I Love You", and that riff sounds much like "Louie, Louie"). And there's nothing as brilliant as "Clint Eastwood" here, though that's just because "Clint Eastwood" is a brilliant song - to me, it's an alternative classic just slightly below "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "Karma Police" - I'd put it around some of Soundgarden's best. Lofty praise for it, but it's awesome. Then again, so is "Dirty Harry", which may actually be better than "Clint Eastwood", I'm not sure. (hey, Clint Eastwood played Dirty Harry! Noticing a connection?) Great riff; eerie children's choir; solid melody; superb beats; excellent lyrics. One of those songs were everything comes together. Needless to say, it's my favorite on the album, beating out several strong candidates; "Feel Good, Inc."; the dark environmentalist's rage "Every Planet We Reach is Dead"; and the imposing but catchy Shaun Rider (of some alternative group I don't know because I really don't know much about alt-rock - I know classic rock, jazz, R&B and funk fairly well , but not alt-rock) duet "Dare". And the group makes great use of electronics ("Every Planet"; "El Manana"; "Last Living Souls") - "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head", recited by Dennis Hopper, is also quite amusing.I also like the effort Danger Mouse, Damon Albarn (you know, That Guy from Blur, who did that really dumb "Song #2" thing), and the rest of this project put into fleshing out the identities and personalities of the virtual members 2D (an oft-abused pretty boy vocalist); Murdoc (an evil bassist who tried to kill 2D and is only working with him because he's doing community service); Russel (borderline insane, alcoholic, often demonically possessed drummer); and Noodle (enthusiastic Japanese guitarist) all have... interesting personalities, and long, complicated backstories. I think the real members of Gorillaz had a bit too much fun developing them, perhaps. Gimmick? Certainly. But a cool one.