Gorillaz - Demon Days: Album Review

Gorillaz, Demon Days (Virgin, 2005)
That first Gorillaz album was something of a runaway success, having sold more than one and a half million copies in the US alone. I'm sure that's way more than any other Damon Albarn-related project other than whatever album it was that had "Song 2" on it. Since then, Dan The Automator and Del (he was in that group too, right?) have gone on to, I don't know, unemployment, and Gorillaz is now basically Albarn and Dangermouse (dude from the Grey Album) plus a buncha random-ass guest stars.

INTRO

The intro.

LAST LIVING SOULS

This is cool, but I don't know if I like it as much as the original Gorillaz. Dangermouse's beats are more heavy on techno-like blips and beeps and and less old school hip hop-sounding. The song though I kinda like, as simple and repetitive as it is.

KIDS WITH GUNS

Some sort of interlude.

O GREEN WORLD

Having heard this song 5 or 6 times now, I've yet to really get into it like that. I think it's just got way too much going on in the mix with all of these weird-sounding strings and other assorted sound effects. There's not much of an actual song to it.

DIRTY HARRY

The title being an obvious reference to "Clint Eastwood," I'm assuming this is their attempt to once again capitalize on the success of their first album's lead single. It's a damn nifty track, with a tight beat and some sort of children's choir or some such that chimes in periodically, but it's not nearly as "obvious" as that other song.

FEEL GOOD INC

This track, says the sight where I ganked the album cover from, features De La Soul. That would be a good way to add a nice boost to album sales... if this were 1989. Ha ha ha.

EL MAANA

I notice that where as the production has a tendency to obscure some of what might be the better songs on here, it definitely carries some tracks like this, which really don't have much otherwise to recommend them.

EVERY PLANET WE REACH IS DEAD

I'm not really feeling this one at all. I think in general the Gorillaz are better when they're doing faster, dancey-type stuff like "Dirty Harry" and Feel Good Inc." Also, the production on this is weird in a bad way.

NOVEMBER HAS COME

MF Doom is on this. His verses are good, I guess, as far as that sort of thing goes. I mean, he basically does the same thing he always does. Again, I wish this was faster.

ALL ALONE

Things start to pick up here. The production is again bordering on "weird in a bad way," but the beat more or less carries this.

WHITE LIGHT

Definitely the kind of track you'd shove in the middle of the second half of the album and just hope nobody notices. There's no song here, and the production is just fucking retarded.

DARE

This track is just too much on some Human League shit for me to listen to without putting both hands over my ears, running around in a circle and shouting no homo.

FIRE COMING OUT OF A MONKEY'S HEAD

This is mostly just some guy reading a motherfucking story. The beat is rather teh ghey, on some The Grind-style shit.

DON'T GET LOST IN HEAVEN

This is cool, I guess, for what it is. More of an interlude than an actual song.

DEMON DAYS

Since it's both the title track and the last track on here, you'd hope that this would be something good, to end the album on a high note. Sadly, it really isn't.

COMMENTS: This second Gorillaz album has its moments, but it's mostly a disappointment. As integral as Damon Albarn is to the Gorillaz sound, being the lead singer and all, I think The Automator might have actually been the secret weapon. Where as that first album had more of an old school hip hop feel to it, this album is just fucking weird-sounding. Also, most of these songs weren't really that good to begin with.

BEST TRACKS: "Last Living Souls" "Dirty Harry"