Album: Demon Days
Artist: Gorillaz
Born: Westbourne Grove, London
Released: May 2005
Genre: Hip Hop
Making a coherent musical statement that reflects a wide variety of private passions is no easy task, but Damon Albarn and graphic designer Jamie Hewlett somehow pull it off on this album. Whether that's Japanese comics, hip hop from Britain (Roots Manuva) and America (De La Soul) or counter-cultural figures old (Dennis Hopper) and new (Shaun Ryder), the core duo at the heart of Gorillaz bring all these elements together to create one of the best albums of the decade. Albarn has proved himself to be one of the most innovative musicians to emerge from Britpop, whether that's his solo work, Africa Express or virtual four-piece Gorillaz, specialising in a unique mix of reggae, hip hop, psychedelic rock and electronica. Albarn was also the guiding force behind The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, and the film that inspired this band name also inspired Gorillaz's breakthrough 2001 single, Clint Eastwood, my first encounter with Gorillaz's music. The entertaining video, created by Hewlett, celebrates his love of Japanese anime and the song was one of the standouts on Gorillaz's self-titled debut album. Albarn upped the stakes on follow-up studio LP, Demon Days, bringing in a wider array of high-profile collaborators and producing a greater depth of brilliant songs, notably Feel Good Inc, one of my favourite singles of 2005, followed closely by DARE. Again, Hewlett is the brains behind the music video, which also features an inspired contribution from De La Soul.
Peaking at No.2 in the UK, the video for Feel Good Inc is inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's animated films, notably Spirited Away, while the song is a clever commentary on how society is dumbed down by the entertainment industry ("You've got a new horizon, it's ephemeral style / a melancholy town, where we never smile"). De La Soul are not the only hip hop artists to feature on the record, with Albarn obviously impressed enough by MF DOOM's unique flow on Madvillainy to call him into the studio for November Has Come. His rapping somehow fits perfectly with Albarn's (2D's) melancholy singing. Neneh Cherry also stars on Kids With Guns, a song she co-wrote that's about inner city violence (a theme that also appears on Raw Like Sushi), while All Alone -- which starts out as a homage to rave -- features Roots Manuva in a wonderful rapping performance, followed by Martina Topley-Bird's dreamy vocals. Behind the controls is Danger Mouse, he of the outstanding mash-up Grey Album (2004), and his hip hop know-how helps the record to gel. Sixties rock is also celebrated on the album, with the psychedelic groove of Every Planet We Reach Is Dead reminiscent of Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, another album that narrates the story of an interplanetary journey, while Don't Get Lost In Heaven is deeply indebted to the surfer rock of The Beach Boys. Dennis Hopper's performance on Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head and the Dirty Harry single are both very entertaining, but one of my favourite moments on the album is DARE, featuring an inspired cameo from Shaun Ryder. Demon Days is less a concept album about monkeys surviving the apocalypse and more an excuse for Albarn to spread his musical wings.
Making a coherent musical statement that reflects a wide variety of private passions is no easy task, but Damon Albarn and graphic designer Jamie Hewlett somehow pull it off on this album. Whether that's Japanese comics, hip hop from Britain (Roots Manuva) and America (De La Soul) or counter-cultural figures old (Dennis Hopper) and new (Shaun Ryder), the core duo at the heart of Gorillaz bring all these elements together to create one of the best albums of the decade. Albarn has proved himself to be one of the most innovative musicians to emerge from Britpop, whether that's his solo work, Africa Express or virtual four-piece Gorillaz, specialising in a unique mix of reggae, hip hop, psychedelic rock and electronica. Albarn was also the guiding force behind The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, and the film that inspired this band name also inspired Gorillaz's breakthrough 2001 single, Clint Eastwood, my first encounter with Gorillaz's music. The entertaining video, created by Hewlett, celebrates his love of Japanese anime and the song was one of the standouts on Gorillaz's self-titled debut album. Albarn upped the stakes on follow-up studio LP, Demon Days, bringing in a wider array of high-profile collaborators and producing a greater depth of brilliant songs, notably Feel Good Inc, one of my favourite singles of 2005, followed closely by DARE. Again, Hewlett is the brains behind the music video, which also features an inspired contribution from De La Soul.
Peaking at No.2 in the UK, the video for Feel Good Inc is inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's animated films, notably Spirited Away, while the song is a clever commentary on how society is dumbed down by the entertainment industry ("You've got a new horizon, it's ephemeral style / a melancholy town, where we never smile"). De La Soul are not the only hip hop artists to feature on the record, with Albarn obviously impressed enough by MF DOOM's unique flow on Madvillainy to call him into the studio for November Has Come. His rapping somehow fits perfectly with Albarn's (2D's) melancholy singing. Neneh Cherry also stars on Kids With Guns, a song she co-wrote that's about inner city violence (a theme that also appears on Raw Like Sushi), while All Alone -- which starts out as a homage to rave -- features Roots Manuva in a wonderful rapping performance, followed by Martina Topley-Bird's dreamy vocals. Behind the controls is Danger Mouse, he of the outstanding mash-up Grey Album (2004), and his hip hop know-how helps the record to gel. Sixties rock is also celebrated on the album, with the psychedelic groove of Every Planet We Reach Is Dead reminiscent of Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, another album that narrates the story of an interplanetary journey, while Don't Get Lost In Heaven is deeply indebted to the surfer rock of The Beach Boys. Dennis Hopper's performance on Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head and the Dirty Harry single are both very entertaining, but one of my favourite moments on the album is DARE, featuring an inspired cameo from Shaun Ryder. Demon Days is less a concept album about monkeys surviving the apocalypse and more an excuse for Albarn to spread his musical wings.
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