Demon Days by Gorillaz.
The 2005 album that I am still listening to.
Whenever I fall in love with some album I don’t know, how long the relationship will last. There are albums, that I start listening to, with just a little enthusiasm and over time they grow on me — that is the usual way, then after some time I lose the urge to play them again. I replay them only when something reminds me of them. This is a kind of relationship like friendship, you know who you’re talking to, but it’s distant, lacks intimacy. There are albums that spark vivid love, and after a few weeks of abuse start to sound bad - this is romance. And there are albums, which you love from the start and you just won’t stop, no matter how many years pass — thats true love.
It’s obvious from the headline, that Demon Days was the third kind of love, although at first I was afraid it was just a pop-illusion — see, it’s not so common for me to like an album, that debuts as #1 on the charts (UK). Major single “Feel Good Inc.” was not only vastly popular, still from time to time being played on the MTV, it also spawned mass amount of covers, among worth mentioning:
The album had a tremendous impact, not only on musical business, but on pop culture. Animated musicians (created by Jamie Hewlett, who planned also the Gorillaz movie) performed on stage with Madonna, showing ‘05 extent of holographic animation. That idea was later developed in Coachella’s Tupac resurrection, and I honestly think, it would not be possible without Gorillaz showing the way.
But why has this particular album has been so special for me? Let’s go through some of the tracks, and try to understand so-called “alternative rock gone mainstream” phenomenon:
Kids With Guns — like in most of Gorillaz tracks, you just can’t help, but fall for the deep, almost hypnotic sound of bass guitar. Strong lyrics, which have been explained by Murdoc (Jamie’s alter-ego):
“Just dead lifeless eyes staring down the barrel of a gun... It's a strong image, isn't? Kids with guns. The innocent... and the DAMNED!”
Seems theatrical? And so Gorillaz are, using simple, even basic melody to draw us close to the multileveled core. I feel like taking Xanax and just looping this song.
Dirty Harry — have you ever heard about producer Danger Mouse? If you like hip hop, you must have. Otherwise, you may recollect Gnarls Barkley project, formed by Danger and Cee Lo Green. So he was the one behind production of Demon Days, the one who decided to include San Fernandes Youth Chorus on the track — and that is what made the song so powerful! We’ve got anti-war video, very relevant at the time (on the other hand, war is unfortunately always relevant), serious rap, catchy chorus and choir. Kid choir. If you want to hear how it sounded in first version, written by Damon Albarn alone, check it here:
Feel Good Inc — that was BIG. As I wrote before, this single earned Gorillaz a Grammy Award, and was played over, and over again, almost destroying the pleasure of listening to it (better bit hungry, than overfed). Idyllic chorus, angry-scary rap and with dance feel to it, made the piece iconic for Gorillaz, even more than Clint Eastwood - hit from previous album. To understand this sweet and sour mix of rap and acoustic, I must quote 2D (Albarn’s alter-ego):
“It's become like the 'Last days of Pompeii'... a... er... Sodding Gomorrah. The Feel Good Tower represents this. The palace we built has become a prison. In the video I'm just waking up from this year-long hedonist's dream, and I realize that maybe ... the fruits of success have turned sour.”
And so you can feel listening to the music: hell vs heaven, new sound vs nostalgic acoustic guitar.
El Manana — I feel sad even thinking about this one. This video is a follow up to Feel Good, in which a floating windmill gets attacked by military forces in attempt to kill Noodle — a fictional guitarist of the band, who is also a kung fu supersoldier. With lyrics as sad, as lost love can be, it is a well deserved break from catchy beats.
Every Planet We Reach Is Dead — that is a real masterpiece, that falls victim to a poor mix. It sounds fine but piano solo in the middle — by noone else than Ike Turner himself — in studio version, during hellish unisono is almost unnoticeable. That is why I love live version much more:
November Has Come — MF DOOM. You can be a cool rapper, like Eminem cool or Drake cool. And you can be a f*** icon, just like MF DOOM, known for his unique rhymes and villain onstage persona.
DARE — worst track on the album. Or maybe not the worst, as it is quite bouncy, but the dare shout is just… Bad. Shaun Ryder, what have you done? Still, it can rock the floor and may take place in just any of yours party playlists.
Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey’s Head — recently Gorillaz written musical based on most popular Chinese story Journey to the West. This particular track is first attempt at theatralization of their music, quite successful with narration by actor Denis Hopper.
Gorillaz now seem to be a normal band, with regular members standing under stage lights, giving shows on Letterman, and openly talking about their music. But back in 2005 there were only cartoons: 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel, you could even sneak a peak into their home/studio with interactive website experience. Damon Albarn was thinking ahead of his times, and what they have done afterwards, was for me a step backwards. Anyhow, I keep on playing Demons Days with even more nostalgia than before, somewhat as a symbol, of the ideals of my wasted youth (behind crooked teeth of 2D there was pretty boy Albarn).
