"demon days" - Gorillaz - album review @n0netheless :: Damon

"There's always been a hip-hop element to my trousers."
- Damon Albarn, Gorillaz

taken from : http://www.sparklesparkle.net/damon.php

back from a half-year long hiatus from writing reviews, not that you guys are dying to read the next one right? Why this album? B'cos i truly believe it is *the* best album of 2005 till now. Not A&B or X&Y. Not In Your Honor. And of course not Oasis' latest album (that sucked over my expectations by the way..). This is the album you must hear from 2005.

The quote. From Damon Albarn, if you don't know yet, the main puppeteer (doesn't sound too good right?) of the virtual band Gorillaz, is just an understatement he makes during his Blur days. Hip Hop element? I think he oozes it. In fact, Damon Albarn can actually do anything. Pop, indie, rock, Hip Hop etc.

Demon Days is Gorillaz' sophomore effort and it had gathered more-than-favourable reviews everywhere. And this time, he (damon) got DJ Danger Mouse as the producer which made the whole album sound really fresh and new. Original. Appealing.

first track intro starts with eerie strings which reached a semi-climax, then subsides for the next track "Last Living Souls". Damon sounds deliberately flat in the 1st few songs which made him sound distant, and calmly asked "Are we the last living souls". the album sounds very fatalistic but you couldn't help but feel theres still hope. Sunshine beneath the fat grey clouds. Spring after winter.

The 4th track "O Green World" is my favourite. Its outright weird. I can hear like 5 layers of different samples which sounded alien on their own, most noticibly, the guy in the background singing, which sounded irritating at first. But hang on there, it'll grow on you. The chorus where he went "O green world! Don't desert me now!" was the most desperate plea i've ever heard. Coming to the end of the sound, he was increasingly being drown out and that signed the eventual end of his voice, and the song.

Next up was Dirty Harry, another reference to CLint Eastwood. Then prepare for the first single off this album "Feel Good Inc". Most radio-friendly song you can pick out from the album with a superb MTV to go with it (didn't you see that on TV-Mobile on buses in Singapore?). Just 3 seconds into the song with Damon going 'her her', I knew IT. IT meaning i'll like this song and i'll buy this album. What a powerful IT. heh.

"Every Planet we reach is dead" sounds like a title from Blur's album "blur" ("Strange news from another star" ?). This song onwards damon's voice seems to escape from behind the mono-cassette tape and leap out to you and pull ur ears. Next up's "November has come" reminds me of "Tomorrow comes today" from their previous album with more attitude and groove. "All alone" has some reviewers[eg BBC] raving although i personally din manage to get into the wave but the female voice that comes at the end of the song is captivating.

"DARE" - collaboration with shaun ryder from Happy Mondays. One of the best most wickedly (and violently if you must say) catchy song i've ever heard. The kinda songs i guess would be a hit if released 10 years ago, 20 years ago and will be in the near future(ok i checked. Its the 2nd single. WAY TO GO!)

Good things are coming to an end. "Fire coming out of a monkey's head" is like an extended Parklife but just telling a different and darker (but simple) story. Then the angelic "Don't get lost in heaven", with Damon's charming vocals to make believe that xmas here. "Demon Days" is ok but the funny thing is, at the end when they sing something like "too much soul" or something, i just keeping hearing people complaining "TOO MUCH SAUCE". oh well. growing old eh me?

In all. Get this album. My personal choice for best album of 2005 =]