Gorillaz - Demon Days
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Free Music Notes for Demon Days
Free Music Review: There's fire coming out of my head...
Hit: 5 Stars
Finally, it's here. I got it as soon as it was avalible on iTunes, around 12:30 AM. I just couldn't wait until morning.
Anyway, my personal oddities aside, time for the review. I wrote as I listened for the first time, so I have not really had a chance to listen to it over and over again like I surely will.
Are We The Last Living Souls?
Goodness, I love this song. The intro eventually breaks into a very simple but effective drum beat, in which 2-D continues to ask "Are we the last living souls?" Though a very simple song, It's a very fun listen. As it runs down to the end, it breaks into a little acoustic riff that really rounds it off well. A great way to start off the album. As with Oh, Green World this is one of their best songs.
Kids With Guns
A very nice bass line in this, and everything works out well. Even simpler than the first track, this is another really good one. I love the chorus, which wraps the whole song in a nice little package. Only thing I didn't like was the female background, but that was only in a few areas, and it isn't that bad, it would have just been better without it. Another great song, though I don't like it as much as the first.
Oh, Green World
Starts off fairly different, but I love what it goes into. A mix of beeps, bass drum, and a mixture of odd sound effects, this one starts off sounding really good. Then 2-D breaks in through the static, with a good set of lyrics and the moaning and groaning of the everyone else in the background. When I got the album sampler a few days ago, this was one of the songs I really wanted to hear full length. It isn't a dissapointment, and it's one of the best Gorillaz have ever put out there.
Dirty Harry
A very upbeat and happy tune that I always enjoy hearing again. I bought the single awhile back, and it fits perfectly into the mix. It's a very solid and entertaining song that's been stuck onto my playlist for quite some time.
Feel Good Inc.
The video is great, and the song is even greater. Man, I love this song. A perfect pick for the single, everytime this comes on, I can't help but turn up the volume just a little louder. I'm sure you've all heard it, so I won't really go into specifics, but this is one of the best on the album. I continue to enjoy it.
El Manana
From the name of the title, I was expecting another Simone , a track I really didn't like, but instead, I was really surprised. Everything flows together, and it's nice to hear them experimenting with what sounded so well on Slow Country . Like this one a lot.
Every Planet We Reach Is Dead
Another mellow song like the one before it, almost flowing directly from it. Works very well. Once again, there's a female background, and it does sort of take away from it...But not as much to take away from the enjoyment of the track itself. I enjoy this track a lot, especially when the piano breaks in. Very effective, very different, and very good.
November Has Come
I'm not one for anything involving rap, but like in Clint Eastwood , I must make an exception. I love everything this track has to offer, and it's one of the best on the entire album. I love 2D's voicework on this in conjuction with the main verses, and now I'm starting to enjoy the background vocals. They work better in this song than in any one thus far. This one will be on heavy rotation for sure.
All Alone
A much faster and inventive track comes up out of nowhere, and I don't think I'm really into this one. I'll give them credit for trying something that doesn't sound what they normally do, but this is for sure the weakest track on the album. In no ways is it horrible , It's still decent. I do like it, however, when Noodle sings for a short bit, but that's the only part I really like. Oh well. They can't all be great.
White Light
All I heard was "White Light" repeated over and over again, but...I like this. I can't really go into details, since there isn't much to go into, but I'm really nodding my head as I listen to it. It's sort of confusing the way it just exits, but it's a really cool listen. Not one of the best on the CD, but still a good one.
Dare
Another Dirty Harry right here, and this one is just as good. I'm not usually one to enjoy any form of techno/dance music, but I'm really enjoying this. A nice mixture of a variety of instruments, it sure seems like they took this on very carefully. Well, it works out just great. I must say this is one of the strongest tracks on this CD.
Fire Coming Out of a Monkey's Head
Wow, this is an odd one. A spoken word track by Dennis Hopper? Well, who cares? This is great stuff. You'll just have to take a listen, just something about it...A very good listen.
Don't get lost in Heaven
Easily one of the best tracks on the album. It reminded me of a mix between a slow love ballad and a dance tune, but whatever you would classify it as, It's a great song.
Demon Days
I was sad to see it was almost over. It goes out perfectly. A fitting track to end it all. Couldn't have done it any better.
Overall, they have accomplished what they set out to do. It meets my expectations, and doesn't dissapoint me a bit. In many ways, it's a better album than their self titled. I'll keep listening to this for a very long time, and it's easily one of my favorite albums I've ever listened to. The only track I didn't like was All Alone , but every other one was at least good. That's a pretty high rating if you ask me. They aren't for everyone, but if you're one of the many who find talent in these guys, you'll share many of the feelings I do. The album all flows together perfectly, making a really good album. Really good.
Get it. Now.
Free Music Review: Wierd... I like it!
Hit: 5 Stars
Gorillaz has a little bit of everything on their CDs. Most of it is very different from conventional rock (or rap, they have both in Demon Days) and I'll admit I had to listen through the whole CD about three times to form an oppinion about it. A lot of the songs didn't really amaze me the first time I heard them but they grew on me and now I can listen through most of Demon Days without having to skip a track.
Track List
Intro- 4/5: Four out of five stars for an intro anyway... I'm just not too big on intros as it is. I see them as unnecessary, but this one is actually ok. A spooky melody with some harp-strumming like noises in the background and an ending of a voice saying "You are now entering the harmonic world..." and he's darn right.
Last Living Souls- 4/5: Kicking off the CD is a song that has a great bass and up-front beat. It starts off as just this but once the main melody kicks in it doesn't let up at all.
Kids With Guns- 4/5: "Kids with guns. Kids with guns. Taking over. It won't be long." This song has more lyric diversity than most of the songs in Demon Days (some of them just repeat the same thing over and over and let the great tunes handle the rest). And, of course, the music itself is wonderful (I particularly like the wierd slowdown noise at the beginning each chorus)
O Green World- 4/5: Yes, another 4, but it shows the consistency of Gorillaz. O Green World has nice guitar work and tons of little bibs, beeps, boops and whoops throughout. "O green world... don't desert me now..."
Dirty Harry- 5/5: Now the rollercoaster begins, which also means that the consistency of almost-perfect songs ends. Hit... miss... hit... miss... Anyway, Dirty Harry starts out with a killer beat and a tune that I won't ever be able to get out of my head. Children sing much of this song along with the perfect melody holding it's ground throughout the song untill the end, where a short bit of violin playing seperates the rock from the Beastie Boys style rap.
Feel Good INC.- 5/5: Is this that song I keep hearing on the radio? Yes it is, and now you can listen to it until you feel like poking your eardrums out with a pencil! Feel Good INC. makes you... feel good. With a strange, noise filled tune that makes you feel like you're floating around in whatever you consider a perfect world in-between each chorus, perfect guitar melodies, fast paced hip-hop style singing ending each chorus, and the way that guy laughs always makes a grin creep across my face. Feel Good INC. is hands down the best song on this CD.
El Manana- 2/5: Ew. This song is just plain boring, which is not what I have come to expect from Gorillaz. Just another slow paced, dull lullaby.
Every Planet We Reach Is Dead- 3/5: Meh. Not much... a very slow paced song, but a nice melody keeps me from skipping it most of the time.
November Has Come- 4/5: Mostly rap with smooth, "Fly Like an Eagle" stlye background melody. Good song all around.
All Alone- 4/5: The first 45 seconds of this song are just saying "all alone" over and over to a funkey buzzing sound. Then it throws you into rap that lasts untill a womans voice comes up somewhere in the middle of it all and sings to a smooth, difting, space-like tune and then you get back to the "all alone" part that closes the song.
White Light- 3/5: I might like this song better if there were any lyrics in it... White Light is very deceiving. Almost the whole song sounds like it's warming up to heavy metal, but never quite gets there. Just a nice beat with whispers of "White light... White light... White Light... Alchohol, alchohol, alchohol..." Yep. Thats it. Suddenly, it cuts off into a dreamy melody, this makes you think that there will be some soft singing coming along, but it just jumps back to "White Light... dadadada, White Light..." and then it ends.
Dare- 5/5: No slackers here; Dare barely gives you a chance to grab on before it takes off. It sounds a lot like an 80's disco/dance song. It's also a fairly long song. At one point in the middle, they reach the end of yet another chorus and stop singin for a few seconds, leading you to think that the song had ended. Suddenly the song picks up again (I thought my CD player was skipping the first time I heard this part) and does one more chorus along with a different finish. Fast paced, perkey tune, clear lyrics, great song.
Fire Coming Out of The Monkey's Head- 5/5: Why yes, this is one of my favorate... stories. It is about a people known as the happy folk, living in peace with the spirit of the great mountian known as The Monkey. Living in peace... untill the strange folk arrived... Odd, but one of my favorate songs anyway. The story is spoken, not sung, against a solid, heavy beat with cool humming at the end of each chorus. "Why was the monkey bringing darkness into their lives?"
Don't Get Lost In Heaven- 2/5: Sounds like some kind of 60's love song or something. A piano playing the same notes through the whole thing along with... lyrics. More boring music.
Demon Days- 2/5 A boring end to an overall excellent CD. Sounds like Don't Get Lost in Heaven in many ways... soul choir singing out the end, whooing... Yippee...
Overall- 5/5: Demon Days has some boring songs in it of course, but doesn't every CD (although if you like smooth, slow songs, I guess those parts are good for you)? Wierd songs overall, but far more brilliant then any other conventional rock CD in my eyes, although it might be a little too wierd for people who are afraid to leave their little one-kind-of-music-forever comfort zone. If you're looking for a change of pace, already like music like this, or just have any wierd in your blood that you're willing to bring forth and give Gorillaz a chance, buy this CD!
Free Music Review: A monster album here -- not just in its size, but in its Frankenstein construction.
Hit: 5 Stars
Damon Albarn went to great pains to explain that the first Gorillaz album was a collaboration between him, cartoonist Jamie Hewlett, and producer Dan the Automator, but any sort of pretense to having the virtual pop group seem like a genuine collaborative band was thrown out the window for the group's long-awaited 2005 sequel, Demon Days. Hewlett still provides new animation for Gorillaz -- although the proposed feature-length film has long disappeared -- but Dan the Automator is gone, leaving Albarn as the unquestioned leader of the group. This isn't quite similar to Blur, a genuine band that faltered after Graham Coxon decided he had enough, leaving Damon behind to construct the muddled Think Tank largely on his own. No, Gorillaz were always designed as a collective, featuring many contributors and producers, all shepherded by Albarn, the songwriter, mastermind, and ringleader.
Hiding behind Hewlett's excellent cartoons gave Albarn the freedom to indulge himself, but it also gave him focus since it tied him to a specific concept. Throughout his career, Albarn always was at his best when writing in character -- to the extent that anytime he wrote confessionals in Blur, they sounded stagy -- and Gorillaz not only gave him an ideal platform, it liberated him, giving him the opportunity to try things he couldn't within the increasingly dour confines of Blur. It wasn't just that the cartoon concept made for light music -- on the first Gorillaz album, Damon sounded as if he were having fun for the first time since Parklife.
But 2005 is a much different year than 2001, and if Gorillaz exuded the heady, optimistic, future-forward vibes of the turn of the millennium, Demon Days is as theatrically foreboding as its title, one of the few pop records made since 9/11 that captures the eerie unease of living in the 21st century. Not really a cartoony feel, in other words, but Gorillaz indulged in doom and gloom from their very first single, "Clint Eastwood," so this is not unfamiliar territory, nor is it all that dissimilar from the turgid moodiness of Blur's 2003 Think Tank. But where Albarn seemed simultaneously constrained and adrift on that last Blur album -- attempting to create indie rock, yet unsure how since messiness contradicts his tightly wound artistic impulses -- he's assured and masterful on Demon Days, regaining his flair for grand gestures that served him so well at the height of Britpop, yet tempering his tendency to overreach by keeping the music lean and evocative through his enlistment of electronica maverick Danger Mouse as producer.
Demon Days is unified and purposeful in a way Albarn's music hasn't been since The Great Escape, possessing a cinematic scope and a narrative flow, as the curtain unveils to the ominous, morose "Last Living Souls" and then twists and winds through valleys, detours, and wrong paths -- some light, some teeming with dread -- before ending up at the haltingly hopeful title track. Along the way, cameos float in and out of the slipstream and Albarn relies on several familiar tricks: the Specials are a touchstone, brooding minor key melodies haunt the album, there are some singalong refrains, while a celebrity recites a lyric (this time, it's Dennis Hopper). Instead of sounding like musical crutches, this sounds like an artist who knows his strengths and uses them as an anchor so he can go off and explore new worlds.
Chief among the strengths that Albarn relies upon is his ability to find collaborators who can articulate his ideas clearly and vividly. Danger Mouse, whose Grey Album mash-up of the Beatles and Jay-Z was an underground sensation in 2004, gives this music an elasticity and creeping darkness than infects even such purportedly lighthearted moments as "Feel Good Inc." It's a sense of menace that's reminiscent of prime Happy Mondays, so it shouldn't be a surprise that one of the highlights of Demon Days is Shaun Ryder's cameo on the tight, deceptively catchy "Dare." Over a tightly wound four minutes, "Dare" exploits Ryder's iconic Mancunian thug persona within territory that belongs to the Gorillaz -- its percolating beat not too far removed from "19/2000" -- and that's what makes it a perfect distillation of Demon Days: by letting other musicians take center stage and by sharing credit with Danger Mouse, Damon Albarn has created an allegedly anonymous platform whose genius ultimately and quite clearly belongs to him alone.
All the themes and ideas on this album have antecedents in his previous work, but surrounded by new collaborators, he's able to present them in a fresh, exciting way. And he has created a monster album here -- not just in its size, but in its Frankenstein construction. It not only eclipses the first Gorillaz album, which in itself was a terrific record, but stands alongside the best Blur albums, providing a tonal touchstone for this decade the way Parklife did for the '90s. While it won't launch a phenomenon the way that 1994 classic did -- Albarn is too much a veteran artist for that and the music is too dark and weird -- Demon Days is still one hell of a comeback for Damon Albarn, who seemed perilously close to forever disappearing into his own ego.
Free Music Review: Dy-na-mite
Hit: 5 Stars
Demon Days. Wow. Already it's echoing in my mind like the title of a sappy soap opera. Just staring at the front cover makes me wonder what I'm getting myself into. A cartoon band? Hah! The idea of it makes me want to stick my head in a bowl of Jell-O. The debut was great but really? Won't they just pull a sophomore slump and end their career? Even thought I'm saying this now, I realize I'll be smiling by the end of the album, whether its from ridicule or enjoyment.
Intro
Oh my god.
Last Living Souls
Now that I'm thoroughly disturbed from the intro I graciously accepted this song for what it is. Amazing. Yet if a cartoon is talking about how he and his other cartoon buddies are the last living souls...then what does that make me?
Kids With Guns
Killer bassline, awesome percussion ending, definitely a song you can gyrate to. Though I'm concerned about what the songwriter was thinking when he wrote this song. "Kids with guns kids with guns taking over it won't be long?" Never give a kid a gun, please.
Dirty Harry
Ooo this song makes me want to dance. The rap is awesome, the funky beat is so...funky and the children's choir did a wonderful job singing. I don't particularly understand why its called Dirty Harry though. Maybe the songwriter was thinking dirty thoughts about Harry Potter or something, who knows. If you've ever seen the music video for this track please don't dance like the lead singer unless you want the people around you to choke on their saliva.
Feel Good Inc.
This song is so hot it could give any man a stiffy just thinking about a girl dancing to it. This is and will defiantly be the most popular single (U.S. anyway, Dirty Harry was the biggest in the U.K.) and has such an awesome music video. Del La Soul did an awesome job with the rap. The laugh was so cool too. I wish I could laugh like that. Then I'd make myself laugh and I wouldn't be able to stop.
El Manana
After much dictionary flipping I finally figured out what `Manana' means. So really the song means The Later. I guess it kinda works but why didn't they just call it The Later? Geez, sometimes people try to make things so complicated. Either that that, the song is really nice. The string instruments in it make it such a better song I think. It makes me think (since its going to be the next single) what the video is gonna be like.
Every Planet We Reach Is Dead
Wow. This song can get annoying. Great beat and everything but yeah. It's kind of like the movie Grease. You can watch it once and then for the love of summer NEVER again. Please.
November Has Come
This song gets annoying too. It seems that Demon Days is sliding down the ramp. The only good thing about this song I'm willing to say is that the lyrics are well written.
All Alone
I can't get enough of those cute little voices saying `All alone.' And then the beat comes in and you're like "Damn, this is one funky song." And then the rap comes in and unless you like rap the song turns into "Meh, whatever. On to White Light"
White Light
Zzzzzzz...white light....zzzzzzz......alcohol.....do do do.....white light...WHOA! There are actual lyrics to this song? Somewhere in the middle some chick's voice starts singing something about closing your eyes when there ain't no light. Wow, that was deep.
DARE
Damn! Where have you been all these years Shawn? Finally! Maybe this album will end on a good note! Awesome song with the guitarist Noodle singing a song about `pressing it on you and predicting it.' Yeah okay so once again the whacked out songwriter is at it again but this is an awesome dance track with our favorite talking head Shawn Ryder.
Fire Coming Out Of A Monkeys Head
Erm...yes...I totally understand this story about `happy folk.' Definitely the darkest track of this kooky album. Please 2D, don't sing about dances of the dead. You'll scare little children out of their Sponge Bob pajamas.
Don't Get Lost In Heaven
Meh. Didn't really dig this song. I won't waste words.
Demon Days
Finally! We reach the title track, Demon Days. It's a nice mellow choir song with heartfelt lyrics. I really like it and its one of those underdog songs that end the record so well that you don't really have to say anything.
So I reach my conclusion. It's an awesome album despite the ridiculousness of it. It's definitely worth buying and listening to continuously. If you want to put it on your Ipod make sure you buy the deluxe edition with the extra DVD. (unless you buy it off iTunes) Now go buy the album and geek out with the Gorillaz. You'll be glad you did.
Free Music Review: Exclellent Sophomore Album!
Hit: 5 Stars
I was always a fan of Gorillaz since i first heard the debut album back in '03, but i was younger then and did not quite get the fullest out of the album at the time. but 2 years later, my musical tastes are somewhat more refined. and i definately had high hopes for "demon days" - and let me tell you, the band has far surpassed anything i could've expected. as far as a comparitive to the first album, demon days is a much more produced-sounding album, with a ton of electronica elements, and a dance-party vibe saturating this thing. the debut album was a more raw, unpolished insight to the obvious talent of Albarn's creation.
Intro - starting the album is a kooky synthorgan/acordian peice, with various samplings and turntables thrown in.
Last Living Souls - excellent sonf to break in the new album. this track really gives a taste of what their new sound is all about. there is a fuzzy guitar riff seeping through the song, with symphonic strings and an electronica-like drum machine pattern. very nice clean guitar/piano interlude. 2-D's vocals are at near perfect in this track - just rolling out and chillin.
Kids With Guns - lead by a funky bassline. one of the better tracks in my opinion. dirty guitars and synths swap licks throughout this song. Albarn's vocals on the choruses just continue to blow me away.
O Green World - more fast paced than the previous songs, this track opens with a quirky synth part and D's vocals seem almost nursery rhyme-ish, i love it!. one thing that stands out on this track are the sparratic rap interludes. the drums just pound out the entire time, giving it a very daceworthy element.
Dirty Harry - the intro here is very bare-bones electronica, but quickly picks up with some melodic buildups and then it breaks down with a very 70's funkish type of sound. the synth is incredible here, and the drums are more controlled than in the last track.
Feel Good Inc. - kicking off with a maniacal laugh, we delve into the albums first single. the bass here is extraordinary, locking into a sweet combination with the guitar. Albarn's vocals are amazing here, sounding like an old phonograph recording. good rap interlude via de la soul, which is a very good thing. i especially like the bridge in this song, one of the more coherent guitar parts on the album.
El Manana - a synth based track with awesome dirty guitar riffs. this is a very laid-back, jazz-lounge type song. some of the more thought-out sounding lyrics are on this song as well.
Every Planet We Reach is Dead - very good track here. the darker synth, and funk-wah guitar really speak on this track. the verses feature great harmony parts, and build up perfectly to the instumental choruses.
November Has Come - good hip-hop intro with a very old school drum and guitar sound. the choruses really lay down the vibe for this track.
All Alone - starts with a wierd vocal intro, building up with synths - then the drums kick in and the track is off! starting right up with a flowing dance-party rap vocal. the harpsichord-like synth is great, but the sampling on the bridge combined with the excellent vocals really take it for this track.
White Light - distorted vocals repeating 'alcohol' 'white light' with fuzzed guitar and driving drums - 'nuff said!
DARE - one of the best tracks on the album, by far. very danceheavy type synths are all over this one. the drums are very club sounding. the vocals are simply stunning. . this one will be another single.
Fire Coming Out of a Monkey's head - spoken track about a mountain and it's inhabitants, interrupted with singing interludes. lot interpreting for the individual, i'll stop there. this is a good one folks.
Don't Get Lost In Heaven - Beach Boys-esque track, full of reverb and chiming - vocals not one of my favourites, though it's definately a show of versatility on Damon's part.
Demon Days - probably the most different track on the album. nearly all orchestral strings finishing the heaven track. perfect to wrap up this incredible album!