GORILLAZ HAVEN'T MISSED

Damon Albarn co-created the virtual band Gorillaz as a fantasy escape from Britpop stalwarts Blur, his regular day job. Collaborating with artist Jamie Hewlett, the project combined music, animation and art in a unique and innovative way. Why virtual? Because band members were portrayed as animated characters, each with their own articulated personas and backgrounds, giving Gorillaz a distinctive visual identity. The music blended genres: alternative rock, hip-hop, electronic, and pop. Debut single "Clint Eastwood" showcased Gorillaz eclectic sound and was a massive hit, as was the first album.

After putting his virtual band on hold to make the Blur album Think Tank, Albarn returned to the virtual jungle for 2005’s Demon Days. Although the musical collaborators changed, the essential mission continued. Single "Feel Good Inc.", with its’ Kinks vocals and De La Soul interludes, was a massive hit around the world. It certainly helped that the song was supported by a stunning Jamie Hewlett video.

If Demon Days is a cartoon, its world is one of steel greys and grim disintegration where, surprisingly, the sun occasionally breaks through. Yet despite a gloomier outlook than the Gorillaz debut, it still manages to buzz with an electronic energy that suggests resolve, determination even… though not quite so much joy. "Dare", the second single, is a good example. In a dystopian world where decapitated Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder appears embedded in a steampunk audiovisual desk, the party lights portray warmth and fun. Nevertheless the sombre mood results in Noodle awakening from unquiet sleep with his heart pounding. It all fits with the description offered by Albarn to MTV News. "Gorillaz make dark pop," he said, "That's what they always set out to achieve." [Wiki]

One of the outstanding achievements of Demon Days is its ability to meld diverse styles into a satisfying and integrated whole. Take "Every Planet We Reach Is Dead", which opens side three. It’s a slow electronic boogie to begin with, accompanied by a bluesy vocal. Adding deftly arranged backing vocals adds a rich layer behind Albarn’s wearied singing. It lopes along for almost five minutes in a languid groove, the longest cut on the album. Then a total change of feel with MF Doom bringing a rap/hip-hop vocal to "November Has Come". The genius here are the similar female background vocals that both warm up "November" and connect it to "Every Planet". It is the kind of inspired production that permeates the whole album.

Amongst the electronica and beats, it is the variety of vocals that singles out Demon Days. No matter who is singing, the linking thee of a journey, a quest for answers or just some peace of mind, run through the album. Indeed, Albarn has said that the loose linking theme is one of confronting "demons", the perils of the modern world circa 2005.

By the time we reach the title track that closes the album we have indeed had an adventure. And here’s the thing: "Demon Days" is a wonderfully uplifting conclusion. Yes, the way is often dark. Yes, there are problems everywhere. But while people are struggling for something better, the chance of something better remains alive. In Rise Of The Ogre, the Gorillaz biography, we are told of a "light at the end of the tunnel, the dawn after the longest night of the soul." That light infuses "Demon Days", a musical sunrise that reveals a more optimistic future.

© Bruce Jenkins—August 2023