Innovation carries 'Demon Days'
By Jeff Renfro
When Gorillaz released their debut album in 2002, it was met with a mixture of curious interest and a lack of understanding. This cartoon/band seemed to be a gimmick, but their self-titled debut turned out to be one of the albums of the year, proving that the Gorillaz were more than just an indulgent side project. However, the band's new album, "Demon Days," lacks the symphonic precision that made their first album a success.
Officially, Gorillaz is comprised of four animated characters: 2D, Russel, Murdoc and Noodles. Unofficially, the musicians behind the cartoons are Damon Albarn, former lead singer of Blur, and a variety of famous and talented friends. Albarn teamed up with long-time friend and animator, Jamie Hewlett, creating a project that would allow both of them to explore creative paths that better-known projects could not permit.
On "Gorillaz," Dan the Automator and Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori filled out the rest of the regular band. Creating the most noticeable difference between the albums, Automator is replaced on "Demon Days" by Danger Mouse (creator of the "Grey Album"), which leads to the album's first problem.
Danger Mouse has produced one unquestionably great album, but Automator is a hip-hop legend. Gorillaz attempts to combine elements of hip-hop and rock with African beats and the occasional jazz segment. Automator could bring these disparate elements together seamlessly, whereas Danger Mouse is just not as compelling. The song writing has also fallen off track. The album sounds like the unfocused side project that the first album was not.
There is also a disparity in the quality of backing musicians. Automator used a considerable amount of his influence to convince legends in the hip-hop and jazz world to appear on the first album. "Demon Days" features guest spots by emcee Doom and Roots Manuva, which may get the band more underground credibility, but they do not match the work of Del on "Gorillaz."
The album is flawed, but it works fantastically on some tracks. "Feel Good Inc." is one of the most entertaining singles to come out this year. It combines a simple breakbeat (music that does not follow a simple 4/4 tempo) with a funky bass groove. It is very easy to dance to and each note seems to be considered, as opposed to some of their more unfocused tracks.
The newest single off of "Demon Days" and the album's strongest track is "Dirty Harry." "Dirty Harry" features backing vocals by both the London Community Gospel Choir and the Children's Choir San Fernandez. The track embodies the sense of experimentation that the Gorillaz represent. The mix of classical, hip-hop and jazz combined with the choirs works perfectly. The song highlights the innovative styles and collaborations, which sets Gorillaz apart from other bands today.
Grade: B-
Contact Jeff Renfro at (408) 551-1918 or jrenfro@scu.edu.