Demon Days is darker, stranger, and more cohesive than its predecessor, 2001's Gorillaz. Once you hear the intro, with its strains of music sampled from the score to the original Dawn Of The Dead, you realize that this album won't be full of sunshine. Nevertheless, Demon Days is a lot of fun to listen to. Dirty Harry is an infectious song that features Bootie Brown of The Pharcyde and a children's choir. Feel Good Inc, the album's first single, is the most upbeat song on the album and features an appearance by De La Soul. Every Planet We Reach Is Dead is an old-school funk/rock jam with none other than Ike Turner (yes, that Ike Turner) providing a piano solo. Dare is poppy, made for the club, and one of the few songs that doesn't have Albarn on vocals at all. Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head is a bizarre track that has Dennis Hopper providing a spoken-word narrative. The album's final two songs, Don't Get Lost In Heaven and the title track Demon Days are haunting and beautiful. They feature vocals by a gospel choir and lead into one another quite nicely.

Ultimately, Demon Days was one of the bigger surprises of the 2005. At times dark, brilliant, strange, catchy, fun, haunting, and cinematic, it stood in a class of its own. It shows how creative Damon Albarn really is and proves that The Grey Album was no fluke. It has made me eager to hear what Albarn and Danger Mouse will put out next whether they work together again or separately. And so far, considering Danger Mouse’s work on Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere for instance, neither has disappointed me yet.