Demon Days

November hasn't come yet, but our dying planet wouldn't wait for it during its demon days, and this album wouldn't either.

And to be honest, I also couldn't wait to finally talk about this absolute masterpiece that is Demon Days. We all know Gorillaz at this point, one of the most iconic, influential and acclaimed musical acts of this century. Bands like BROCKHAMPTON would probably never be a thing if not for Gorillaz. This is their second studio album, following their self-titled debut.

Demon Days is the first instance in the band's discography where they begin to delve into more contemporary sounds, and to shape their style in the signature vibe they are known for, fusing alternative rock and trip hop with hip hop and pop, and that transition was perfectly manifested in the tracks that form this project.

New instruments are added to Gorillaz' arsenal compared to their debut, and they're treated with care and precision, resulting in incredibly catchy, sweet and addicive tunes with loads of color, personality, layers and mostly replay value, which is why this album still sounds fresh and didn't rot like many called classics at the the time did. The songs build up nicely, the choruses bang, the melodies land, and the singing/rapping is on point.

The synths on Kids with Guns melt into the drums flawlessly. The distorted, kinda Lo-Fi quality to the riffs on O Green World give so much authenticity to this track, that is a total earworm with its infectious singing that fades in a bell towards the end of the track, as the whole thing sounds kinda unsettling and alarming. The claps on Dirty Harry with the child choir are grand, epic and very much anthem-material.

The melody in Feel Good Inc. is orgasmic and got recycled many times in the future. El Manaña, just like its title suggests, is an Interpolation of an artsy Latin Soul ballad. The instrumentation at the tail of Every Planet we Reach is Dead is goosebump-inducing. MF DOOM on November has come claims himself to be the best feature among very greatly utilized guests all over this album. The synth game on All Alone is really what Tyler would go on and do many times in the future.

DARE is one of the few dance pop songs to be fun while still being simultaneously glistening, inspiring and touching. Don't get Lost in Heaven is the most psychedelic and atmospheric cut, that eventually leads up to the title tracked, final track that is an epic, grand, gigantic and perfect closure that reminds me of Kate Bush's best songs and sums up Demon Days in the best way it asked for.

To sum up the production analysis, it's kinda all over the place, and it masters being inspiring, iconic, grand, important, chill and fun at the same time, as almost every track works as a body of the album as well as distinct anthems. And I think Demon Days really needed all of these traits. It wouldn't be as gratifying if it wasn't this all killer no filler that can be used as a vibe, as a full body as well as a compilation of anthems that can stand by themselves.

And that's because these, in Gorillaz' eyes, are much more than platforms to sing on top of. This album is one big speech, one big alert about the state that this world is at. It is a haunting, scary yet beautiful dive into topics such as drugs, pollution, death and mental issues while still showing hope that the world can still find the light at the other extremity of the tunnel and that humanz can still get rid of all these issues if they strive for it.

This entire motive is very well portrayed in Demon Days, as it sounds pretty much like the musical equivalent of a huge, grand, worldwide, massive political speech from an all time high president that wants world peace: widely interesting, important, alarming, makes you plunge heads first into the mindset of the sender, feel his fears and intentions, and still gives you hope and power, and the true ideology that all of these threats can be eradicated if there's enough will.

And not any dumb, disoriented speech as well: you've seen this relatable moment thing many times when looking for an interview or a speech, where you aren't really interested or moved by the whole thing but you just look for one specific topic or aspect, or a moment that really inrtigues you, so you use a timestamp or you just look for a shorter video that's just adressing that specific topic.

That is why Demon Days is structured the way it is. You can listen to the entire album and everything these dudes have to say about these issues, or one of the anthems that form the entire album because it intrigues you.

Demon Days is for all kinds of listeners, it wants to appeal to everyone, and it needs its voice to reach all kinds of minds. And in my view this is the optimal way to go pop.