The Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998. In May 2005, they released their second album called “Demon Days.” This album has something for everyone since it provides many different genres such as alternative rock, punk rock, trip rock, art rock, dark pop, Latin, etc. The album gained huge success upon its release, reaching the top 10 in 22 countries. It even became double platinum in the US and sold well over 8 million copies worldwide. There is an interesting background to its creation and the ideas about ego and a never-ending night spur from the scrapped idea of a Gorillaz movie. However, the main inspiration for the album is Damon Albarn’s journey from Beijing to Mongolia on a train. This is known to be one of the darkest and most forgotten parts of China. The place is full of dead trees and dust giving an end-of-world vibe. The sound of the album as a whole sounds dark and mysterious, but also hints at adventure and finding new horizons.

This album brought some of the most popular alternative rock songs that many recognize. For example, Feel Good Inc, DARE, and Dirty Harry. All of these songs took off in popularity in particular Feel Good Inc.

Feel Good Inc:

This is a very complex song with many different mood changes and feelings. The song begins with the infamous dark bass line that sets the tone of the whole song. The darkness explains the sad truth of fame, sex, and drugs, and it isn’t all as great as it sounds. Soon after the rap verse provides a scary atmosphere for the lead singer’s (2D) situation giving the idea of imprisonment. However, the acoustic section of the song about the windmill island expresses freedom outside of the tower, and 2D longs for that opportunity to get away from fame, sex, and drugs.

DARE:

While Feel Good Inc feels dark and haunting, Dare on the other hand is upbeat and is more of a dance song. The song begins with a very catchy beat in the background that captures the listener’s attention. Although the song is very simplistic, it still has many different sounds coming in and out whether it be the repeating vocals, the synth, the beat, or the humming backup singing. These all come together to create a happy feeling song that anyone wants to sing along with.

Dirty Harry:

The song begins with a weird groovy tune and soon a choir of kids starts to sing. This gives the song a young feel but is also sad at the same time concerning the focus of the song. Also, the instrumental of the song is incredible and fits perfectly as it picks up after the vocals end. The song starts to get darker during the bridge which leads into the rap verse that continues until the end of the song. The rap verse gives a sudden turn to the song and it gets more “in your face” as it continues and finally the instrumental picks up and the song ends. This song connects a sad but triumphant beginning that eventually leads to a very dark understanding.

The early 2000s album “Demon Days” is very iconic, and the songs within the album provide upbeat dancing songs but also a very dark and sad understanding behind the fame of rock stars. The songs range in genres which allows the sudden changes in moods to flow perfectly. If you haven’t listened to this album I would highly recommend it.