Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that the lyrics contain some violent imagery and references to drugs and alcohol. Families listening together can talk about what musical elements combine to make this Gorillaz sound so fresh and innovative.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kathi Kamen Goldmark
The Gorillaz' self-titled debut album, a quirky little side project populated by animated characters devised by illustrator Jamie Hewlett and Blur frontman Damon Albarn, surprised the world by becoming a platinum-selling hit. Expectations (and expectations of sophomore failure as well) were high for this follow-up project, DEMON DAYS.
Well, guess what...DEMON DAYS more than meets expectations, the positive ones anyway. Albarn (a.k.a. 2D) and DJ Danger Mouse co-produced this time around, including an array of surprising musical guests (Dennis Hopper takes a spoken-word spin on "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head" for example) and lively, innovative tracks. Lyrics explore darker themes than on the previous CD, with many references to guns, drugs, and alcohol. But the underlying messages seem to be neither anti nor pro, and the lyrics are nonsensical enough to soften the visceral power of any violent imagery. "Drinking out/Pacifier/Sinking soul/There you are/But it won't be long/Cause kids with guns/Kids with guns/Easy does it, easy does it, they got something to say mental," bouncing along over bright, perky instrumental tracks ends up sounding pretty ineffectual and cartoony, as violent lyrics go.
The real stars of the show are innovation and creativity. DEMON DAYS does not sound like anything else out there, and that's a refreshing and wonderful thing.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentSome sexual innuendo. |
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ViolenceA fair amount of violent imagery, some of it with a message on nonviolence. |
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LanguageA couple of four-letter words. |
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Social BehaviorIt's really all over the place -- some great positive messages, also darkly negative ones. |
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CommercialismNothing to worry about. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoSeveral references to drugs and drinking, in a cartoon-y way. |
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