GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Music

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

64 A Camp
78 Akron/Family
73 Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women
74 Amazing Baby
62 Tori Amos
54 The Answer
74 Anti-Flag
74 Art Brut
71 Au Revoir Simone
65 Zee Avi
70 Bachelorette
77 Bat For Lashes
68 Big Business
76 Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses
67 Black Dice
57 Black Eyed Peas
74 Black Moth Super Rainbow
71 Blank Dogs
65 Booker T.
54 The Boxmasters
65 The Boy Least Likely To
74 Brakes [aka brakesbrakesbrakes]
68 British Sea Power
66 Jeff Buckley
75 Busdriver
59 Busta Rhymes
64 Cage The Elephant
82 Bill Callahan
80 Camera Obscura
68 Cam'ron
79 Casiotone For The Painfully Alone
58 Chester French
82 The Church
61 Ciara
72 Clues
69 The Coathangers
74 Jarvis Cocker
90 Leonard Cohen
70 Elvis Costello
66 Graham Coxon
76 Crippled Black Phoenix
71 The Crocodiles
69 Cryptacize
71 Crystal Antlers
56 The Crystal Method
69 Dananananaykroyd
76 Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse
71 De La Soul
77 Death Cab For Cutie
68 Deer Tick
81 Deerhunter
70 Depeche Mode
78 Dinosaur Jr.
85 Dirty Projectors
86 DJ Quik & Kurupt
77 Doves
68 Dredg
76 Bob Dylan
82 Steve Earle
70 Eels
62 El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez
58 Eminem
60 Empire Of The Sun
54 The Enemy
67 Jeremy Enigk
68 Nathan Fake
85 The Felice Brothers
79 The Field
65 Fink
60 Fischerspooner
77 Flatlanders
62 Flo Rida
64 Franz Ferdinand
77 Gallows
72 Melody Gardot
59 Ginuwine
71 Golden Silvers
61 Gomez
69 Grand Duchy
73 Great Lake Swimmers
59 Great Northern
72 Green Day
86 Grizzly Bear
75 The Handsome Family
69 Ben Harper And Relentless7
75 PJ Harvey & John Parish
66 Heaven & Hell
85 Levon Helm
74 The Hold Steady
79 Patterson Hood
75 Jon Hopkins
82 The Horrors
69 Hanne Hukkelberg
74 Ida Maria
65 Immaculate Machine
75 The Intelligence
76 Iron & Wine
79 Isis
68 It Hugs Back
88 J Dilla aka Jay Dee
61 Jadakiss
86 Japandroids
61 Joan Of Arc
84 Joe Lovano Us Five
72 John Doe & The Sadies
70 Joker's Daughter
62 Jonas Brothers
53 Mike Jones
71 The Juan Maclean
76 Junior Boys
68 Kasabian
74 Diana Krall
56 Lady Sovereign
43 Ben Lee
68 The Lemonheads
76 Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard
77 Lindstrom & Prins Thomas
65 Little Boots
79 The Low Anthem
67 Jason Lytle
75 The Maccabees
76 Magik Markers
80 Major Lazer
70 Malajube
71 Manchester Orchestra
85 Manic Street Preachers
57 Marilyn Manson
66 The Mars Volta
68 Dave Matthews Band
62 Maximo Park
70 Meat Puppets
80 Method Man & Redman
77 Metric
75 Micachu & The Shapes
69 Chrisette Michele
76 Miike Snow
67 Mika Miko
75 Rhett Miller
49 Mims
72 Mr. Lif
72 Moby
78 Moderat
70 Mandy Moore
80 Mos Def
70 Bob Mould
74 Nadja
72 New York Dolls
72 Nite Jewel
67 NOFX
76 Noisettes
60 Paolo Nutini
67 Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band
74 Papercuts
76 Passion Pit
74 Peaches
71 Pet Shop Boys
68 Peter Bjorn And John
82 Phoenix
76 Pink Mountaintops
63 Placebo
66 Pomegranates
64 Iggy Pop
67 Prefuse 73
81 Ramblin' Jack Elliott
76 Rancid
54 Rascal Flatts
68 Lionel Richie
77 Alasdair Roberts
73 Rick Ross
55 Asher Roth
72 Savath & Savalas
61 Polly Scattergood
65 The Shortwave Set
60 Shout Out Out Out Out
66 Silversun Pickups
85 Todd Snider
78 Sonic Youth
72 The Soundcarriers
61 The Sounds
74 Regina Spektor
63 Spinal Tap
65 Spinnerette
81 St. Vincent
59 Still Flyin'
58 Street Sweeper Social Club
87 Sunn O)))
82 Sunset Rubdown
84 Super Furry Animals
74 Richard Swift
78 Taking Back Sunday
85 Tanya Morgan
81 Otis Taylor
71 Telekinesis
70 Telepathe
80 Thee Oh Sees
79 The Thermals
74 Rob Thomas
64 Thunderheist
74 Tiga
57 Tinted Windows
72 Tortoise
82 Allen Toussaint
71 Trembling Bells
69 Two Fingers
84 UGK
68 Keith Urban
71 John Vanderslice
85 The Vaselines
74 The Veils
73 Viva Voce
63 Patrick Watson
79 White Denim
77 White Rabbits
57 The Whitest Boy Alive
74 Wilco
80 Wildbirds & Peacedrums
78 Wolves In The Throne Room
65 The Wooden Birds
67 Wooden Shjips
81 Yeah Yeah Yeahs
70 Pete Yorn
93 Neil Young
60 Neil Young
72 Yusuf

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

Demon Days
by Gorillaz

Gorillaz reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 82 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.7 out of 10
based on 37 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 140 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

When the comic supergroup's 2001 debut sold an astounding 6 million copies worldwide, a sequel became necessary. Hence 'Demon Days.' Returning leader Damon Albarn (Blur) and new producer Danger Mouse are joined by guests Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays), Ike Turner, MF Doom, De La Soul and Dennis Hopper.

LABEL: Virgin
RELEASE DATE: 24 May 2005
DISCS: 1 disc
GENRE(S): Alternative, Rock, Electronic, Rap

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
E! Online
Get past the dark stuff and Demon Days reveals a stash of songs that are more fun than a Hong Kong Phooey marathon.
Read Full Review
100
Delusions of Adequacy
Innovative as it is satisfying.... It’s hard to imagine a more realized meld of hip-hop, electronica, and post-rock.
Read Full Review
90
Urb
Brilliant.... This album sounds like Albarn and Danger Mouse are an inspired team. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.101]
90
All Music Guide
It not only eclipses the first Gorillaz album, which in itself was a terrific record, but stands alongside the best Blur albums, providing a tonal touchstone for this decade the way Parklife did for the '90s.
Read Full Review
90
PopMatters
Demon Days is fantastic.
Read Full Review
90
Q Magazine
[Danger Mouse's] stunning flourishes... help place Demon Days notches above any vaguely electronic release in recent memory. [Jun 2005, p.104]
90
Dot Music
Utterly unique and frequently wonderful.
Read Full Review
90
Uncut
A dazzlingly clever record--great beats, brilliant production, top tunes and some of Albarn's best singing. [Jun 2005, p.106]
89
Austin Chronicle
The results are reason enough for Damon Albarn's other outfit to finally pack it in.
Read Full Review
88
Los Angeles Times
It's Albarn's evocative words, compelling if understated melodic sense and subdued vocals that are the emotional center, transcending the gimmick even more than on the first Gorillaz album. [22 May 2005]
83
Stylus Magazine
A much more consistent and coherent album, equaling Gorillaz’s high points and easily besting its shortcomings.
Read Full Review
80
Under The Radar
[Albarn's] sad, plaintive vocal presence elevates near-filler tracks like "November Has Come"... [and] sub-par tracks like the experimental "White Light" and... "Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head" all but beg for Albarn's persona to return. [#10, p.111]
80
musicOMH.com
Demon Days as a whole is a thing of considerable depth and melancholia and offers rather more soul than the cartoon gimmick would suggest.
Read Full Review
80
Filter
Amazingly, only a couple of times does the broadness of what is going on get in the way or misfire... and at album's end, you can look back in wonder at how in the hell a barrel of cartoon monkeys managed to pull it off again. [#15, p.93]
80
Amazon.com
Demon Days actually is even better than its predecessor.
Read Full Review
80
New Musical Express
Before you even consider the sonic and melodic innovation paraded through the album there’s so much crammed into each of these fifteen songs (without any one of them sounding overproduced or cluttered) that repeated listening is a must.
Read Full Review
80
The Guardian
First impressions could not be more wrong. Demon Days goes boldly against the current trend for brash immediacy and instead repays time and effort on the part of the listener.
Read Full Review
80
Lost At Sea
Less accessible than its eponymous predecessor, it creates a darker, less cartoonish world where hip-hop, brit-rock, electronica and Dennis Hopper monologues all seem perfectly at home.
Read Full Review
80
Drawer B
Albarn’s ability to slither arrogantly from genre to genre while maintaining his charm is truly remarkable.
Read Full Review
80
Mojo
Funky, playful but sinister like the best children's stories. [Jun 2005, p.98]
80
Junkmedia
The record's disparate experiments are unified by an overriding darkness, the black light Albarn shines on the dancehall. It's this unusual tone that makes Demon Days intriguing long after it's ceased to be novel.
Read Full Review
75
Spin
Danger Mouse sets a consistent tone that wryly chafes against Albarn's paranoia. [Jun 2005, p.105]
75
RapReviews.com
It's [the] beats by Danger Mouse that make "Demon Days" a winner, even when the Gorillaz concept threatens to overwhelm itself with pretentious twaddle.
Read Full Review
75
Entertainment Weekly
Spookier, blippier, and more on edge. It's also not as cohesive. [27 May 2005, p.136]
70
ShakingThrough.net
Granted, the world isn’t exactly better off since since the last Gorillaz album, but that doesn’t mean we need to be reminded of it by a loose collaborative outfit that will never be mistaken for the Clash when it comes to political or social consciousness.
Read Full Review
70
Slant Magazine
Demon Days is decidedly bleaker than its predecessor.
Read Full Review
70
Blender
Darker and colder than its predecessor but, surprisingly, more fun. [Jun 2005, p.109]
70
Paste Magazine
The sound is more psychedeli-danceable than ever.
Read Full Review
70
Planet
The results are sinister. [#10, p.70]
70
Prefix Magazine
As you listen to it more and more, the music begins to make sense, the hooks come into focus and everything appears in sharp resolution, manifesting itself in a giant pop animal created for your indulgence.
Read Full Review
70
Alternative Press
The music is mostly an interesting hybrid of unlikely elements and naggingly catchy tunes. [Jul 2005, p.186]
70
The Onion (A.V. Club)
It's all quite innovative and cool, and Albarn's deadpan vocals suggest a Han Solo-like seen-it-all interplanetary weariness. Too bad it lacks a track as tight and memorable as the fluke 2001 hit "Clint Eastwood" to anchor it in place.
Read Full Review
70
Drowned In Sound
So many names, so many influences: perhaps unsurprisingly 'Demon Days' is a dizzying, disorientating and sometimes directionless album.
Read Full Review
69
Pitchfork
Like the Gorillaz's self-titled debut, Demon Days goes the way of most auteur projects, its oversize idea load making for a trip equal parts peak and valley. But also like the debut, Demon Days is better than it has any right to be, featuring singles stronger than anything released under the Blur banner since, you know, that "Woo-hoo" song.
Read Full Review
60
Rolling Stone
Surprisingly, Albarn's vocals, phoned-in and incredibly flat, weigh the record down.
Read Full Review
58
cokemachineglow
What’s particularly interesting about Demon Days is not that they have half of a good record--there are plenty of albums that can’t even manage that--it’s that it’s so clearly the first half.
Read Full Review
50
Playlouder
About as disappointing a follow-up as you could ever imagine.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 140 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

David H. gave it a9:
Definetly one of the best albums of the year! Original, experimental with dark and mysterious overtones. Every track stands out as different from the next. Overall, its near masterful. Intro is great gives u a real taster of the feel of the album. last living souls 9/10, kids with guns 10/10, o green world 7/10, dirty harry 9/10, feel good inc. 10/10, el manana 10/10, every planet we reach is dead 8/10, november has come 10/10, all alone 10/10, white light 5/10, dare 10/10, fire coming out of a monkeys head 9/10, don't get lost in heaven 10/10, demon days 10/10.every song great except white light!

Rick W. gave it a10:
Probably my all-time favorite album...completely unique

Paula G. gave it a10:
It's the best record I've ever listen to, no doubt.

Tom P. gave it an8:
No longer does the color of your skin make a suitable reason for your bad taste in music. I know this isn't really a full hip hop/rap CD, but you can play the few tracks that do include rap to your friends and keep your reputation as you begin to realize how much more that music, if you could call most rap that, has to offer. So for the sake of music, put down Soulja Boy....Oh god PLEASE PUT DOWN SOULJA BOY...and get this CD, then show your friends this CD, THEN, after you've realized how shitty almost all the music you've been listening to is, pick up a radiohead CD or something. besisdes, you owe it to those that want to be able to hear good music on the radio.

Vid M gave it a7:
An improvement over their debut. There's some really good stuff here, but there's still a ton of crap to sift through to get to it.

Bob R gave it a10:
ridiculously hip... you'll fan over this band

Dan A gave it a9:
Better than anything else Gorillaz has put out, which says something.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this album in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: iPhone 3G | Fantasy Football | Moneywatch | Antivirus Software | Recipes | E3 2009

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use