The beauty of having a "virtual band" to play around with is you can do whatever the hell you want with it.

Sometime Blur frontman Damon Albarn and his cartoonist BFF Jamie Hewlett hit upon a novel pop-culture conceit when they created Gorillaz out of thin air for the 2001 album of the same name and loads of eye-catching, post-apocalyptic companion visuals. Gorillaz, the album -- recorded by Albarn and producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura -- seems downright restrained when compared to 2005's smashing Demon Days, however, because on Gorillaz' second outing everyone involved seems to have realized there were absolutely no rules to begin with so ... well ... time to have some fun.

Overseen by Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, Demon Days invites loads and loads of cool peeps to the party -- De La Soul, MF Doom, Roots Manuva, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Shaun Ryder of Happy Mondays and even Ike freakin' Turner and Dennis freakin' Hopper -- and consequently broadens Gorillaz' musical palette to the umpteenth degree. Wiggly hip-hop, disconsolate indie-pop, tripped-out downtempo, booty-shakin' electro-boogie all figure into the mix, with a supreme sense of melody reigning supreme over the entire experiment. Arguably still the high-watermark of a Gorillaz run that long ago transcended its gimmicky beginnings, Demon Days has since sold more than eight million copies worldwide. 

TRACKLISTING:

1. Intro
2. Last Living Souls
3. Kids With Guns
4. O Green World
5. Dirty Harry
6. Feel Good Inc
7. El Manana
8. Every Planet We Reach Is Dead
9. November Has Come
10. All Alone
11. White Light
12. DARE
13. Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head
14. Don't Get Lost In Heaven
15. Demon Days