The odds are pretty stacked-up against these guys. To begin with, they're known to the public as cartoon apes with a Clint Eastwood fetish. But even if you look past the comic eccentricity, they're still just a side-project for Blur frontman Damon Albarn. Since Blur fans insist upon certain staples (namely, no rap), Gorillaz has allowed Albarn for two albums to get any excess baggage out of his system. It turns out Albarn has a clever imagination. Like its self-titled predecessor, Demon Days adeptly mixes elements of dance, rock, hip hop, afrobeat and more. This time around, however, the tone is certainly a bit darker; but make no mistake, this is a party album, and is not meant to be seriously debated. We won't hold that against Albarn though - he packs the beats with utter confidence and a deceptive swagger. As with Gorillaz, many of the best tracks here come as a surprise. It's hard to imagine one of Britpop's biggest faces crafting entirely anti-Britpop tracks, but he does it consistently enough to alter his reputation. He's not the only one deserving credit, however - Demon Days has a spectacular list of guest appearances. Danger Mouse, one of the hottest DJ's in today's underground, produces, MF Doom is all over "November Has Come" and rap icons De La Soul lend a drive-by on "Feel Good Inc.," the album's first single (and best track). On the quirkier side, actor Dennis Hopper presents a dramatic reading on "Fire Coming Out of a Monkey's Head," and yes, it is as gloomy as you would imagine. Demon Days does, at times, succumb to the flaws everyone expects. Albarn frequently sounds as though he's trying new sounds out for the sake of it, and several of them are unsuccessful. There's also a certain distance to the album, as though the group doesn't want you to care about them. But most of the time, that's not an option.

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