Demon Days

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Drop an anvil at the recording of Demon Days, the celeb-packed second album from Gorillaz – the Technicolor front for Blur's Damon Albarn, producer Dan the Automator, artist Jamie Hewlett, and rapper Del Tha Funky Homosapien – and you'd probably have crushed a half-dozen B-list musicians, a couple of style icons, and the odd Hollywood star besides. Given that it's been co-produced by Dangermouse, creator of copyright-flaunting hip-hop epic The Grey Album, you'd be right to suspect many of these are rappers: Daisy Age legends De La Soul add zing to the tweaked disco-hop of "Feel Good Inc", while Roots Manuva adds a touch of brooding introspection to the juddering "All Alone". But there's some strange surprises, too: a cameo from Dennis Hopper, whose monologue on "Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head" is an eerie highlight; ex-Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder, who rambles along enjoyably on "DARE" – even though he never gets much further than announcing the song's title; or the welcome return of Neneh Cherry, who joins Albarn in song with a snatch of Salt N Pepa's "Push It" on the menacing "Kids with Guns". A dark return from these dedicated culture vultures, but thankfully, not at the expense of their cartoonish pop presence. --Louis Pattison