Editing Democrazy

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Democrazy
| type       = EP
| artist     = [[Damon Albarn]]
| cover      = Albarn Democrazy.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = 8 December 2003
| recorded   = June–July 2003, various US hotels
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Lo-fi music|Lo-fi]]|[[electronic music|electronic]]|[[indie rock]]}}
| length     = 29:30
| label      = [[Honest Jon's]]
| producer   = Damon Albarn
| prev_title = [[Think Tank (Blur album)|Think Tank]]
| prev_year  = 2003
| next_title = [[Demon Days]]
| next_year  = 2005
| misc       = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[Damon Albarn]] solo
 | type       = EP
 | prev_title =
 | prev_year  =
 | title      = Democrazy
 | year       = 2003
 | next_title = [[Dr Dee#Soundtrack|Dr Dee]]
 | next_year  = 2012
}}{{Singles
 | name        = Democrazy
 | type        = EP
 | single1     = A Rappy Song
 | single1date = 8 November 2004
}}
}}

'''''Democrazy''''' is a 2003 vinyl-only double [[extended play|EP]] of demos by [[Damon Albarn]], frontman of British [[rock band]] [[Blur (band)|Blur]] and the [[virtual band]] [[Gorillaz]]. It was released through [[Honest Jon's]] record label.

==Background==
Albarn recorded these songs, which are little more than demos, during the US leg of Blur's tour for ''[[Think Tank (Blur album)|Think Tank]]'' in various hotel rooms.  He then decided to issue the result, on 8 December that year, in a double 10" vinyl set on his [[Honest Jon's]] label. On 22 December Albarn showcased the demos at a live gig in London's Neighbourhood club.

Some of the EP's tracks were later finished and repurposed for Albarn's other projects; the track "I Need a Gun" was used as the basis for the [[Gorillaz]] song "[[Dirty Harry (song)|Dirty Harry]]", which appeared on their 2005 album ''[[Demon Days]]'', while the track "Half a Song" was repurposed 20 years later as "The Ballad" appearing on Blur's ninth studio album ''[[The Ballad of Darren]]'' (2023).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.jbhifi.com.au/blogs/music/track-by-track-blur-ballad-of-darren | title=Blur's 'The Ballad of Darren': Dive into our track-by-track }}</ref> The track "A Rappy Song" has often been mis-labeled as an unnamed [[Gorillaz]]' track featuring [[Pharcyde|Bootie Brown]] and [[Cee-Lo Green]], however the song is little more than a remix made by a fan.

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| MC = 45/100<ref name="mc">{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/democrazy/damon-albarn/critic-reviews | title=Damon Albarn – Democrazy | publisher=[[Metacritic]] | accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref>
| rev1=''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev1score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="guardian">{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/dec/05/popandrock.shopping4 | title=Damon Albarn – Demcorazy | work=The Guardian | date=5 December 2003 | accessdate=22 February 2015 | author=Petridis, Alexis}}</ref>
| rev2=''[[NME]]''
| rev2score =2/10<ref name="nme">{{cite web | url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/7240 | title=Albarn, Damon : Democrazy | work=[[NME]] | date=12 September 2005 | accessdate=22 February 2015 | author=Beaumont, Mark}}</ref>
| rev3=''[[Pitchfork Media]]''
| rev3score = 3.2/10<ref name="p4k">Gilchrist, Jedediah. [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/99-democrazy/ Damon Albarn – Democrazy review] [[Pitchfork Media]]. 2 March 2004. Retrieved 6 December 2011.</ref>
| rev4=''[[Stylus Magazine]]''
| rev4score = F<ref name="stylus">{{cite web|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/damon-albarn/democrazy.htm |title=Damon Albarn – Democrazy |publisher=[[Stylus Magazine]] |date=10 December 2003 |accessdate=22 February 2015 |author=McKeating, Scott |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120636/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/damon-albarn/democrazy.htm |archivedate=4 March 2016 }}</ref>
}}

The EP received mixed-to-negative reviews from music critics. At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 45, which indicates "mixed or average reviews", based on 9 reviews.<ref name="mc"/> Alexis Petridis of ''[[The Guardian]]'' described the album as "occasionally brilliant and frequently irritating beyond belief" and wrote: "It is packed with interesting ideas, but is founded in an appalling self-importance."<ref name="guardian"/> Mark Beaumont of ''[[NME]]'' panned the album, describing it as "the half conceived, cottonmouthed rubbish."<ref name="nme"/> [[Pitchfork Media]] critic Jedediah Gilchrist stated: "He's already recorded such a wealth of great material that no mystique remains, leaving no real reason for anyone—including the most dedicated fan—to seek out these poorly produced musical shreds."<ref name="p4k"/> Scott of ''[[Stylus Magazine]]'' wrote: "Serving as nothing more than a temporary diversion or side note to his fully realised work, this is worth a cursory listen for the insight alone."<ref name="stylus"/>

==Track listing==
===Disc one===
# "I Need a Gun" {{small|(demo version of "[[Dirty Harry (song)|Dirty Harry]]")}} – 1:25
# "Reedz" – 1:22
# "Half a Song" {{small|(demo version of "[[The Ballad (song)|The Ballad]]")}} – 1:06
# "Five Star Life" – 2:45
# "A Rappy Song" – 1:40
# "Back to Mali" – 1:04
# "I Miss You" – 2:21
# "Hymn to Moon" – 1:01

===Disc two===
# "Dezert" – 2:51
# "Sub Species of an American Day" – 2:25
# "American Welfare Poem" – 3:06
# "Saz Theory Book" – 2:35
# "Gotta' Get Down With the Passing of Time" – 2:17
# "End of Democrazy" – 3:39

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs release|560952|type=album}}

{{Damon Albarn}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2000s demo albums]]
[[Category:Damon Albarn EPs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Damon Albarn]]
[[Category:2003 debut EPs]]