Democrazy

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Think Tank2003Demon Days2005EPDemocrazyAlbarn Democrazy.jpgDamon Albarn8 December 2003June–July 2003, various US hotelsTemplate:Hlist29:30Honest Jon'sDamon Albarnx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}

Democrazy is a 2003 vinyl-only double EP of demos by Damon Albarn, frontman of British rock 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 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", 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>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The track "A Rappy Song" has often been mis-labeled as an unnamed Gorillaz' track featuring Bootie Brown and Cee-Lo Green, however the song is little more than a remix made by a fan.

Critical reception

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

1. "I Need a Gun" Template:Small – 1:25
2. "Reedz" – 1:22
3. "Half a Song" Template:Small – 1:06
4. "Five Star Life" – 2:45
5. "A Rappy Song" – 1:40
6. "Back to Mali" – 1:04
7. "I Miss You" – 2:21
8. "Hymn to Moon" – 1:01

Disc two

1. "Dezert" – 2:51
2. "Sub Species of an American Day" – 2:25
3. "American Welfare Poem" – 3:06
4. "Saz Theory Book" – 2:35
5. "Gotta' Get Down With the Passing of Time" – 2:17
6. "End of Democrazy" – 3:39

External links

• Template:Discogs release