Gorillaz "Demon Days"

Album sequencing is an artform. Some albums -- such as The Decemberists' The Hazards of Love, Rush's 2112, or The Who's Tommy -- have built-in sequencing that tells a story across an entire album.

However, albums that are more collections of songs usually prioritize a radio (internet?) hit early on and essentially filter down in hit-worthiness until they reach filler at the end (not unlike journalism's inverted pyramid), but some albums close on particularly poignant songs, sending the listener off with a particular message or sentiment.

Few albums have as good of a 1-2 closing as Demon Days. When teamed up with the penultimate "Don't Get Lost in Heaven," which seamlessly flows into "Demon Days," it's a double shot of send-off.

"Don't Get Lost in Heaven" is a dower tale of a bad relationship gone worse, as its narrator tells an unnamed former partner to enjoy a life of bliss while they continue a drug-addled life in misery.

"Demon Days" riffs off that theme by giving a sort of duplicitous feeling of doom and hope as the narrator shuns their life of excess and self-indulgence, a theme throughout Demon Days, before a chorus exhorts them to clean up and improve the world around them.

Location: Michigan, USA

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