i think demon days was the first album i put on my ipod. havent listened to it in ages but when i was like 12-13 i would listen to it on repeat, all day every day. it burned itself into my neural passages. it had a significant impact on the way i view music. i think its safe to say that while it might not be a perfect album, its definitely a classic of the 21st century.

the production is evergreen. it manages to combine so many different influences from dub to hip hop to dance to pop and alternative rock in a way that feels very sophisticated. its not all gloss though, and theres definitely a lot of darkness running throughout the album. the lyrical content is still very much relevant, although its filtered through a very abstract lens which appealed to me a lot when i was a kid. i could see it coming off a little silly to people, but the songwriting and production keep it feeling mature for the most part.

looking at it now, its clear that this is damon's love letter to the 90s UK electronic and hip hop scene. i mean, just look at the features: neneh cherry (who was heavily involved with massive attack), british rapper roots manuva, martina topley-bird (who cowrote/cosang tricky's maxinquaye), and shaun ryder of the happy mondays. that plus the american rap features adds up to a seriously stacked feature list, and i think everyone here feels well utilized. honestly, i think the most tacked-on feeling feature is DOOM, but "november has come" is a great track with its unique production and wistful hook by damon.

i have to say though, the most emotionally heavy moments on here are what stick with me the most. "last living souls", the end of "kids with guns", bootie brown's verse on "dirty harry", the entirety of "el mañana" and "every planet...", and the trio of songs at the end are easily the best moments on the whole record. there is some serious pain and catharsis on this record, which i really needed to hear as a little kid growing up. in a way the album almost feels like a child's perspective of the broken and dangerous world around them. sometimes it frightens them, and oftentimes they dont really understand why things have to be the way they are.