Blur leader Damon Albarn has always been the 500-pound gorilla in the cartoon cage matchup known as Gorillaz.

Still, there was no denying that their self-titled debut disc from 2001 was something of a collaborative effort, with everyone from Dan the Automator and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien to Kid Koala sharing the tire swing.

Not anymore. For this long-anticipated -- and endlessly hyped -- followup, Dan and Del are MIA, remix phenom Danger Mouse is in the producer's chair, and Albarn is definitely in the driver's seat.

But even if Gorillaz seems to have evolved from a cartoon-collective concept to a thinly veiled solo sideline for the increasingly control-minded Albarn, you'll get no complaints here. Mainly because what the dark 'n' distinctive Demon Days may lack in collaboration it more than makes up for with creativity and cohesion.

Continuing down the murky trail blazed by old cuts like Clint Eastwood, Albarn gene-splices pop, indie-rock, reggae, electronica and hip-hop into a creepy, bleepy, cinematic dystopia of shadow, paranoia and menace.

Anchored by brooding grooves and melodies, topped with dusty deadpan vocals and sprinkled with cameos by VIPs like De La Soul (who funk up the irresistible single Feel Good Inc.), Dennis Hopper (who reads the suitably bizarre tale Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head) and Shaun Ryder (who lends his brash blather to the low-impact DARE), Demon Days makes it clear Albarn isn't monkeying around.

Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. Last Living Souls
3. Kids With Guns
4. O Green World
5. Dirty Harry
6. Feel Good Inc.
7. El Manana
8. Every Plant We Reach Is Dead
9. November Has Come
10. All Alone
11. White Light
12. DARE
13. Fire Coming Out Of A Monkey's Head
14. Don't Get Lost in Heaven
15. Demon Days