(Parlaphone/EMI)

Much has been written about the latest offering from the baddest quartet in cartoon land – it’s dark, it’s stark, it’s gloomy, it’s sad and sour and all grown up. True, this album is introspective in places, but a sense of humour permeates – it starts with riffs from the Dawn of the Dead for god’s sake! – not to mention the tight arrangements, experimental approach and thoughtful lyrics it lays bare. Everyone has by now heard the annoyingly catchy song, Feel Good Inc, that has played out on living room TV screens over and over in recent weeks and planted itself firmly into the consciousness. Troubling thing is, it’s a fantastic track that demands to be played more and more and great driving music – I’ll attest to that.

Albarn’s plaintive wails and the dexterity of Danger Mouse make this album interesting listening for big kids. Last Living Souls is a sad little ditty with flashes of growling guitar and casio beat, followed by the half-drunken and mournful sounding Kids With Guns, featuring Neneh Cherry on vocals and staccato, neo-punk delivery from Albarn. O Green World is a weirdly infectious number with decidedly Thom Yorke-ish vocals layeringover eastern geisha beats and chanting. Dirty Harry calls on the angelic voices of the San Fernandez Children’s Choir and chucks in a few violins, violas, cellos and double bass, along with a catchy quacky sounding beat that segues into dirty hip-hop, resulting in an unusual but strangely lovely track. The Beck-ish, beat-ish, manic laughter and pop-hop jumping of Feel Good Inc conjured up with the help of De La Soul is probably one of the happiest places on the album – if I had roller skates I would probably roll around to this tune too!

El Manana is fairly unremarkable, whiny rather than interestingly sad, and so is Every Planet We Reach Is Dead .. bit too slow and gloomy. Music for comedowns. November Has Come, produced in the UK as it was, must surely be a sad homage to the arrival of another stinky winter. A sharp slice of grouchy hip-hop, it features MF Doom in dark contemplation. All Alone is a similarly fine dirty-hop track, with a guest spot from Roots Manuva that drifts into the dreamy, husky vocals of Martina Topley Bird. White Light sounds like a fall into an alt-hell battery of clubs and drama, all twanging guitar, growly riffs and insistent beats – despite a brief, flowery respite.

Dare, with vocals from the king of badland Britpop Shaun Ryder, is not much fun really – a bit stale – but Fire Coming Out of The Monkey’s Head, a spoken word offering from Dennis Hopper with the occasional dreamy interjection from Albarn, is an unexpected delight. I’m sure there’s a lesson in there somewhere. Don’t Get Lost in Heaven is, surely, a Beatle-influenced beauty that draws on the talents of the London Community Gospel Choir to deliver a sweet little sermon about suburbia and monkey heads. Finally, the title track, Demon Days, takes the album to its soaring, delicious conclusion.

I think this is great, but critics are divided – you will love it, or you’ll hate it.