NEW YORK (Virgin Records) - "Demon Days," the second Virgin album by Gorillaz, has debuted on the Billboard 200 album sales chart at No. 6, the highest chart position ever achieved by the platinum-selling animated act, on sales of over 107,000 copies.
Virgin Records Chairman/CEO Matt Serletic commented: "We're all delighted at the chart-topping worldwide performance of 'Demon Days.' The extraordinary vision of all of the band's creators is evident in the way that Gorillaz continue to break new ground in the multi-media environment, nearly four years after their first album went platinum. The future will be very exciting for this band, as they continue with innovative new creative ideas."
This week, "Demon Days" debuted in No. 1 position in the national album charts of the U.K., France, Switzerland and Hong Kong. In the U.K. album chart, the album posted the third-largest one-week unit sales in 2005 for a No. 1 album. First week U.K. sales more than doubled those of the first Gorillaz album, which entered at No. 3. The "Feel Good, Inc." single remained in the British top 5, after booming to No. 2 in the week of its release as a CD single. Top 5 album chart entries also blanketed the rest of the world: "Demon Days" debuted at No. 2 in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Slovenia; No. 3 in Austria, Denmark and Norway; and No. 5 in Canada, Iceland, Italy and Japan.
EMI Music UK and Ireland Chairman & CEO Tony Wadsworth commented: "Gorillaz epitomizes the highest standards in innovation, both visual and musical. Its international commercial success shows the value of true creativity."
Co-produced by Gorillaz/Albarn and WIRED magazine rave award honoree Danger Mouse, and recorded at the band's own Kong Studios, "Demon Days" album guests include De La Soul, Ike Turner, Dennis Hopper, MF Doom, Shaun Ryder, and the London Community Gospel Choir. New York's Paper leads a chorus of early media approval, calling special attention to the unique visuals of Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett in terming the album a "work of conceptual art that's as fulfilling to listen to as it is enjoyable to look at... more melodic, free-flowing and sharper-edged than on its predecessor." "Repeated listening proves that these tunes have more staying power than Ron Jeremy," adds Stuff's five-star rave. "Blast it on the way to the club, and your whole crew will still go ape****," says Filter. Mojo's four-star review calls the album "an aural phantasmagoria... Quite astonishing."
Gorillaz have been active in the U.S. since early spring, with appearances by Damon Albarn and album co-producer Danger Mouse at March's South By Southwest music conference, and full band sit-down interviews on MTV News, FUSE and other outlets airing later this summer. Albarn, Jamie Hewlett, and Danger Mouse have all made numerous local appearances in Boston, Atlanta and New York.
The video of "Feel Good, Inc." has been widely received by all music video channels. MTVU kicked off with an all day premiere for the video on March 28th. On FUSE, a "Daily Download" appearance with Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett, and Danger Mouse began airing May 30, and the Gorillaz were featured on FUSE's "Amplified Guide to Summer" special. An exclusive full-album online stream on "MTVU presents The Leak" ran for a week preceding the May 24 release date, and MTVU, MTV2 and FUSE featured the Gorillaz' 30-second cartoon interstitials. On MTV's 10 Drop Spot, "One Band, One Night, One Connection" aired on May 16 featuring music from the album, and an MTV2 episode of "Subterranean," with Albarn and Danger Mouse, airs June 5.
"Feel Good, Inc." enjoyed another key infusion of U.S. media saturation in May, when it debuted in a two-week round of Apple's signature dancing-silhouette iPod television ads. Because of the television and online exposure of the "Feel Good, Inc." and its initial availability as a paid download prior to release of a physical CD single, the track has had a pattern of huge moves up the international charts measuring digital and physical sales. On the Billboard Hot 100, "Feel Good, Inc." made a No. 74 to No. 17 move.
The "Feel Good, Inc." video clip, which Blender Magazine calls "gloriously trippy," along with a brand-new 20-page graphic flip-book, with extensive art and notes, can be viewed at https://virginrecords.com/feelgood/. The Apple iPod television ad, titled "Rollerskating," can be viewed at https://www.apple.com/ipod/ads/rollerskating/
