David Lynch, Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse
Musical visionary Danger Mouse, iconoclastic filmmaker David Lynch, and celebrated rock recluses Sparklehorse have converged to create Dark Night of the Soul, a project encompassing a new full-length album and limited edition book.
As half of the acclaimed duo Gnarls Barkley, Danger Mouse is no stranger to high-stakes collaborations. With the help of Sparklehorse, he has recruited a remarkable cast of contemporary artists to lend their vocals, including the Flaming Lips, Black Francis of the Pixies, Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, James Mercer of the Shins, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Nina Persson of the Cardigans, cryptic Southern songwriter Vic Chesnutt, avant-folk icon Suzanne Vega, punk titan Iggy Pop, and even Lynch himself.
By David Lynch
To create the images that accompany the music, Danger Mouse chose David Lynch. Known for revealing the gripping horror beneath suburban banality, Lynch crafts eerie beauty from the most irregular of elements. For Dark Night of the Soul, the creator of Twin Peaks, Inland Empire, Blue Velvet, and Eraserhead, delivers a gorgeous, hypnotic series of photographs.
This captivating project explores and escapes the reality of the world. The book package includes the full sequence of Lynch’s images, a foreword by Danger Mouse, selected lyrics, and an art-printed CD-R, in a run of only 5000 copies, each individually numbered. For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.
‘All copies will be clearly labeled: ‘For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will,’ – a spokesperson for Danger Mouse said. ‘Due to an ongoing dispute with EMI, Danger Mouse is unable to release the recorded music for Dark Night Of The Soul without fear of being sued by EMI.’
The disagreement between Danger Mouse and EMI likely roots back to the Jay-Z/Beatles mash-up The Grey Album he made in 2004. The brilliant combination of The White Album with The Black Album catapulted DM (real name Brian Burton) from bedroom producer to international star, but it came with a price: it infuriated the massive label group, which controls the rights to the Beatles’ recordings.
Sparklehorse are under contract with EMI, and Danger Mouse produced albums like Gorillaz’s Demon Days and the Good, the Bad and the Queen’s self-titled debut for labels under the EMI umbrella, so it’s unclear why the lawsuit would trouble the release now. ‘Danger Mouse remains hugely proud of Dark Night Of The Soul and hopes that people lucky enough to hear the music, by whatever means, are as excited by it as he is,’ the spokesperson said. The album has actually leaked. (Here it is.)
It’s beautiful but haunting, surreal and dark, but sometimes comical and affecting too, with ear-popping, multilayered production work. It just gets more mesmerizing with every listen. Considered by many reviewers already to be one of the albums of the year and certainly creating more hype and raw exposure than most. We are left wondering, is spin the real art-form here?
This is a track by track review by one of the original leakers of the album:
“Revenge” featuring The Flaming Lips
A classic Linkous keyboard lurch blended with Coyne’s echo-laden coo produces a mid-paced slice of modern Americana that sits well among The Flaming Lips or Sparklehorse’s best work.
“Just War” featuring Gruff Rhys
Sprightly guitar plings and oompah bass throbs reminiscent of ‘Rings Around The World’ era Super Furry Animals define this anti-war ditty. The song that first kicked off the project and one of the poppiest moments on the album.
“Jaykub” featuring Jason Lytle
A tender yet sweeping affair built from a bed of acoustic guitars. Featuring ex-Grandaddy man Lytle, it shares several sun-kissed hallmarks with his former group.
“Little Girl” featuring Julian Casablancas
The electric guitar lines played by the singer that run through this entire song could have floated straight off a Strokes effort. The wirey solos cut tellingly cuts against Cassablancas’ endearingly moody vocal. Following his warm vocal on ‘My Drive Thru’ last year, these glimpses of The Strokes frontman in action hint at a slightly more soulful approach for his band’s fourth effort.
“Angel’s Harp” featuring Black Francis
DM and Linkous’ tactic of matching songs to singers continues with this anvil-heavy, Nirvana-esque grunge song, complete with bucking, dirty riffs and Pixies drum-rattles.
“Pain” featuring Iggy Pop
A noir, moody but hammering train-paced song provide the perfect atmosphere for Iggy’s wails about ‘bad brains’ being a ‘mix of God and monkey’ on one of the darkest – but still most danceable – moments of the album.
“Star Eyes (I Can’t Catch It)” featuring David Lynch
Director Lynch offers bluesy vocals over a swamp of electronic gurgles in a soft, understated tone. One of the album’s more atmospheric and sparsely structured songs.
Album Cover
“Everytime I’m With You” featuring Jason Lytle
Boasting a heady, drunken swagger, Lytle’s vocals obsesses with getting ‘trashed’ and ‘fucked up’ every time he hooks up with his partner. Has one of the album’s catchiest choruses too.
“Insane Lullaby” featuring James Mercer
With the melody caked in electronic babbling and lyrics about androids, the Shins frontman conjures the feel of a malfunctioning computer amid this glockenspiel and strings adorned epic.
“Daddy’s Gone” featuring Nina Persson
Sadly not a cover of Glasvegas’ hit, but a mid-paced acoustic-based country-ish number that’s as sunny as a Nashville summer.
“The Man Who Played God” featuring Suzanne Vega
One of the most conventionally structured songs on the album, country-ish guitars lilt against Vega’s impressive, breathy-but-powerful vocals.
“Grim Augury” featuring Vic Chesnutt
With a Addams Family spookyfeel ‘Grim Augury’ sees the American maverick singing cutting out babies, knives and things ‘wriggling in gore’ over vampiric organ and drum stick clicks. Unsettlingly
intriguing.
“Dark Night Of The Soul” featuring David Lynch
Lynch’s second vocal appearance is a more surreal affair with scratchy pianos and a constant whir that gives the impression it’s being spun out through an old projector. Provides the album with its title.
Check out another Lynch inspired album over at Mashed In Plastic: the David Lynch mash-up album presented by 1086 productions. Mashed in Plastic is available two ways: as two long tracks (sides A and B) or as eighteen separate tracks with unbroken transitions and film audio excerpts.
Download Dark Night Of The Soul
Dark Night Of The Soul – Official Website
Danger Mouse Official Website
Sparklehorse Official Website
David Lynch Official Website
Wikipedia Article On Dark Night Of The Soul
Mashed In Plastic: the David Lynch mash-up album
