Dangermouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul (2010)

For those unfamiliar with Dangermouse or Sparklehorse, Dangermouse, a.k.a. Brian Burton, is one half of Gnarls Barkley and is known for having released The Grey Album which is his mashup of Jay-Z's The Black Album and The Beatles' White Album.  He has produced albums for bands such as Beck, Gorillaz and most recently The Black Keys.  Sparklehorse were an American alternative rock band from Richmond, Virginia.  They would release 4 albums and would contribute to this album before lead singer Mark Linkous would take his life on March 6th, 2010.  Linkous had a history of problems with drugs and alcohol.  This would be one of Linkous' last contributions to the world.  As a team Dangermouse and Sparklehorse make some fairly interesting and beautiful music.  There is a combination of guitars and beats.  Do not expect too much in the way of upbeat music though; the album goes through it's joyful moments but can be gloomy at the same time.  Multiple guest vocalists is what keeps things interesting.  Guesting vocalists include Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, director David Lynch, Frank Black of The Pixies, Iggy Pop, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, The Flaming Lips and James Mercer of The Shins (who Dangermouse has been collaborating with most recently under the name of Broken Bells).  If you've heard the Broken Bells album, then you should somewhat know what to expect from this album.  I was glad to see this finally get a proper release.  When it was first announced that this album would be released, EMI was not allowing the album to be released due to legal disputes (likely due to some of their artists appearing on a different label).  As a result a version of the album was released in a special edition box set which included artwork/pictures from director David Lynch which served as an accompaniment to the album as well as a blank CD-R.  Inside the box set, each CD was labelled "For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will."  Obviously Dangermouse and EMI set aside their differences and the album is now available in full.  Highly recommended for a unique listening experience!

www.dnots.com/