Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse‘s project Dark Night of the Soul has had a long convoluted life, throughout its creation, cancelled release, pseudo-resurrection and final official release last month. Announced two years ago, the project started out as a collaboration between the American artist and producer Brian Joseph Burton (aka Danger Mouse) and the multi-instrumentalist artist Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse).
Grammy-winning producer and composer Danger Mouse is best known for his joint effort with rapper/vocalist Cee-Lo Green. As Gnarls Barkley they received major accolades and considerable commercial success. Singer songwriter Mark Linkous, who committed suicide in March 2010, was a renowned indie-rock artist. He released four albums under the name Sparklehorse between 1995 and 2006 and was also in demand as a producer, working with the singer Daniel Johnston and the Swedish singer (and member of the Cardigans) Nina Persson, among others.
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse – Everytime I’m With You (feat. Jason Lytle)
Their musical collaboration was enriched with David Lynch’s vision. The veteran filmmaker created a series of surreal photographs, which were inspired by the music Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse were creating around him. The photographs were intended to illustrate a book designed as a visual narrative for the music. Lynch himself actually sings on a couple of tracks on the album, his voice is heavily processed but perfectly consistent with the rest of the album.
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse – Little Girl (feat. Julian Casablancas)
Dark Night of The Soul features an all-star cast of guest vocalists including James Mercer of The Shins, Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Frank Black of the Pixies, Iggy Pop… These singers also had a hand in composing and producing the work.
The album was scheduled for a spring 2009 release but got delayed due to a legal dispute between EMI and Brian Burton. In the end, Burton decided to release the Dark Night of The Soul book with a blank CD-R, seemingly encouraging fans to acquire the songs through less than legal means. Only 5000 hand-numbered copies of the book were pressed, making it an instant collectors item. Luckily, the dispute has now been resolved and the album is out since July 13.
Check out Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse’s website or MySpace. Buy the album on 
5 pings
MARTINA TOPLEY BIRD – SOME PLACE SIMPLE (Alternative/Indie/Pop – UK) says:
August 11, 2010 at 5:22 pm (UTC 1 )
[...] DANGER MOUSE & SPARKLEHORSE – DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL (Alternative/Rock/Folk – US) [...]
THE BLACK KEYS – BROTHERS (Blues/Rock – US) » umstrum||music says:
January 3, 2011 at 2:47 pm (UTC 1 )
[...] and do most recording, producing, and mixing themselves. They have however often collaborated with Danger Mouse, who, incidentally, happened to be the producer behind their biggest single to date “Tighten [...]
BROKEN BELLS – LP (Alternative/Indie – US) says:
January 18, 2011 at 11:10 pm (UTC 1 )
[...] Bells was born in 2009, when Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) and James Mercer decided to team up and embark on an indie rock joint venture. [...]
THE STROKES – I’LL TRY ANYTHING ONCE (Alt/Rock – US) says:
January 20, 2011 at 5:57 pm (UTC 1 )
[...] expert bass playing, Fabrizio Moretti’s frantic drums and the captivating vocals of Julian Casablancas, The Strokes’ works have met with much critical [...]
THE SHINS – AUSTRALIA (Indie/Pop – US) says:
August 15, 2011 at 5:08 pm (UTC 1 )
[...] currently focusing on another project, Broken Bells, a band he formed with revered artist/producer Danger Mouse (aka Brian [...]