Dark Night of the Soul

What to do when your lead singer kills himself?
Hire the best known hipster producer in the whole wide world,
Danger Mouse, bring on a bunch of cool cat lead singers from
venerable bands (Wayne Coyne from The
Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys from Super
Furry Animals, Jason Lytle from Grandaddy,
Julian Casablancas from The Strokes, James Mercer from The Shins,
Black Francis, Iggy Pop, etc.) and run them through an album
full of Sparklehorse songs strained through the bleep bloop
DM filter. Throw in a couple tracks voiced by David Lynch (yes,
thee David Lynch), and you have what amounts to an entire record
of ending credit music from a bummer of an indie movie. Ironically,
the only slightly upbeat song is sung by the guy who hanged
himself. And Suzanne Vega (yes, that Suzanne Vega) actually
puts in a star making turn on one of the album's more memorable
tracks. Some of Danger Mouse's background electronic grinds
and squeaks seem a little superfluous from track to track, but
the 70s throw back ambiance that settles over the whole of it
makes the album feel cohesive in a way that a lot of these "guest
star" albums don't usually. The more I listen to it, the more
I actually am beginning to really like it. If only to hear a
glimpse of Grandaddy's past in Lytle. |
Musical Connections:
Broken Bells
Danger Doom
Danger Mouse & Jemini
Gnarls Barkley
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