Dark Night of the Soul

Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse: long expected tandem

Mark Linkous, the founder of group Sparklehorse, was a talented musician with not a simple story: he got to hospital in 1996 because of alcohol and some other substances abuse seriously damaging his legs. Never having fully recovered Linkous continued recording albums and collaborating with various artists. Mark Linkous shot himself this March. Brian Joseph Burton, better known as Danger Mouse, is a producer too shy to show his face on public (hence his first performances wearing a mouse costume) and too fertile to work within one project only (hence his name noticed in so many bands and albums). His most significant work in the current decade is the project Gnarls Barkley but this is far from his only child. The musician and the producer recorded their album Dark Night Of The Soul not so long ago, its official release has taken place this summer.

A unique album Dark Night Of The Soul

The album Dark Night Of The Soul, in the recording of which ten other performers and film director David Lynch have taken part, is 13 compositions have a deep meaning, built around unusual metaphors created by Mark Linkous. The record opens with the composition Revenge performed by the American band Flaming Lips known for its melancholic music, and it feels at ease here. Very melodious, refined with violins, many-layered vocals and low drums, Revenge makes it clear at once that this is a unique album. The measured song Just War on which the vocals are performed by the Welsh multi-instrumentalist Gruff Rhys confirms it; the singer refines it with his whistling at the end. One of the album’s strangest numbers Jaykub performed by Jason Lytle is remarkable for extremely simple and thus mysterious lyrics and a memorable tune. The Strokes’ front man Julian Casablancas performs a more up-tempo song Little Girl with breaking guitars and a heavier sounding but it seems a fuzz in comparison with a eerie composition Pain, Iggy Pop’s contribution. Another interesting moment is the track Insane Lullaby with quite a suitable title: The Shins’ front man James Mercer with whom Danger Mouse has made the project Broken Bells, can lull only a madman. Yet the tensest, most worrisome and dark is the title track Dark Night Of The Soul on which David Lynch’s unique voice plays the leading role.

An unusual, strange, melancholic and multifaceted record

Although the album Dark Night Of The Soul was finished last year, these songs were only available as a download from the Internet because of Danger Mouse’ differences with the recording label. Yet already then one could purchase the attached booklet containing 100 photos made personally by David Lynch to illustrate the music. The latter definitely reflects late Mark Linkous’ inner world, and Danger Mouse and the guest artists rather underline it. At the same time the producer’s figure on Dark Night Of The Soul, as well as on all of his other creations, plays the crucial part because it is him who decides how this or that composition is supposed to sound in the end. Burton himself thinks that his work can only be compared to that of film directors, for instance, his favorite Woody Allen. Anyway, the unusual, strange, melancholic and multifaceted record Dark Night Of The Soul has become Mark Linkous’ last work and deserves attention already for that reason, and after listening to it you will surely answer the question why his name is going to remain in the world music culture history.