2010 has been flying by and seeing as how we’re more than halfway through 2010, I figured I would share some my favorite albums thus far. For the time being, I’ve gone ahead and just put them all in alphabetical order. There has been so much good music released this year, it’s going to be really hard to do my annual “best of…” list at the end of the year.
The long awaited collaboration between Danger Mouse, Mark Linkous (aka Sparklehorse), and David Lynch, Dark Night of the Soul, is being released today. To sum things up…WOW.
Tragically, Linkous took his own life earlier this year, which unfortunately resonates throughout the record. But I actually find the record to be quite uplifting and tribute to Linkous’s artistry.
How this record came to be is quite interesting. The idea first came to fruitition when Danger Mouse was working with Linkous on the last Sparklehorse record, Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain. Apparently, Linkous had written a number of songs he wasn’t comfortable singing, so Danger Mouse suggested guest vocals. Along with Danger Mouse, Linkous, and Lynch, other artists lending their talents include Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips), James Mercer (The Shins, Broken Bells), Iggy Pop, Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Frank Black (The Pixies), and Nina Persson (The Cardigans).
As always, Danger Mouse’s production is as close to perfection as you could ask for. Linkous’s lyrics are hauntingly surreal with dark and light themes, and with photographs created by David Lynch to capture the visual aspects of the record (he also lends his vocal talents to a couple of tracks), you have the ingredients for purely fantastic record.
Key Tracks: Revenge, Just War, Star Eyes, Daddy’s Gone
Dark Night of the Soul is currently available to listen in it’s entirety at NPR Music.
More at http://www.dnots.com/
I have to admit, i’ve been super lazy when it comes to original posts lately. At my other job (the one that pays the bills that is), we run a youth camp every Summer for 8 weeks and we are just about done with the first week. Needless to say, i’ve been running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off for the last month or so. However, things finally seem to be slowing down which means I should have more time to focus on sharing the music I love with the masses.
