Album Review: Sparklehorse & Danger Mouse - Dark Night of the Soul
What does one get when cross-breeding the world renowned director of Lost Highway, the sonically visionary half of Gnarls Barkley, and an ensemble cast of musicians spanning The Flaming Lips and The Shins? Some say a hipster’s wet dream, some say the most over-hyped, overpriced 13-track of 2009. Either way, it leaves the staff of CoS wanting something more tangible, something beyond an online stream. Ergo, to avoid fronting the staggering $50+ for a commemorative blank CD-R and a book of David Lynch’s photography, this reviewer did what all hard working Americans do in hard times, he downloaded it.
Since the appearance of the bizarre promotional posters at South by Southwest 2009, two things left me pricking my up ears in anticipation: the mention of both Danger Mouse and David Lynch. For just over two years, Sparklehorse’s one man band Mark Linkous has collaborated with the one and only Danger Mouse to create what we can only assume to be the ultimate self-reflective side project, with considerable focus on the images created by Lynch and the overwhelming support from all the guests featured on Dark Night of the Soul, a few of which have previously worked with Linkous through his Sparklehorse moniker.
So looking past the sly marketing and curious imagery, does Dark Night of the Soul stack up to even the philosophy its title is shared with? Oddly, it comes incredibly close, but not enough to warrant the asking price. We can assume that the blank discs you get with your paid order are meant to facilitate the MP3s easily found online for free, since current legal disputes prohibit EMI from releasing any songs officially. Therefore, you pay $50 for a photo collection (from a famous filmmaker, no less) and a piece of cheap plastic. If you are an insanely giddy collector of Twin Peaks memorabilia, this may appeal to you, but for others it feels mildly egotistical.
Musically, what you receive upon entering the first song “Revenge” is …Pink Robots-era Wayne Coyne singing of a vengeful fantasy alongside dreamscapes of auditory bliss. The track could be at home beside a number of Guster’s soundtrack appearances. While that might make for cookie cutter songwriting, please note that the album itself seems to play out like the score to an unfinished Lynch film, appropriately. Also fitting is the next song, “Just War” featuring Super Furry Animals mastermind Gruff Rhys who puts on a mild sheen of “Juxtaposition with U”, giving us something like an Amnesiac throwback with jingle-jangle appeal. It should be mentioned that Mark Linkous did work with Thom Yorke previously for a Pink Floyd cover, so maybe this rubbed off on him somewhat.
Keeping in stride with synth pop sensibilities and indie rock persuasions, we get the lesser of two appearances by Granddaddy’s Jason Lytle on “Jaykub” before cutting to the most famous dark circled eyes in alternative since Liam Gallagher, Julian Casablancas. The Strokes’ front man takes the voice later copied by the likes of The Killers and cements his place with phenomenal track “Little Girl”:
You tortured little girl,
showing them what life is all about.
Where did all the wine go?
Every night it’s gone.You got it all worked out,
funny little girl,
showing them what fate is all about.
Where did all the time go?
Every night it’s gone, gone, gone.
After Casablancas’ foray into collaborating with Linkous and Danger Mouse, we get another quite respected face thrown in with Black Francis giving a well-known Pixies distorted edge to “Angel’s Harp”. This is by far the best track on Dark Night of the Soul, the second being Jason Lytle’s saving grace titled “Everytime I’m With You” and third being Iggy Pop’s twisted Willy Wonka-boat-trip-fuck-all, simply called “Pain”. This trio of songs makes the entire album worth hearing with Francis’ electronic crashes meshing with religious metaphors, Lytle’s nearly perfect attempt at what brings back memories of the Six Feet Under opening theme, and Iggy Pop’s no mercy middle finger doused in white noise and harmonizing ghosts.
Give or take a few glimpses of auditory dementia, probably alluding to St. John’s famous treatise about spiritual loneliness, the latter half of Dark Night of the Soul feels like it is gradually fading out into gentle sleepy obscurity. “Insane Lullaby” features The Shins’ James Mercer scoring what seems to be the hallucinations of an asylum patient’s childhood memories. Past this we get another Sparklehorse collaborator, The Cardigans’ own Nina Persson on back-to-back songs “Daddy’s Gone” and “The Man Who Played God”. This is a truly astonishing female vocalist, and for those who are not familiar they simply need to listen here.
Persson’s first inclusion feels like a genetic blend of The Flaming Lips and Tori Amos while the second comes off as properly chilling but also extremely breathtaking. Following the only throwaway (a Vic Chessnutt donation called “Grain Augury”), the title track finishes us off with something that would probably be trivial used any other way - the clicks and redundancies of a skipping record married to gloomy jazz accoutrement and haunting vocals by David Lynch himself.
On the whole Dark Night of the Soul actually lives up to its namesake, accurately depicting recurring themes in the visions of Lynch and the stranger side of all artists involved. While I admit the lengths in keeping this psychedelic regalia mysterious were mildly overdone, not even that can deride me from admiring Dark Night of the Soul for what it is - a nearly perfect album much like a great drug to lose your mind on. If the book were a might bit cheaper, I would easily recommend buying it if only out of sheer curiosity. The group effort presented here gives me faith that more ambitious projects could easily succeed in the near future (Folds and Hornby, I dare you to do better).
Rating: 
Check Out:
Dark Night of the Soul
On another note…
that also includes a difference of opinion as to what we liked and what you liked. In the end, you still saw Sparklehorse, got the music, and overall enjoyed it.
Honestly, does anyone get the concept of an “opinion”? I don’t ask that you take my word as gospel, that would be a tad pretentious yes? Either way, I stand by my selections and found this album as a whole a fitting inclusion to my play list.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I, but if not that’s your prerogative.
The reference to Radiohead was a matter of perspective, nothing more. If it offended then all apologies, but really a “rebuttal”? This is not a session of Congress or a courtroom proceeding (Ginger King is better suited to that arena, I think).
So I disliked that track…if I gave the album high marks, and you liked the album, does it really matter as to each others’ reasoning why? It’s still a good album, I really don’t understand. If you disliked the record, I could see making a fuss over high marks like any typical commentator. Personally, this approach doesn’t make a lick of sense and comes off as snide hipster tones.
For the record, Grim Augury is not a bad musical entity so congrats on supporting your fandom…but in the future I recommend hunting said act’s album reviews. Mocking this whole article based on a single song I happened not to be fond of is needlessly splitting hairs.
Barstool couldnt have said it any better. This album has opened up a world of music to me i never knew existed. First heard it on NPR. Best songs are from Jason Lytle, revenge and then Grim Augury. The imagery and sound of Grim is just mesmorizing.. Thanks to all who put so much heart into this collection.
The reviewer needs to take another listen.
I got this album the moment it leaked because I am a dye-in-the-wool Sparklehorse fan.
I must say I came across this review because I was Googling “Grim Augury”, which I found to be the amazing standout track in this album. This track alone has me suddenly searching the world over for all these old Vic Chesnutt albums, a man I’ve never heard of until this album.
This track alone has me on the verge of sending Mark Linkous a series of pestering messages, in one way or another, begging him to produce an entire Vic Chesnutt album.
So anyway, I’m obsessed. I went on to read this review, and found that the greatest musical gem I have uncovered this year being called “[the album's] only throwaway”.
I must lodge a rebuttal to this entire review, in case Mark Linkous is reading.
First of all, “Just War” has no sounds in it that remind me of any Radiohead track at all, from Amnesiac or any album.
Then, the tracks that you listed as the “best”, I considered the worst. “Angel’s Harp”, and especially “Pain”, bring my finger immediately to the track-forward button.
I also found David Lynch himself to be a surprisingly interesting singer in the two songs he performs in.
I’ve said what I needed to say. Carry on.
this is late, but some of the tags on the (most easily found, it seems) mp3 tracks are certainly incorrect. Suzanne Vega (whose voice can melt chocolate) is the singer of “The Man Who Played God,” as Toothpick pointed out.
in addition, David Lynch himself provides the vocals for Star Eyes (I Can Catch It) and the title track, not James Mercer and Vic Chesnutt, respectively.
I would also guess that the track title should be “Grim Augury,” as “Grain Augury” doesn’t really make sense, but hey…you can name a song whatever you please
This album is not so much “emo” as it is introspective - by that I mean if one were to have a so-called Dark Night shrouded amidst their Soul, this would in my opinion be a suitable soundtrack for the events unfolding.
Elements of Linkous’ departure from more chaotic Sparklehorse renderings, Lynch’s “film noir” imagery and psychedelia approach, and the profound variety of vocalists and talents present on this recording - all positive things.
Admittedly, I was not intimately familiar with Linkous’ entire back catalog…
but if he continues in the direction he has taken here I will be a fond listener from this point forward.
What makes you think Nina Persson had anything to do with “The Man Who Played God”? Melody, lyrics, and vocals are all Suzanne Vega. You’re right that it’s extremely breathtaking, though.
Fantastic album, too bad the mp3s are such bad quality compared to the crispy sound on npr.org (exclusive first listen). I really wish they resolve the legal issues soon so we can get the actual CD. The $31 photo book with the blank CD-R is not available at Amazon yet, no date published.
And BTW, the album is not emo at all. It is not a Sparklehorse release and it is actually great to see Mark Linkous depart a bit from this genre, a bit like Anthony Green (Saosin, Circa Survive) did with his solo Avalon album.
Perhaps alternative rock would be a better tag if you absolutely need to classify the album as a whole, but you’ll see that a few songs are kind of different.
I don’t find the lyrics “lame” either, as Troll said. It’s more like poetry to me, but these are songs, so the music comes first. Just to illustrate, listen to Star Eyes and you can feel that the lyrics’ greatest role is to punctuate and enhance the melody. They are beautiful as well, it’s the instrumental version of the song that would be lame: The song is a whole that you can’t really split into music and lyrics without breaking that wonder, just try to split a human into separate mind and body entities…
trolomatic on May 19th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
“Lyrics were pretty emo and lame”
What a profoundly insightful dissection of this album! How unfortunate you’re unable to see past your own veils to appreciate its real beauty.
To John,
Casablancas was a good motivation for listening, but I for one delved in simply hearing the words “Lynch” and “Pixies”. That should be enough for anyone, I’d think.
(thanks to tin for informing us of Amazon’s price cut)
The Book and CD-R actually only costs around $35 on amazon.com so you can recommend it now.
Did anyone else only care about this because Julian was on it?
Album was ok in my opinion.
would have opted for an instrumental version. Lyrics were pretty emo and lame.
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