NPR's First Listen: Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse & David Lynch's 'Dark Night of the Soul'

Danger Mouse aka Brian Burton continues to forge into the arena of alternative rock with another kickass alliance. March saw the release of his awesome collaboration with The Shins' James Mercer under the name Broken Bells. Now, a project with Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous and filmmaker David Lynch titled 'Dark Night of the Soul' drops next week:

Danger Mouse and Mark Linkous (a.k.a. Sparklehorse) first came up with the idea for Dark Night of the Soul while working together on the 2006 Sparklehorse album Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain. Linkous had written a number of songs he wasn't comfortable singing, so Danger Mouse suggested getting someone else to do the vocals. The result is an all-star cast of guest artists on Dark Night, including The Shins' James Mercer (who most recently worked with Danger Mouse on the Broken Bells album), Julian Casablancas of The Strokes and Iggy Pop, each of whom offers his own interpretation of the Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse songs.
-NPR

The entire album is currently streaming on NPR.

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Made it out of the city to Jersey for the All Points West music festival. One of the pleasant surprises for me was Mexico City guitar duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela. I'd heard of the two before, but seeing them live gave me new found appreciation for their music. Even though the rain was really coming down they managed to keep everyone up with a very energetic set. Unfortunately they were followed by Cat Power who made everyone want to slit their wrists. Well, the mood was fun while it lasted.

Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst

At its heart, Conor Oberst's new solo album is about escapism. It would seem unnecessary to most for Conor Oberst to release a "solo" project. He is undeniably the voice of Bright Eyes and the name most associated with the group. Nevertheless he released this self-titled album with Taylor Hollingsworth and Macey Taylor backing him up in place of Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott. Recorded outside of Mexico City it's clear this album wasn't made to indulge Oberst's ego so much as his wanderlust.

Conor Oberst provides a variety of sounds and a myriad of tributes to road-tripping and travel. From the opening, "Cape Canaveral" the listener gets a sense of Oberst's romantic restlessness. From there on it's a mixture of Kerouac, Dylan and twangs of country. All the while Oberst plays on the theme, explicitly stated on "Moab", that "there's nothing that the road can't heal."

As usual, Oberst walks the line between melancholy and cheer. Catchy hooks abound on tracks like "I Don't Want to Die (In the Hospital)" ("Help me get my boots on, help me get my boots on) and "NYC-Gone, Gone" ("Gone, gone from New York City, where you gonna go with a head that empty"). While "Lenders in the Temple" and "Milk Thistle" provide a more pure and mellow brand of angst, the rest of the album finds a balance somewhere in between.

In the end, Oberst has delivered a bittersweet ode to redemptive power of travel. On "Cape Canaveral" Oberst asks, "Hey, hey, hey mother interstate, Can you deliver me from evil?" Given Oberst's love affair with the road, it's hard to say if he found what he was looking for in Mexico. Regardless, he managed to produce a pretty damn good album along the way.

Dr. Dog, Fate

When people hear the name Dr. Dog they expect a hip hop artist. Considering this blog's name and the group's West Philly origins it's not an unreasonable assumption. But defying expectations is precisely how indie rockers Dr. Dog have created a name for themselves.

When you listen to Dr. Dog - their latest album, Fate, released yesterday is no exception - you can't help feeling surprised. This is indie rock? Then why does it sound so pop?

Dr. Dog have been compared to The Beach Boys and The Beatles in their early years. And with their uniquely exuberant style, replete with three part harmonies mixed with heavy guitar, it’s a valid comparison. But be careful before you try to pin them down so quickly.

Fate offers more of the upbeat, but eccentric sound that garnered Dr. Dog a lot of buzz (including a spot on Conan O'Brien that had to be cancelled) when they released We All Belong. But the album obviously incorporates more than just pop influences. Throughout the album there's hints of vaudeville (see "Old Days"), and a distinct modern blues influence on tracks such as "Army of Ancients" and "The Beach". If Jimmy Page, Conor Oberst and David Bowie had a musical menagé å trois, this album might very well be the love child.

On the band's web site they claim an interest in "three-part harmonies, the out-of-doors, hoagies, vegetables and diminished chords" while the influences listed on their Myspace page are R. Stevie Moore, Benjamin Franklin, Andy Kaufman. It's clear the band wants to avoid being labeled as anything other than original. And Fate is nothing if not original.

It's more than that though. It’s also a brilliant blend of sounds and a powerful follow-up to the success that was We All Belong.