Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse project gets proper release in wake of Mark Linkous' death

Dark Night Of The Soul is an album by audio auteur Danger Mouse and the already much-missed Sparklehorse.  The record sees the pair joined by the following remarkable roll call of guests: The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys, Jason Lytle, Julian Casablancas, Black Francis, Iggy Pop, David Lynch, James Mercer, Nina Persson, Suzanne Vega and Vic Chesnutt.

Rumours of this mysterious collaborative project began to circulate in early 2009 sparking widespread anticipation and excitement. However, whilst Dark Night Of The Soulsuccessfully manifested itself as both a limited edition art book with enclosed blank CDR and an audio-visual gallery installation, its music was never officially made available. Now, following months of talks, Danger Mouse and EMI are excited and proud to announce that Dark Night Of The Soul will be released worldwide in July.

Whilst this beautiful, haunting record being made widely and legitimately available is undoubtedly a cause for celebration, the news is shadowed by sadness following the recent passing of Mark Linkous, who released and performed under the Sparklehorse pseudonym. Dark Night Of The Soul will now stand as a de facto tribute to this well-loved, stunningly talented yet often-overlooked artist and has received the blessing of Mark's family who have issued the following statement: "Mark felt that it was an honor to be able to collaborate with so many of the artists on this record. His time and dedication to this project was immense and his hopes for its release are finally being realized. We are glad that people will now be able to hear these songs and know the beautiful gift that Mark shared with all of us through his music."

Danger Mouse adds: "I told Mark that we'd worked things out with EMI back in January and he was very happy that the album was finally going to be released this year. Mark meant a great deal to a lot of people and I'm grateful to have made music with him and to be a part of his legacy."

Dark Night Of The Soul is also dedicated to the memory of Vic Chesnutt.

In addition to featuring on two songs, David Lynch has created a series of original photographs for Dark Night Of The Soul adding a spectacular visual dimension that will be incorporated in to the artwork for this already unparalleled project.  

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse's Dark Night Of The Soul will be released on 12th July in the UK through Parlophone/EMI and on 13th July in the US via EMI's Capitol Records.

www.dnots.com