Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul

A collaborative album from Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse will raise few eyebrows, given both acts' prior prolificacy as musical magpies – with a plethora of guest acts on their own projects – and having already worked together on Sparklehorse’s final LP, Dreamt for Lightyears in the Belly of a Mountain.

No shock then that their second joint endeavour should boast involvement from such pinups as The Flaming Lips, Vic Chesnutt and Iggy Pop, with celluloid-surrealist David Lynch providing a collection of photography inspired by the album. But is there any real weight behind the high-profile cameos and associated grandeur? In short, yes.

Insane Lullaby, finds James Mercer’s lilt contrasting wonderfully with an impenetrable fuzz of budget distortion; unlikely inclusion Suzanne Vega fronts sad-eyed album highlight The Man Who Played God, while Black Francis weirds-up Angel’s Harp with his alien wail. A feverish journey, by turns Dark Night Of The Soul is a sombre and dizzyingly eclectic collection. [Paul Neeson]