20/05/2009
It’s a what now?
Not sure what to make of Danger Mouse’s latest move. (via the always awesome Coolfer)
Is it genius or just pretentious?
An F.U. to the man or a publicity stunt?
Savvy or a clue that another taste maker is losing touch?
Ultimately, Dark Night of the Soul should probably be judged on it’s on musical merits, not it’s marketing. Personally, I’m undecided on the s
ongs at this point — but I don’t think you could call it a disaster.
I’m not even sure what to make of the David Lynch album art now — had it merely appeared with traditional vinyl or cd, I probably wouldn’t have blinked. Had Danger Mouse simply eschewed any semblance of a traditional release, I’d also take it in stride — but I’d also take him more seriously.
Never has an artist need a record label less. Unlike the considerably more important Radiohead or NIN, he made his own name with the Grey Album. I think he also showed he had some talent and staying power (Girl Talk take note) producing for the Gorillaz (no relation) and Beck (I don’t think spottiness of that album is his fault). He then followed the path of Pharrell and pursued a certain amount of celebrity with Gnarls — cashing in with “Crazy” and delivering a very coherent and enjoyable first album in the process.
That album seemed to leak a lifetime before the actual release — if anything it should have said to record labels that a well thought out leak can be worth more than a thousand focus groups and help you build a money making hit in the mass market.
This move suggest he’s at odds with the record label, but presumably this release isn’t part of the Gnarls contract. Why did he even sign a personal deal with EMI? And why would EMI agree to the release of a product that seems to undermine them in an even more fundamental way than any leak or torrent ever could.
I guess I’m just not buying it metaphorically or literally. I smell another one-off money grab from an industry that really needs to be thinking about creating solutions that work for content producers and consumers — not more tired gimmicks.
Text posted at 12:04
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