In the last couple of years there has been an uprising of the so-called ‘Super Producers’. Most of the music coming from these guys sound like a collection of singles produced for different vocalists by the producer, with the only unifying aspect being a love for noodly jazz (cough.. Ronson… cough) or pulling out ‘unexpected’ covers (cough.. Ronson.. cough) or, in fact, the fact that they’re best mates with said producer. (cough… no point anymore… cough)
However, Dangermouse has managed to negotiate this murky area with an aura of credibility that not surprisingly has been lacking from his equals. Primarily, his ascension has been one to enjoy due to the fact that his intrusion into the public consciousness has been forced by the quality of his musical output.
After the success of past projects Gnarls Barkley, Dangerdoom, The Grey Album, Broken Bells and Gorillaz to name a few, he now turns his attention to an album influenced by the spaghetti western sound tracks of old, and has been able to bring along collaborators Jack White, Norah Jones and acclaimed composer Daniele Luppi. Taking influence from the sound tracks of legends such as Morricone, Dangermouse has crafted a true modern day spaghetti western sound track.
Much like the 2007 album created by devoted Spector-ites Last Shadow Puppets’, “Rome” features such barefaced admiration for the era that it really is hard not to fall in love with this collection.
The partners all lay their musical cards on the table straight from the off, with album opener ‘Theme from Rome’ using all the clarion calls of their 1960s forefathers. With a desperately lonely voice’s shrill wail being accompanied by sandy soft percussion and a lusciously dazed riff, it is the perfect opening credit music for this performance.
It is hard not to delve deeply in to the inner workings of each track on the album, such is the level of thought and craftmaship that has been planted deep within this LP.
With Dangermouse’s past bodies of work highlighting an enviable ability to splice and stick samples together, I half expected the splindly plucked riff from ‘The Gambling Priest’ to have been ‘borrowed’ from the works of Morricone or Tiomkin.
Apart from the over indulgent ‘Black’, this album represents a hugely impressive body of work, with ‘Rose with the Broken Neck’ and ‘The world’ standing out alongside the two previously mentioned tracks as highlights.
Even if you find the thought of listening to a film soundtrack without visual accompaniment a true horror, give this album a chance and you will be richly rewarded. Long live nostalgia!
Tracklisting
01. Theme Of Rome
02. The Rose With The Broken Neck
03. Morning Fog (interlude)
04. Season’s Trees
05. Her Hollow Ways (interlude)
06. Roman Blue
07. Two Against One
08. The Gambling Priest
09. The World (interlude)
10. Black
11. The Matador Has Fallen
12. Morning Fog
13. Problem Queen
14. Her Hollow Ways
15. The World
