The 11 Best Albums by Danger Mouse

One of the signs that a band or artist is truly unique is if it is impossible to cover their songs and do the material justice.  Artists like Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Guns N Roses, even the Beastie Boys have such distinct styles that are so-intricately infused with their personalities that is it virtually impossible for another artist to come along and mirror that originality.  I think this is a sign of a truly great artist.  To create your own voice that is so distinct, you know a song or a voice the instant you hear it.  Today’s pop music is so bland, that there is no difference between the artists.  The singers are interchangeable with the music.  Lady Gaga could swap songs with Justin Bieber and there would be no difference in the quality of the recordings.  Even an artist like Danger Mouse that doesn’t even sing, has a style so unique and distinct, his vision is felt on every song he touches, proving that being original still matters.

Here are the 11 Best albums by Danger Mouse:

1.      Jay-Z/The Beatles - The Grey Album

2.      Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

3.      Danger Mouse and Jemini - Ghetto Pop Life

4.      Beck - Modern Guilt

5.      Gorillaz - Demon Days

6.      The Black Keys - Attack and Release

7.      Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse - Dark Night of the Soul

8.      Martina Topley-Bird - The Blue God

9.      The Good, The Bad, & The Queen - The Good, The Bad, and the Queen

10.  Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

11.  Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask

Buy Danger Mouse & Danielle Luppi's new album, ROME.  now!!


Fun Fact:  In 2006, Danger Mouse and famed  graffiti artist, Bansky, secretly replaced 500 copies of Paris Hilton’s dance album “Paris” on record shelves with a mock album featuring one 40-minute song filled with Paris Hilton sound bites.

The 11 Best Albums By Danger Mouse

I love Netflix. As all of you know, I love making lists. Netflix allows me to make a list of all the movies I want to see. And then sends them to me in the mail to watch for as long as I want. What could be bad about that? Well...I'll tell you...it's everything if you're Warner Bros.

Warner Bros just struck a deal with Netflix to delay all WB titles for 28 days before making them available to rent. This has to be one of the most ass-backwards business decision I've ever heard. Supposedly, this is being done in an effort to influence people to buy more DVDs. How? People on Netflix are renting movies...because they don't want to buy them. And most of the time...probably 99.9% of the time...people are renting movies they've never seen. People don't buy movies they've never seen. And if I didn't bother to go see a movie in the theater...I'm not going to spend MORE money on a DVD for a weaker movie-going experience. Seriously, get your heads out of your asses.

It's not like Warner Bros has been shitting out golden turds either. The Box got terrible reviews and tanked. You're right...that just screams..."Buy me, buy me."

It always boggles my mind how big corps are so resistant technological advances. Don't they know by now...it's those who embrace the future are the ones who last to exist in the future?

Here are the 11 Best albums by Danger Mouse:

1. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

2. Beck - Modern Guilt

3. Danger Mouse and Jemini - Ghetto Pop Life

(The Only One)

4. Jay-z/The Beatles - The Grey Album

5. Gorillaz - Demon Days

6. Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse - Dark Night of the Soul

(Just War)

7. Martina Topley-Bird - The Blue God

8. The Good, The Bad, & The Queen - The Good, The Bad, and the Queen

9. Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

10. The Black Keys - Attack and Release

11. Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask

Buy Danger Mouse's newest collaboration with Shins' lead singer James Mercer (Broken Bells) now!!

The 11 Best Albums of 2009: 12-22 (Part 4)

I've noticed that my excitement for new releases is much lower than it used to be. When a new Pearl Jam album came out...I lined up at midnight at Tower Records just to be the first to buy it. I still go buy albums the day they come out...but it's usually a Tuesday ritual rather than a special treat. But this year...there were a few albums that got my juices going. The 4 unreleased Beck albums were quite nice since they were unavailable in a store. But these were given away for free. So, as cool as they were...anyone could get them. But there was another unreleased album that I got fanatic over. That would be the Sparklehorse/DangerMouse album...why? Because it was never available anywhere. Not to download. Not to buy. Getting a copy wasn't just exciting...it was like a treasure hunt. For those few days while I tracked down each song, I was excited over a new release since...as I had been when waiting in line at midnight.

New month means new $5 albums. Check out the store for the new Lady Gaga, 50 Cent, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Alec Ounsworth, Major Lazer, new Green Day, Wale, Dodos, My Morning Jacket, and a buttload of Christmas albums.

Here is the 11 Best Albums of 2009: 12-22 (Part 4):

12. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
13. Deer Tick - Born On Flag Day (Straight Into A Storm)
14. The Black Crowes - Before The Frost...Until the Freeze
15. The Dead Weather - Horehound
16. White Rabbits - It's Frightening
17. Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
18. Regina Spektor - FAR
19. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul (Revenge)
20. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
21. Depeche Mode - Sounds of the Universe
22. Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine (Little Sad Eyes)

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (34-44)

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (34-44):

34. TV on the Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain (2006)
- No album felt as obscure as TV's sophomore release. And no obscure album ever rocked this hard. It was like the band knew that rock was growing stale and they were going to show us all how it was done...the right way.

35. Feist - Let It Die (2005)
- Feist's debut played like a classic album. With one half original work and one half covers, Feist followed in the footsteps of her vocal idols who commonly did this on their albums. The result was an emotionally rich tapestry that had as maturity as it did youth.

36. Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales (2000)
- Since JJ's break into commercial success, I think everyone has forgotten how much indie cred he scored on his debut. This was one of those albums that spread through word of mouth...in the way good music is supposed to succeed. Years after its release it was still gaining momentum. none of his other albums are as true as this one...and the reason why this one lands so high on this list.

37. Coldplay - Viva La Vida (2008)
- If the 80s had Joshua Tree...then the 00s get Viva La Vida. Yeah...that's right, I'm comparing the epic 80s U2 album to Coldplay. Like JT, VLV was a statement. It was Coldplay thinking big and not holding back. One million people logged into the website at 4 in the morning to grab the first song, "Violet Hill." If you get that much buzz doing anything, you're doing something right.

38. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (2006)
- There's no argument that Amy is a trainwreck and maybe she's one of those people who shouldn't be a star. That doesn't mean her album sucked. Quite the opposite. Most people were blown away after first hearing her...especially when they found she was a Jewish kid from England...and not some songstress from the Bronx. Her vocal range puts to shame anyone who has stepped on the American Idol stage. Folks...this is how it's done.

39. The Frames - The Cost/The Once Soundtrack (2007)
- This is the only true cheat on the list. It was hard to choose between the two since The Once Soundtrack is really just a recreation of The Cost. And without the strength of the Cost...the movie Once would have never been as good or as successful...they would have never won an Oscar...making the Soundtrack more notable, which in turn helped the original album. Get it? (People Get Ready)

40. Danger Mouse - The Grey Album (2004)
- A true landmark album. Was it proof that the Beatles were the greatest rock band of all time...or that Jay-Z was the best rapper? Or was it a combination of a brutal one-two musical punch? It took balls for Danger Mouse to be so confindent to use the Beatles...and it took a lawyer to keep him from getting his pants sued off. It was one of those albums that everyone had to hear...and there was no way to hear it. But if you were lucky enough to find a friend of a friend who could burn it for you...you were not disappointed. (Encore)

41. Kings of Leon - Because The Times (2007)
- The Kings third album feels like a wild party. It starts off mild enough...but with every track, it escalates to a new level of rowdiness. There's a definitely drunken stupor that permeates through the tracks...and an uncertainity of which song will be coming up behind the next corner. This isn't just an album...it's an experience...and one that leaves you with a great feeling just like a wild party worth remembering.

42. Gorillaz - Gorillaz (2001)
- Though the brainchild of Damon Albarn of Blur...the truth is the band doesn't really exist. In fact, they are a purely virtual band...and the best selling virtual band of all time. (19-2000)

43. Weezer - The Green Album (2001)
- Very few bands are ever able to come back from the dead. But no one did it with more style and more pure kick ass lightning in a bottle than this Harvard alum. The whole album clocks in at a mere 28 minutes...shorter than most Timo Maas remixes. But it's not the size that matters...it's how you use it. (Photograph)

44. Spoon - Kill The Moonlight (2002)
- Spoon really became indie rock's little brother over the decade. Though they came out of the underground...more than anyone. They've spent most of the deceade flirting with big time commercial success...but staying just under the surface. All the while, Britt Daniel continued writing rock solid songs. This second album on Merge exhibits the evolution of their style...that wouldn't stop here.

Buy these albums now...yes...right now!!