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Dark Night Of The Soul
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Dark Night Of The Soul Image
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

  • Summary: Originally, the album was to be released with a book of photographs by director David Lynch and vocals by such artists as The Flaming Lips, Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys, Jason Lytle, the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, Frank Black, Iggy Pop, the Shins' James Mercer, Suzanne Vega, VicOriginally, the album was to be released with a book of photographs by director David Lynch and vocals by such artists as The Flaming Lips, Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys, Jason Lytle, the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, Frank Black, Iggy Pop, the Shins' James Mercer, Suzanne Vega, Vic Chestnut, The Cardigans' Nina Persson, and David Lynch.… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Clash Music
    90
    Amongst the army of incredible contributors, all unified by melancholic production drawn from the ether of another age, David Lynch's star shimmers brightest.
  2. Lost At Sea
    89
    It's a shame if Dark Night of the Soul ends up relegated to a cult souvenir; it's truly exceptional as music.
  3. Boston Globe
    80
    As much as Dark Night of the Soul hinges on its creators' vision, the album comes to life through its collaborators.
  4. Billboard.com
    72
    It's the airtight beats of Danger Mouse and the surreal songwriting of Linkous that make this a fascinating set.
  5. No Ripcord
    70
    As it stands, there is a lot to like here and a lot to digest. One advantage to having so many vocalists is that each song can be separated and dealt with accordingly, giving the record the sort of film soundtrack feel I think the principle authors were aiming for. Other than that, this unburdens Sparklehorse fans slightly of the wait between albums by providing a mainly interesting and, at times, genuinely moving distraction.
  6. The A.V. Club
    67
    Dark Night is a vocal showcase: Lynch, James Mercer of The Shins and Broken Bells, The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, Iggy Pop, and several more stamp the tracks with appropriately brooding vocals. Only a few really stick, and not always in a good way.
  7. Under The Radar
    50
    Most of the songs play like invertebrate retreads of Flaming Lips and Grandaddy-styled pomp. [Summer 2009, p.65]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 30 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. KhalilJAli
    Dec 27, 2010
    10
    I could have potentially written about this album last yearâ
  2. FelipeR.
    Jun 28, 2009
    10
    Awesome album!
  4. KoryM.
    Jun 30, 2009
    10
    Simply, one of the greatest albums I have ever heard. It will be a d@mn shame if this piece of art never sees the light of day. NPR has had a Simply, one of the greatest albums I have ever heard. It will be a d@mn shame if this piece of art never sees the light of day. NPR has had a stream up for at least a month...listen while you can.… Expand
  5. Sjoerd
    Jun 27, 2009
    9
    It's dark and brooding. I love the atmosphere of the album, and apart from that, the music is just great.
  6. SlobodanR.
    Jun 28, 2009
    9
    Beautiful.
  7. Ricko
    Jan 3, 2014
    8
    Dark Night of the Soul is a collection of great songs with an all star cast of collaborators but in the end the result is less than the sum ofDark Night of the Soul is a collection of great songs with an all star cast of collaborators but in the end the result is less than the sum of the parts. I say this as I was expecting a total beast of a record but instead just found a really good one. The who's who of indie is present on a record that mixes excellent songwriting with sharp production and is well worth getting hold of. What goes against the record slightly is the number of different collaborations. This tends to take away for the continuity of the album. For example we get a trio of rock numbers in Little Girl, Angel's Harp and Pain in the middle of an otherwise very laid back and chilled out record. These songs kind of come out of nowhere and disappear again. I will say that I did come to the record expecting a little bit more but the record is nothing if not interesting and I'd recommend it to anyone into either Dangermouse or Sparklehorse.… Expand
  8. [Anonymous]
    Aug 30, 2009
    6
    Generally good songs with little lasting power.

See all 12 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Most Discussed Album of 2010

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