Danger Mouse + Daniele Luppi - Rome

Danger Mouse -- aka Brian Burton -- and Italian composer Daniele Luppi have spent five years, on and off, in the development of Rome, an ambitious symphonic conceptual project that utilizes classic "spaghetti western" themes as a jumping off point for noirish excursions of the dreamy variety. Featuring guest vocalists Jack White (who contributed lyrics as well) and Norah Jones, Rome arrives May 17. “Rome seems to have fed into everything I’ve done – you can hear it in a lot of Gnarls Barkley, it’s all over Broken Bells too," says Burton. "I get a lot of offers to do film soundtracks and I’ve never said yes, because no one has heard this yet, and I think some people still think of me as a hip-hop producer. But this is what I would actually do, if I were to make a soundtrack."

Burton and Luppi met in 2005 and quickly discovered that they shared a love for 60's Italian soundtracks, particularly those associated with the classic Clint Eastwood westerns scored by Sergio Leone, and the album's conception began shortly after. "It is about love, death, happiness – the visceral connection of man and women, " says Luppi. "It’s a dark vibe, melancholic, a little foggy." That particular mindset runs deep through tracks such as the "Hotel California"-distorted "Black" (featuring Norah Jones), the farfisa-soaked "The Matador Has Fallen" and Jack White's rambling "Two Against One". Reminiscent at times of a Quentin Tarrentino soundtrack, Rome balances retro-kitsch stylings with some inspired thematic riffs for an album that plays like a dusty soundtrack for a 3am sleepwalk.

Official Rome Site  

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - "Black" (with Norah Jones) (from Rome)

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - "Two Against One" (with Jack White) (from Rome)

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - "Season's Trees" (excerpt - with Norah Jones) (from Rome)