4 out of 5

Label: Astralwerks / Capitol

Produced by: Danger Mouse, Dave Fridmann, Mark Linkous

Evolving from the folk-tinged rock roots of the Dave Lowery produced Vivadixie… and Good Morning Spider, Linkous took a logical step toward the sonically-inclined Flaming Lips-er Dave Fridmann for It’s a Wonderful Life, which, as could be expected from such a team-up, was a rather accessible fare.  It was still Sparklehorse – catchy pop / rock supported by an omnipresent cloud of gloom – but from the artwork to the A-list cameos, it felt like something of a fake-out; like a sad album for the masses.  Where to go from there?  And what to make of talks that Linkous would next be teaming up with electro artist Fennesz?

It turned into Danger Mouse, and it produced ‘Dreamt…,’ a fittingly full realization of Linkous’ smiling-through-pain mentality, full of anthems and rainy-day themes but more importantly filled, start to finish, with wonderful aural subtleties that Fridmann’s shinier approach maybe overlooked.

You’ll still spot some lyrics that feel a bit too conveniently packaged (though this is a rhyming habit that stretches back to Linkous’ debut), and the sequencing stacks a lot of the quiet and loud tracks together, which ends up making the album’s full impact take a couple of listens to appreciate.  But even on the first go-round the highlights are readily apparent: the hooks in opener ‘Don’t Take My Sunshine Away,’ or the utterly wonderfully sorrowful emotions of ‘Ghost in the Sky.’  Hints of the need for a second listen are slowly trailed out at the end of the concluding song, also the title track – DM and Sparklehorse let piano and strings tip-toe around the song’s theme for eight or so minutes, ebbing and flowing evocatively, letting us down into the same type of subtle distortions that begin the album.  It’s the kind of patient approach that makes you want to dig in.

And when you do, well, it paints a sad picture.  But that’s the picture Linkous wants to paint, and it’s probably why we’re here.