Danger Mouse Sparklehorse Streams LEGIT @ NPR

London bookies taking bets as to how long it will be before MP3s hit the web.

By Fred Mills

Remember last week when we told you about that stream of the new Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse album Dark Night of the Soul? The one featuring guests like David Lynch (providing "visuals," such as THESE), Iggy Pop, the Flaming Lips, Black Francis and others? It was streaming at the Chrysalis Music Blog and fans were indeed flocking to the stream.

Turns out Chrysalis wasn't supposed to be streaming it at all! Oops! Or so they say - it could have been a hype-boosting p.r. stunt - as there's now a message at the blog saying that the album is no longer available to stream here... We regret that we inadvertently did so. It won't happen again."

Never fear, gentle readers. Just hop over to the NPR Music site, where the album is now streaming in an official capacity. There's also a description from an NPR staffer of the record along with some background information, including these details:

"The songs were written by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, though the myriad singers featured on each track also had a big hand in composing and producing the work. The album will be packaged with a book of photos taken by David Lynch. Can this get any better? I've listened to the album all the way through at least a dozen times, and can confirm that Dark Night of the Soul delivers in every way you'd hope for. It's beautiful but haunting, surreal and dark, but sometimes comical and affecting, with ear-popping, multilayered production work. It just gets more mesmerizing with every listen."

NPR adds that the album isn't due out until July (actual label TBA), and the album/book package will be a limited edition of 5,000. There's also an indication that "for now, no legal downloadable version of the album will be offered."

Operative term "legal download": copies of the album went out to the press last week, and in light of that Wilco album leak Tuesday, which most likely was the result of some eager-beaver journalist uploading his advance, one imagines that any project involving Danger Mouse will hit the web soon enough too.