Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi
May 16, 2011
Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) is the kind of artist who never stays still for very long. He has done many diverse projects over the years -- such as Gnarls Barley and Broken Bells, and his work with Gorillaz and Sparklehorse -- and his latest effort is a collaboration with composer Daniele Luppi called "Rome."
Inspired by classic Italian film music, the project features Jack White, Norah Jones and original musicians from classic Ennio Morricone scores. Burton and Luppi first met in Los Angeles in 2004. Luppi, a composer from Italy, was receiving acclaim for his album "An Italian Story," which revisited the cinematic sounds of his childhood. (He has also written music for the screen -'Sex and the City," "Nine" - and later worked with Burton on arrangements for Gnarls Barkley, Dark Night of the Soul and Broken Bells.)
United by their shared passion for classic Italian film music, they decided to create something special. After an intense songwriting period - separately at first and then together as the songs evolved - they travelled to Rome in October 2006. Luppi made some calls and they assembled the original musicians from films such as "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "Once Upon a Time in the West." Most of the musicians were in their '70s and hadn't worked together for several decades. Return journeys were made to record the choir and full orchestra.
The next step was finding two lead vocalists who could do justice to the songs - three of which had been written for a man and three for a woman. They ended up with White (recordings were done in Nashville) and Jones (recordings were done in L.A.).
Subsequently, acclaimed director and photographer Chris Milk was enlisted as 'Visual Director' and, finally, after half a decade of hard work, the album was mixed and completed.
White's "Two Against One" and Jones' "Black" are already getting significant airplay at several formats. Other standout tracks include "Seasons Trees" (with Jones) and "The World" (with White). But to fully appreciate "Rome," the project is meant to be listened to in its entirety.
"I'm so happy with how it's turned out, but it's been a real labor of love," said Burton, who funded the whole project himself. "It's taken up a lot of time and effort, not to mention the cost, but it's because it had to be a certain way."
Luppi has described the project as "a small window on human life, touching on love, death, happiness, desperation, and the visceral connection of a man and a woman."
"Rome" has been getting great press from such outlets as Relix, Rolling Stone and Spin. For more about the project visit www.romealbum.com.