Lux Prima
“There was no road map for this whatsoever,” Karen O told Beats 1 about her far-out collaboration with Brian Burton, the Grammy-winning producer known as Danger Mouse (Beck, Gorillaz, Broken Bells). Such stylistic freedom may have felt new for the singer, who has spent the past two decades fronting the New York rock trio the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But after concluding her label contract and, in 2015, giving birth to her first child, she suddenly faced a blank canvas—a fresh start that pushed her in a new direction: “Brian and I realized that we had a similar love for \'90s R&B dance music.” Colorful, funky, and experimental, *Lux Prima* is a vision quest of distorted synths and lo-fi atmospheres littered with left turns: the spoken-word mutterings on “Drown,” the combative chants and howls on “Woman,” the disco-fied seduction of “Leopard’s Tongue.” On the gauzy, groovy “Turn the Light,” she mixes Donna Summer escapism with off-kilter soul. “Starry, starry night/This is how I want to live,” she sings in a weightless whisper. “Gonna lay me down in love/I got so much more to give.” “We were making an album we were trying to listen to as opposed to making an album that we wanted to play,” Burton said. “So that\'s kind of how we made the record.”
Karen O and Danger Mouse have concocted a lush, vivid world on their dreamy and poignant collaboration.
Best Fit reviews Lux Prima, the debut record from Karen O and Danger Mouse.
The duo take up residency a few lunar resorts over from Arctic Monkeys' Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino on this stately, cinematic album.
Anton Newcombe sounds self-assured on The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s 18th album, while a meeting of two wildly different minds proves fruitful for Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O and producer Danger Mouse
Her partner in this balancing act is Danger Mouse, whose lush, funky production harks back to his work with Gnarls Barkley; "Drown," with its layered strings, electric piano and mellow acoustic strumming, is an archetypal example of his sound.
While it is endearing to hear Karen O working with a more patient form of songwriting, the raw energy and emotion of her best work isn’t present on Lux Prima.
Danger Mouse has a habit of smoothing out his collaborators' rough edges, giving everything a futuristic, synth-laden sheen. His latest team...
Any doubts that one may have about Karen O (enigmatic lead singer of Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and artist/producer Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, Broken Bells, Gorillaz, etc.) making strange bedfellows are quickly dismissed upon hearing the imaginative and gratifyi
Iconic Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ front-woman Karen O and world-renowned producer Danger Mouse set their stall out early with the theatrical introduction
As odd music couples go, this one makes more sense with every listen – Karen O and Danger Mouse's collaborative album 'Lux Prima'.
'Lux Prima' by Karen O and Danger Mouse, album review by Adam Williams. The full-length comes out on March 15th via BMG Records
The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s frontwoman shines beyond her signature yelp on this cinematic, subtle album