The best album that won't be released in 09

In 2003 or 2004, I heard this album called "The Gray Album", a tour de force full length record of mash-ups that mixed every single vocal track from rapper Jay-Z's "The Black Album" with nothing but beats, sounds and samples taken from The Beatles' "The White Album". Beyond being a technical marvel, it was lots of fun, so I looked around a bit to learn more about this guy who made it, whom called himself Danger Mouse.

Already famous in DJ and mixer circles at the time, he was an unknown to me. A few years later, he produced a couple of albums and remixes and later appeared as half of Gnarls Barkley. This duo made a Rap and R&B crossover with rock and roll that was very danceable, irreverent and packed a lot of charisma. To me it was instant love. Later, he goes on and produces "Demon Days", the second Gorillaz album, refreshing their sound and helping shape a record infinitely better than the virtual band's début.

Later Gnarls Barkley recorded a second album. Not an instantaneous hit as the first one, but very good nevertheless and clearly a progression from all the paths laid out on the first album. After that he went on to produce two amazing rock albums: The Black Keys' "Attack & Release" and Beck's latest, "Modern Guilt". In the latter, he used all the tricks in the book, both analogue and digital, to recreate a 60s soundscape that clearly matched Beck's aesthetic vision for the material.

Needless to say at this point, I'm a fan. So I was very excited when news broke, a month ago, that radio stations, music sites and magazines were receiving mysterious posters with a dark photo saying: Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse presents "Dark Night of the Soul". Visuals by David Lynch. Sparklehorse being the recording name of american guitarist Mark Linkous, famous for his sparse, introspective, cinematic even, brand of rock and roll and what the critics like to tag "southern gothic".

By last week the mystery was over: Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse recorded an album together, both collaborating in all tracks, performance, arrangement and production. Artwork and visual material would be entitled to cult film director David Lynch. And on vocals, a different guest in each track, including Mr. Lynch twice, whom I've known to be a composer since his Twin Peaks days, but had never before heard sing.

This album's guest list seemed to have been made by browsing my CD collection: there's The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys (from Super Furry Animals), Jason Lytle (of the late great band Granddaddy), Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Frank Black (Pixies), Iggy Pop, David Lynch, James Mercer (The Shins), Mark Linkous (from Sparklehorse, ha!) in a duet with Nina Persson (Cardigans), plus Suzanne Vega and Vic Chestnutt.

The album was supposed to be released independently some time next month, but in a clear move to destroy what little reputation record labels still have left, EMI has halted the project, claiming Danger Mouse have a pending legal dispute with them and threatening to sue him. So now the project is delayed indefinitely, and will most likely be scrapped. You can still go to their official site, www.dnots.com, and order the album's lush packaging that includes a 100-page book of photos by David Lynch, based on and inspired by the music. You'll also get a lovely disc with the printed label on one side, but nothing on the other. A blank CD-R.

It bears the following warning: "For legal reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will." At the official site, Mr. Mouse says he's proud of the album and hopes fans lucky enough to hear it "by whatever means" will be just as excited as he is.

Having heard it non stop for a few days, I can tell you it's wonderful. One of the year's best. Or rather it would be if it's ever officially released. In the meantime, you can listen to the whole thing, legally and for free, at the NPR's First Listen site. And should you decide you really like it and follow Mr. Mouse's suggestion of getting a copy "by whatever means", these (while not at all legal) are also pretty much circulating. Just remember to check the official site so you can order a lovely book that comes with a very fancy CD-R in which to burn it.