The Karen O and Danger Mouse collaboration is nothing short of perfect and their new single “Perfect Day” is sweet ballad describing a wonderfully, light and joyous moment in time. Karen O’s voice lulls you into the freedom and bliss of spending time in the moment, whether drinking sangria at the park, feeding animals at the zoo then later a movie before heading home. This song is a cover of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” which came out in 1972. In this version, Karen O dreamily reminds you how you can pass the time with your beloved before the song fades by reminding you how you’re going to reap just what you sow.
Karen O and Danger Mouse teamed up earlier this year for their collaborative LP Lux Prima. They also performed the song, “Woman” on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” which was done so well with dancers coming out in white tank tops, black slacks while barefoot. They clap their hands, while humming then rock the guitarists back and forth as they start to perform. They then grab Karen O who busts on the stage in all her glory and full force. The lyrics, “I’m a woman, what you see.” The theatrical performance was shot in black and white and directed by Spike Jonze.
Lux Prima is a nine minute song and prime example of their genius collaboration. The song starts out with a hollow yet relaxing beat then morphs into a completely tranformative vibe with Karen O’s vocals breathing through in a slow and sultry fashion. The beat moves slowly before moving through a harmonizing backdrop against lyrics, “No eyes open, no eyes closed. No smoke on your breath. No sun on the glass, no darkness. I’m nowhere, I’m no one, I’m nobody. There’s nobody but you.”
In their song, “Turn the Light” Karen O’s vocals and rhythm are captured in a mesmerizing harmony. The song, “Ministry” is another awesome song the two have developed about love and dedication to a relationship. The lyrics flow so impeccably, “Heaven up above, may lift my thoughts of you. Hand that touched the earth, make me lovely and touch me too. Make me crystal pure, cast my heart anew. Day by day, I turn my dreams into a ministry of her love.”
Danger Mouse the man behind the curtain (so to speak) creates the ultra solid duo and no doubt has been nominated for 19 Grammy Awards and won six. He has been nominated for Producer of the Year five times, and won the award in 2011.
In an interview by The New York Times magazine, Danger Mouse was compared to a film auteur, basing his music production philosophy on the cinematic philosophy of directors like Woody Allen. “Woody Allen was an auteur: he did his thing, and that particular thing was completely his own”, he said. “That’s what I decided to do with music. I want to create a director’s role within music, which is what I tried to do on this album (St. Elsewhere)… I can create different kinds of musical worlds, but the artist needs the desire to go into that world… Musically, there is no one who has the career I want. That’s why I have to use film directors as a model.”
Photo Credit: Brett Padelford
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