Dark Night of the Soul, the hotly anticipated new album by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, will be “released” as a blank recordable CD with a note encouraging fans to download it from an illegal filesharing network. Although the album can be heard through an authorised internet stream, it will not receive an official physical or digital release, the group have announced, due to an unspecified legal dispute with EMI.Unable to purchase the music, fans are encouraged to buy the project’s accompanying book, with photographs by filmmaker David Lynch, which comes with a blank recordable CD-R. “All [CD-Rs] will be clearly labelled: ‘For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will,'” the website states. The limited-edition book and CD-R cost $50 (£33), or fans can buy a poster and CD-R for just $10 (£6.60).
The reason for the unconventional release is unclear. “Due to an ongoing dispute with EMI, Danger Mouse is unable to release the music for Dark Night of the Soul without fear of being sued by EMI,” the website reads.