Brian Burton (born July 29, 1977), better known by his stage name Danger Mouse (taken directly from the show of the same name), is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Known primarily for his collaborations, his work seems to slide between hip-hop and alternative, but has included pop, electronic music, and rock.
Burton first found fame in 2004 with the release of a mashup album combining vocals from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' The White Album, creatively titled The Grey Album. Danger Mouse's first big collaboration was with MF Doom and [adult swim] to create The Mouse and the Mask, a rap album featuring songs explicitly about shows in the Adult Swim lineup (including voices from many of the shows' casts).
Burton's next big project was a team-up with Cee Lo Green, a group named Gnarls Barkley. The two produced their first album, St. Elsewhere, in 2006. It included the single "Crazy", which hit #1 in the UK charts and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group followed this up with the 2008 album The Odd Couple.
Burton's other collaborations include:
- Dark Night of the Soul (2009) with Sparklehorse, accompanied by a photo book created by David Lynch. Each song featured a different vocalist, with guest artists including Julian Casablancas and Iggy Pop. The album received attention after its release became uncertain due to legal disputes and only the book was released, sold with a blank cd and the note "For legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will." The album was eventually officially released, but not until after the unrelated suicide of Sparklehorse member Mark Linkous.
- Broken Bells, (2010) a collaboration with The Shins member James Mercer. In addition to its amazing music, the album is notable for a music video featuring Christina Hendricks in space. Was nominated for a Grammy Award, but lost to The Black Keys' album Brothers (which Danger Mouse also produced). The band has since released an EP, Meyrin Fields, in 2011, and a second album, After the Disco, in 2014. There is something of a Genre Mashup aspect to their sound (check out that Ennio Morricone Pastiche in "Mongrel Heart"), which overall is probably best categorised as Alternative Rock (with a bit of Space Rock thrown in).
- Rome, (2011) co-written with Italian composer Daniele Luppi (who wrote the orchestral parts of Broken Bells), this album is directly inspired by the works of Ennio Morricone and features Jack White and Norah Jones on vocals.
- Lux Prima, (2019) his most psychedelic trip since Dark Night of the Soul. Co-written and co-composed with Karen O, of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Burton is also a notable producer (having won the Grammy Award for Best Producer in 2010), and has produced such albums as Gorillaz' Demon Days (Album) in 2005, Beck's Modern Guilt in 2008, The Black Keys' Brothers in 2010, U2's Songs of Innocence in 2014, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' The Getaway in 2016.
