DJ Shadow - Dark Days
(MCA)
This release is a two-track single from the soundtrack for the upcoming documentary Dark
Days about the Mole People in NYC: homeless dudes what live in the subway tunnels
underneath the city. It's a sweet little nugget from the increasingly less prolific DJ Shadow, that
demonstrates, apparently, that the less he does, the better it gets.
The first track is the imaginatively titled "Main Theme." It starts off with a lurching drum break
and laid-back bass, before mixing in a heavily reverbed guitar line. Though, in form, the song is
similar to some lesser trip hop, DJ Shadow transcends that genre by working the ominous
atmosphere, laying in details and accents to heighten the moodiness. Spooky echoes, bursts of
sweet strings, and a piano that sounds like its being dredged up from some long forgotten memory
all help to make this track groove and swing in a deeply honest and soulful way.
The second track is the "Spoken For Mix" and is less a reworking of the "Main Theme" than an
extension of it. The basic elements of the "Main Theme" are present, the drums, bass, and guitar, but
they are mixed into a backing track groove over which snippets of dialogue from the film are laid.
The change is impressive. Where "Main Theme" is melancholy and eerie, "Spoken For Mix"
becomes much darker and more manic. The result is two tracks, spanning about nine minutes,
which function as an evolving whole, moving towards an increasingly angry climax.
For more information about the movie, Dark Days, including some of DJ Shadow's
comments about his involvement in the project, visit the movie's webpage.
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