Sparklehorse and I Have a Lot in Common

    Every time I type the word Sparklehorse, I get a little freaked out. Their name is kind of what their music is like--a little on the freaky side but in a really good way.
    What am I talking about? Well, it's melodic guitar-based tunes with strings and such, but a lot of it's laden with fuzz and static, which drives my family crazy (they're always asking me if it's supposed to sound that way). Plus it doesn't fit neatly into any categories that I can think of, which naturally means I really like it. Let me say that again: I Really Like It.
    Last night I listened to it as I was falling asleep and I had one of the most vivid dreams I've ever had. I don't know what that means, exactly, other than this music is getting to me on a subconscious level, beyond the obvious appeal it holds in its often (but not always) laid-back, almost-alt-country guitar licks, the reverb and unusual vocal techniques, and the non-standard song structures. I hesitate to analyze it too closely. I only know that I've connected with it in an intense way.
    I just read an interview with Mark Linkous, who essentially is Sparklehorse (along with Scott Minor), and it turns out the reason there's been five years or so between albums is because he was deeply depressed for about three years. According to Under the Radar magazine, he says:

    "Well . . . I got in a real . . . real bad headspace. I just got really depressed for a long time and couldn't do anything. I couldn't work at all. I missed having the desire to do any of that. I missed it making me feel good, making music. I think I cried for three years, probably. That's why it took so long. I just couldn't work, and I became a real recluse. I never left the house."

    He also talks about not wanting to make a pedestrian pop album and how he wanted to make an album that would stand the test of time. Now, I've said this before, but I guess I don't know what "pop music" means anymore, because there is nothing on this album that I would consider pop in the traditional sense. I mean, I can't imagine any of my friends who are into top-40 type music considering this pop music in the least. Regardless of labels and my inability to understand them, I think he's achieved his goal here, because this is one full-bodied and wonderful album that will keep me interested and listening repeatedly for a long time to come.
Sparklehorse--"Shade and Honey" mp3 (alternate link) off Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain (buy).
Sparklehorse--"It's Not So Hard" mp3 (alternate link) off Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain (buy).
Sparklehorse on myspace. Btw, one of my other current favorite bands, Beat Radio, is in their top 8. Now that's cool. And check out these rare pre-Sparklehorse tracks by an old Mark Linkous fronted band that chromewaves has up.
    I have to add a few disclaimers. First, I had an extremely hard time choosing which songs to post. This is a case of my wishing I could put up the whole album, which I would never do, but I so want everyone to hear this. Second, this is not totally sad music. It's moving and emotional, yes, but not necessarily somber. It's as though he's encouraging himself throughout, so don't let the depression backstory scare you off. Third, don't let the "alt-country" description affect you. I shrink away from anything termed country, and this is definitely not country in that sense. So no worries.
    And lastly, I must say it troubles me to think of someone crying for three years, coz personally, I'm coming up on two years myself, and even though most of the time I am not nearly as sad as I was, it still hits me hard on the off day, and the thought of another year of it is practically enough to make to cry right now.

tags: sparklehorse  mark linkous  

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