Sparklehorse: Running in Place
28/09/06 21:19
By SAM LADACH-BARK
Their music is a godsend on a rained-out Saturday, or on a shadowy stretch of highway. Not because Sparklehorse's music is depressing but because it is so hauntingly beautiful. The brainchild of Mark Linkous has, since 1998, celebrated four full-length releases. Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain, released on Sept. 26, 2006, marked their first release since 2001's It's a Wonderful Life.
Linkous has brought back his beautifully solemn style with the help of some of today's biggest indie artists.
His staple use of vocal and instrumental distortion returns, most notably on the random deterioration of "Don't Take My Sunshine Away." Mid-song, an electronic building action begins on top of guitar and drums to simulate a sudden radio frequency change, which Linkous has proven partial to in the past, especially on Good Morning Spider. Lyrically his music is as hard to decipher as ever. Ghosts, trees and dreams are frequent themes to which Linkous gives great reverence for reasons and metaphors unknown.
New to Sparklehorse's pallet is the inclusion of Dangermouse's organ and sampler on "Mountains" and "Getting it Wrong." His straightforward organ backbeat on "Getting it Wrong" is catchy, but doesn't do justice to his diverse talents.
Tom Waits makes a barely noticeable piano surfacing on "Morning Hollow." Perhaps the faded, sardonic background melody is meant as a lament for Linkous' greatest musical influence (Waits). He told Harps that he still gets nervous when he talks to Waits despite their work together on It's a Wonderful Life.
Making yet another unexpected manifestation is the echo guitar of Steven Drozd from the Flaming Lips on "See the Light." A serenely plucked guitar sets the tone for this number, with Drozd creating a dreamlike atmosphere for Linkous' languid poetic journey.
The highlights of Dreamt are not few and far between, including the charming Elton John-inspired refrain in "Some Sweet Day" and the edgy (for Sparklehorse) "It's Not So Hard," with its addictive combination of hazy guitar and percussion. The somber and callous lament that is "Knives of Summertime" blends electronic bleeps with wavering guitars, which somehow evoke a barren countryside at dusk. But the erratic ending lands us safely back in front of our computers.
Although a solid album throughout, Dreamt does not show signs of being a breakout success. It follows the same murky patterns fans have come to adore, but little has evolved since 2001. Chasing aspirations to be a record producer with his new label Astralwerks over the past half-decade has stunted the evolution of Linkous' own music. The added album credits also did not make much of an impact on the Sparklehorse design. Speaking as a fan, I rather enjoyed this album. But I doubt it will draw a new crowd their way. It is no better or worse than previous releases, and therein lies the problem.
Grade: C+
To hear Sparklehorse, go here.
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