| Sparklehorse |
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| north carolina musical groups | |
| music of richmond, virginia | |
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Essentially, Linkous ''is'' Sparklehorse (in much the same way that is a frequent collaborator. Much of Sparklehorse's music has an introspective, melancholy feel, which Linkous credits to a chemical imbalance. His lyrics are full of odd imagery: Joe Tangari describes Linkous' songs as "defiantly Surrealist ... with all manner of references to smiling babies, organ music, birds, and celestial bodies ... In fact, some of the lyrics are so surreal that it's hard to imagine they're even Metaphor s for anything." {Link without Title} Musically, Sparklehorse are not far removed from s, scratchy, distorted Wire Recording s of his own voice, or cheap, tinny Drum Machine s), in ways reminsicent of some of Tom Waits ' music. Sparklehorse have offered a few full-throttle Hard Rock numbers, as well, such as "Some Day I Will Treat You Good" or "Happy Man". Sparklehorse's first album was the confoundingly-titled ''Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot'' (1995). The record was a modest success, mainly on College Radio . The supporting tour, however, found Linkous overdosing on Valium and Antidepressants . As a result, Linkous passed out in his London hotel room and remained unconscious with his legs pinned beneath him for almost fourteen hours. This caused a buildup of Potassium which was released when he was moved, causing his heart to stop for two to three minutes. He was hospitalized for weeks afterwards (nearly losing both legs), enduring numerous painful surgeries. ''Good Morning Spider'' (1999) was recorded following this incident, and with mournful songs such as "Painbirds", many critics have mistakenly conjectured that Linkous's Near Death Experience inspired the somber, yet hopeful tone of the album. However, Linkous has stated that much of the material on GMS was written prior to 'the incident'. One song which did result from it is "St. Mary", which is dedicated to the nurses at the hospital of the same name where Linkous recuperated. 2001 saw the release of ''It's A Wonderful Life'' and features appearances by Tom Waits , PJ Harvey , Nina Persson and Dave Fridmann , the pre-eminent producer of indie music at the time. Whereas much of ''Vivadixie...'' and ''Spider'' were recorded solely by Linkous in his "Static King" studio on his farm in rural Virginia, ''Wonderful Life'' was more of a formal effort, largely recorded by Fridmann after Linkous was asked by his label to retain an outside producer for the project. Aside from his own music, Linkous has also become a sought-after , Death Cab For Cutie , Vic Chesnutt , Tom Waits and Bright Eyes . It also includes a collaboration between Sparklehorse and The Flaming Lips on the track "Go". Linkous has recently relocated his "Static King" studio to a remote mountaintop in North Carolina . Several years ago, he purchased a vintage recording console built by the near-mythical Daniel Flickenger . His fourth album has been delayed due to the necessity of overhauling the temperamental recording desk. Currently, Linkous is reportedly recording new material and collaborating with DJ Danger Mouse and B. Fleischmann , and a tentative release date of September 2006 has been officially announced. Two Sparklehorse songs appear in the soundtrack of the 2002 film Laurel Canyon . In the film a fictional band are shown struggling to record a version of ''Someday I will treat you good''. In 2003, Sparklehorse opened some concerts for R.E.M. DISCOGRAPHY Albums
Singles and EPs
EXTERNAL LINKS Review of work with Twilight Circus/Mykal Rose :
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