Sparklehorse

Empathy anchored every facet of Sparklehorse, the endeavor launched by Mark Linkous, whose output fused noisy rock, pastoral folk, psychedelic pop, and ballads marked by gentle devastation. The 1995 release Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot first displayed the singer and songwriter’s knack for channeling enduring folk and country roots while refreshing them through inventive textures produced on discarded vintage gear. That same debut also mapped the interplay of hope, wonder, weariness, and despair that Linkous would continue to examine. Good Morning Spider from 1998 pulled his material deeper into shadow, whereas 2001’s It’s a Wonderful Life shifted the emphasis toward gratitude. These unconventional confessions drew admiration from Radiohead, the Flaming Lips, PJ Harvey, Tom Waits, David Lynch, and Fennesz, several of whom later joined 2010’s Dark Night of the Soul, issued only months after Linkous’s death. More than ten years afterward, the posthumously assembled Bird Machine surfaced in 2023, allowing listeners further access to Sparklehorse’s haunting and affecting catalog.

A native Virginian descended from the Stanley Brothers bluegrass ensemble, Linkous relocated to Los Angeles and New York during the mid-1980s to perform with the Dancing Hoods. After returning to Richmond late in the decade he joined the local outfit Salt Chunk Mary, then embarked on his solo project Sparklehorse a few years later. Working alongside musicians such as his brother Matt, Linkous absorbed the clarity of country, folk, and bluegrass alongside the raw yet exploratory sensibility of Tom Waits in shaping the project’s voice. He soon met Camper van Beethoven and Cracker’s David Lowery, who had likewise settled nearby and was establishing a studio; Lowery supplied an eight-track recorder that Linkous employed for the earliest Sparklehorse recordings. Those demos reached Capitol Records, leading to a contract and the August 1995 appearance of the debut Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. Credited to producer “David Charles,” Lowery oversaw sessions at Sound of Music studio, and the title originated in one of Linkous’s dreams. The record introduced the noisy indie rock, found sounds, samples, and acoustic reflections that would define the project, earned widespread critical praise, reached number 58 on the U.K. Albums Chart, and sent the single “Someday I Will Treat You Good” to number 35 on the U.S. Alternative Airplay chart.

While supporting Radiohead across Europe in early 1996, Linkous suffered a near-fatal accident after unintentionally combining Valium with prescribed antidepressants; he remained unconscious for fourteen hours on a hotel bathroom floor, his legs compressed beneath him, resulting in circulation loss that threatened permanent mobility. During rehabilitation he relearned walking and guitar playing, and April 1996’s Chords I’ve Known EP appeared alongside a cover of Vic Chesnutt’s “West of Rome” for Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation and a rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” with Thom Yorke of Radiohead. By 1997 Linkous had resumed live performance and begun work on the second album inside a home studio at his Richmond-area farmhouse. Highlighting an array of vintage keyboards and recording equipment, July 1998’s Good Morning Spider emerged as a darker, noisier statement than its predecessor, although a cleaner take of “Happy Man” was prepared with Eric Drew Feldman for radio. The album again received strong reviews, peaked at number 30 in the U.K., and placed the single “Sick of Goodbyes” at number 57. February 2000 brought the Distorted Ghost EP, which gathered B-sides, live cuts, and a version of Daniel Johnston’s “My Yoke Is Heavy,” while that same year Linkous contributed two tracks to Cracker’s Garage D’Or compilation.

A more collaborative method shaped the third album, enlisting PJ Harvey, the Cardigans’ Nina Persson, Dave Fridmann, John Parish, and Waits. Released first in the U.K. in June 2001 at number 49, It’s a Wonderful Life reached the U.S. that August and became Sparklehorse’s strongest commercial performer; its intricate sonics were interpreted in videos by Guy Maddin, the Brothers Quay, and additional filmmakers that screened collectively on the Sundance Channel program Sonic Cinema in October. Linkous next supplied songs to the 2002 Laurel Canyon soundtrack and produced Johnston’s 2003 album Fear Yourself. He joined the Flaming Lips for a cover of Johnston’s “Go” on the 2004 tribute The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered. September 2006’s Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain arrived as another expansive collaboration featuring Waits, Danger Mouse, the Flaming Lips’ Steven Drozd, Matt Linkous, and sister-in-law Melissa. Gentler in tone than prior efforts, the record incorporated re-recorded material, including a track originally written for Laurel Canyon and a bonus cut from It’s a Wonderful Life; it reached number 60 in the U.K. and number 11 on the U.S. Heatseekers chart. Two years later Sparklehorse contributed “Jack’s Obsession” to the Tim Burton covers collection Nightmare Revisited.

Dark Night of the Soul represented the next ambitious undertaking, a multimedia sound-and-art project developed with Danger Mouse and filmmaker David Lynch. Vocalists included James Mercer, Gruff Rhys, Jason Lytle, Julian Casablancas, Frank Black, Iggy Pop, Nina Persson, Suzanne Vega, Vic Chesnutt, Scott Spillane, and Lynch himself, whose photographs filled the accompanying 100-page book. Although scheduled for Capitol in 2009, legal complications postponed the official release. September 2009 saw the 2007 collaboration with laptop artist Fennesz issued as In the Fishtank, Vol. 15.

In 2010 Linkous relocated to Hayesville, North Carolina, reportedly close to finishing another Sparklehorse album. On March 6 he died by suicide at age 47 while visiting friends in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tributes arrived from Patti Smith, Steve Albini, and Drozd. An official edition of Dark Night of the Soul followed that July, charting at number 32 in the U.K. and number 24 in the U.S. while also appearing on several European and Australian charts. Recognition of Sparklehorse’s enduring influence continued through the decade, including John Parish and PJ Harvey’s 2018 track “Sorry for Your Loss” and Danger Mouse’s 2019 release of the previously unheard “Ninjarous” featuring MF Doom and the Black Keys’ Patrick Carney. Also in 2019 the documentary This Is Sparklehorse premiered, receiving an official release three years later.

Near the end of 2022 the first new Sparklehorse material in more than a decade surfaced with “It Will Never Stop,” drawn from Bird Machine, the album Linkous had been completing at the time of his death. Matt and Melissa Linkous, who had served as estate administrators since 2012, combed through archival recordings alongside engineer Bryan Hoffa and producer Alan Weatherhead to assemble the nearly finished songs. Mixer Joel Hamilton and engineer Greg Calbi finalized the project, with additional vocals supplied by Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle and Linkous’s nephew Spencer. Issued on Anti Records in September 2023, Bird Machine encompassed both the staticky outbursts and fragile ballads that had long characterized Sparklehorse.