This Is Sparklehorse Download |BEST|
Iolanda Gordin
Hi, does anyone here know where I can access this Sparklehorse documentary (or any other documentaries)? I've already watched the one on YouTube and have been looking for this release for some time now.
Good Morning Spider (1998) was recorded following this incident. Critics have conjectured that Linkous's brush with death inspired the album's somber tone, but Linkous said that much of GMS had already been written.[citation needed] One song that resulted from his affliction is "St. Mary", which is dedicated to the nurses at the eponymous hospital in Paddington where Linkous recuperated.
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Some might say I am, again, entirely missing the point of this theme, submitting posts around arcane or unknown musicians, rather than jolly japes around the spirit world that befit the feast of St Michael (Myers). So be it, my defence arguably resting on the deceased nature of the musicians concerned. In this case, rather than the takentoosoon of cancer, this time it was the at least as ghastly act of suicide that took Mark Linkous, singer, songwriter and, in reality, the end-all and be-all of Sparklehorse.
Spirit Ditch
I would expect most readers of this site to know the name, even if little known in the civilian world of charts and videos. His band, which lasted between 1995 and his death, 15 years later, gave us 6 albums, including collaborations. These are a scatter shot of styles and influences, possibly denoting the scatter shot status of his brain waves, he having been no stranger to the use of mind-altering drugs, not least in their life-changing capabilities. And not in a good way, as you may below follow. They're good records, though. Spirit Ditch is from the first, vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, and is as good a place as any to get to grips with his impossibly fraught vocals, a whispered scream of frailty. With stream of consciousness lyrics, it is hard to say quite what it is about, but the lifted transcript from a(n actual) phone call with his mother, she talking of a bad dream he had described her, gives a clue to the mindset. I like what I see as a lyrical nod to After the Goldrush: "I woke up in a burnt out basement", sensing some psychological kinship with Neil Young. Having said, he is just as capable, like Young, of a raucous wig-out like Someday I Will Treat You Good.
I first came across the band for their second outing, having read of the horrendous incident that pre-ceded its release, widely felt to preface much of the material. This was later denied by Linkous, saying it had already been written. (Musicians traditionally always deny any obvious inspirations to their muse, whether Bob Dylan or Nick Cave, mind.....) But I am drawn to such, and found the slightly more synth embellished textures of Good Morning Spider being to my taste. (Below I shoehorn in a track, later covered by Susanna Hoffs, if unreleased, in a lame attempt to fit in with the theme.)
Ghost of His Smile
Next album, the was it ironically entitled It's a Wonderful Life, is said to be more straight ahead, made without added stimulants (or downers). Ditching any firm concept of a band, it is rammed full with collaborations, from PJ Harvey and Nina Persson, to, Linkous' hero, Tom Waits. Whilst some of these extra voices add to the overall, largely I feel they detract, the earlier shambolic being key to my enjoyment. These songs are just too conventional. (Don't get me wrong, they're fine, it's the comparison. And the Waits' one is shit.)
Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse, the now big name influential game changer for Michael Kiwanuka and Karen O, and electronic ambient artist Fennesz now entered Linkous' orbit, both and/or either intrinsically involved with the rest of the Sparklehorse canon. Firstly with Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain, which comes across as a bit of a muddle, with tracks redolent of each of their stylistic tropes, together with a leftover or two from the earlier album. Again, don't ignore it, just don't seek it first.
Getting it Wrong(?)
Chronologically the next should be In the Fishtank, Vol. 15, jointly credited with Fennesz, but delayed in release until after his death. I guess you have to be in the mood, but it smacks to me of too much self-indulgence. It looks a whole lot better live. So I will move swiftly to the last, this time a direct 3 way credit with both Danger Mouse and with David Lynch, the film maker, for his photography. Too many egos? I don't know, but legal difficulties delayed the release by a year, during which Linkous took his own life. Designed as a feature for songs Linkous felt uncomfortable singing himself, this features an array of bussed in vocalists, some of whom work better than others.I would prefer it to have been Linkous, personally, and, thankfully, he features on a couple. It works best when similar voices are used, like Grandaddy's Jason Lyttle, less when a different atmosphere is sought, like with Iggy Pop. A sum less of its parts, it features the song below, almost clairvoyant in mood, featuring vocals shared with Linkous and, again, Nina Persson. Because, all too soon, he was.
Daddy's Gone
Here's his obituary.
Finally, back to where I began, with the realisation of his talent bearing fruit, here is a remarkable cover version of Spirit Ditch, made by Nadine Khouri, the up and coming UK based melancholist.
Spirit Ditch
Spirit Ditch here, or, with and in respect to the relative newness of the cover version, AND here.
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PS. So the producers did get to release their brilliant documentary. Extra footage is included compared with The Sad & Beautiful World version mentioned above. Ben Stanbury has kindly written a review of the updated film for this blog. Watch this space!
This band of one time Eels-alikes get to complete their own tribute to who and what they were. The fact that is should start with a song like It Will Never Stop fuzzing and phoning in the vocals (in the most complimentary meaning of the phrase) fits this ghoulish world of post-humous record releases.
Yeah, the way I started was David would come out to my house with this Tascam 688 cassette eight track and we would record stuff. Actually, that's when the original version of "Sick of Goodbyes" and "Happy Man" were recorded, without all the radio noise. So they were recorded even before the first record but I've done a lot to them since then. Then David would go away on tour with Cracker and I'd just have his machine out there with nothing but a compressor. By not having any access to any outboard gear I got really used to just using a compressor and eventually started not liking reverb on anything.
I wanted this record to be more keyboard based than the last one, just soundwise. Theres a lot of Optigan on there. I have a couple of Wurlitzer organs that are kind of messed up and that's why they sound good. I have a Magnus Cathedral organ, its a fancy Magnus in a wood cabinet with a tube amp in it. I also have just little Casios... the only pro keyboard I have is one of those Roland JV heads but you've got to get so inside of those things to make them sound not so shiny and pro.
Sometimes. That's one reason I want another mic pre amp is because I can't distort the pre amps on this Mackie board that I have. But the old (Mackie) 1604 was really nice because you could slam it twice. A lot of times I'll sing through a mic and run the mic through a little micro amp with a speaker built in. I think its a Boss or something, its old. I've never seen another one. I'll sing through that and then mic that. Or sing through one of those battery powered Marshalls.
I intentionally saved "Happy Man" and "Sick of Goodbyes" for this album because I wanted to establish my style as being something other than pop. More like "Spirit Ditch." I wanted the first record to really establish that style, then I thought it would be more safe to do some more pop songs on the second record.
Yeah, I love the Mellotron but there is no way I'll ever have one so I'm trying to find a way to get a sound as close as possible. I borrowed this mid size Casio and the flute sound was the closest thing I've come across. Just put a little tremolo or vibrato on it, or other effects just to tweek it out a bit.
Well I just went to Memphis and recorded a song with Eric Drufellman from PJ Harvey's band- he produced Frank Black's first two records. I wanted to go down to Easley because I like the sound of those records done there by Pavement, Guided By Voices, Cat Power... and also I knew he had a Mellotron. So I took my little four track down there and recorded this waltz with just Mellotron and Wurlitzer electric piano. I'm trying to get PJ Harvey or Nina from the Cardigans to sing on. Its kind of this country waltz thing. I've never played a Mellotron that wasn't sort of shaky and fucked up, and his is pretty fucked up so it came out really nice.
Well, I have this Hohner tape echo that's really nice if you use it as a return on another channel and just peg the preamp on the return. Its kind of fucked up anyway because its an old tape echo. A lot of that is on the end of "Sunshine." Its kind of a weird sound, like on that PJ Harvey record To Bring You My Love, it kind of sounds like a distorted bass guitar going through a little Marshall with a low battery, and then being played through a disc man with low batteries. The signal is just struggling to even get through. I've always been blown away by that and I kind of found a way to fake it here. I don't know how that guy Flood [#117] does that.
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