I was planning on writing some small reviews about some albums I really like/love and because everything has to start somewhere, here is the first. I am not sure how soon the next one will follow since I have got more to do than just writing about music. Yes, it's sad, but I am afraid it's true.
This album - It's a Wonderful Life - has been released for some time now and I am sure many of you have heard it before. However, this small part I wrote is mainly for the people who haven't ever heard of a man called Mark Linkous and think that it might be worthwhile to invest some time in listening to the great music he has made so far.
Here are some facts about the album:
Artist:................Sparklehorse
Album:...............It's a Wonderful Life
Release date:......August 28, 2001
Label:................EMI, Capitol
Genre:...............Indie rock/Alternative Pop
The music on this album can be described as soothing, or fragile maybe, with only a few exceptions. Most of the tracks are pretty much the same as the title track 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Beautiful, Lo-fi and fragile.
There are a few exceptions however. A few songs are a bit more pop, others could loosely be described as rock. Although most of these tracks still 'fit' on this album, there is one track that has no similarity with the rest of them. Dog Door. It seems a bit out of place here. The first time I heard it, it made me think of Tom Waits' Big in Japan from in his album Mule Variations. I soon found out that this was no coincidence. The track Dog Door was sung by Tom Waits himself. This revelation made me look up the other featuring artists. Other artists on this album are Dave Fridman, PJ Harvey, John Parish and Nina Persson. Respectable artists to say the least. All of them are adding something to the album in their own unique way.
The title of the album is a very interesting one. Mark Linkous has been struggling with depressions for a long time, which is - according to Mark himself - one of the main reasons why it took so long to finish the album. He even overdosed on several drugs once, which was near fatal. Mark said the following about it: "When you're in a really desperate situation and you really think you're going to die, it makes you realize how quick things can be over. If it taught anything relevant to me, it's to try to notice little things that would otherwise pass you by, no matter how microscopic they might be."
This is what the music reflects in my opinion. Although the music might have a sombre tone at times it is still positivity which dominates in the end.
I must admit that the first time I listened to Sparklehorse I wasn't too impressed. This was in 1995 when Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot was first released. The music on this album was a bit too alternative for my taste and featured lyrics which had little or nothing to do with reality. It was alright at best in my opinion. It's a Wonderful Life is an album which I think more people will be able to appreciate, although the lyrics are still quite surreal.
The last thing I would like to mention about this album is the 'hidden' track which is placed after the last official track.(Babies on the Sun) It starts at 7.37. This track is my favourite and aside from that the slowest and most fragile one. The best way to end a great album.
I can't describe music well enough with words, so I think you should just
have a listen.
I simply love this album: Sparklehorse - It's a Wonderful Life
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