The news of the death of Mark Linkous, the genius behind Sparklehorse, was hard to take. I'm sure that many fans of the band (famous and otherwise) have their own favourite memories, so I'm sharing mine here.
In 1995 Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot was one of the first "alternative" or "alt-country" records I bought that made an impact on my life and opened me up to the possibilities previously hidden from me in music.
Having just left school, on my way to embrace the wonders of university and the city, the way that Mark Linkous looked at the world - probably through those weird goggles he wore on the record sleeve - had quite an impact on me. Vivadixie is still my favourite record of theirs, I love the contrast between the bruised beauty of 'Homecoming Queen' and 'Heart of Darkness' and the euphoria of 'Rainmaker' and 'Someday I Will Treat You Good'. It's a brilliant record and I do credit it with opening me up to a world of other music, and I can hear its touch in much of the music I listen to today.
I had the pleasure of seeing him play in Glasgow a few years back, and it was a great experience, Linkous quietly asserting himself over the audience.
The thing about Linkous' approach to music was that he wasn't afraid to work with a variety of musicians, many of whom might not have shared his take on the world - just look at this list: Dave Fridmann, Cracker, Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Nina Persson, Christian Fennesz, David Lynch and Danger Mouse. I'd imagine that they all enjoyed the time spent in the company of Mark Linkous.
The thing about Linkous' approach to music was that he wasn't afraid to work with a variety of musicians, many of whom might not have shared his take on the world - just look at this list: Dave Fridmann, Cracker, Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Nina Persson, Christian Fennesz, David Lynch and Danger Mouse. I'd imagine that they all enjoyed the time spent in the company of Mark Linkous.
He'll be sadly missed.
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