Rising from his own deathbed to create a monumental album, Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous has rejuvenated himself, his band, and his consciousness with Good Morning Spider. A trip through a hazy mountainside is a simple way to describe this acid-laced, down right depressing folk excursion. Although “Pig”, the opening track, hits with an obvious post-punk/grunge feel, the remaining sixteen songs are the soundtrack for Linkous’ second coming. He fully realizes his potential to make some of the most original music to come from Virginia’s Appalachian Mountains since, well, the first Sparklehorse album four years ago.
The serenity of “Sunshine” lays a foundation as only a man who has truly experienced an intimacy with death could. The rawness, but unexplainable allure, of this album is just captivating. While it holds country down to a drawled minimum, just when you expect a punch in the gut, you get a look into tear-drenched eyes that are crying for help from anywhere. “Cruel Sun” and “Ghost of His Smile” are quirky numbers that have Linkous’ voice dubbed off into a broken landscape within an edgy story. Folklore aside, Linkous is a disturbed individual, with karma that enables him to make even more disturbed music. It’s not evil, it’s not pure; it is merely a reflection of the mind and troubled soul of Mark Linkous. This effort is a superb one, especially considering the events of the last few years. A line from “Happy Man”, “…All I want is to be a happy man…” seems to be the best way to identify what this musical icon and his album are all about.
+ rick hinkson
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