Mark Linkous RIP
I meant to write about this the other day - as I'm not sure all the mainstream news sites will cover it. Mark Linkous died in the weekend. It was suicide.
A friend had left me a message, early Monday morning. It said "no more Sparklehorse".
I knew, straight away, from those three words, that he meant Linkous, leader of Sparklehorse, had not only died - but had ended his own life. Sure enough...
Linkous, like Mark Everett from Eels (as just one other example), basically was Sparklehorse. He wasn't so much the leader of the band as he was the creator of the pseudonym - and the music that came from it.
And Sparklehorse released some beautiful songs. Here's Homecoming Queen from the first album, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, released in 1995. I also really love Rainmaker from that album.
From 2001's It's A Wonderful Life (the third album) I love the title track and Little Fat Baby (the song is a co-write with Vic Chesnutt; Chesnutt died from an overdose of muscle relaxants on Christmas Day, 2009).
The album It's A Wonderful Life saw Linkous open himself up - using other musicians, working not only with Chesnutt but also Tom Waits and PJ Harvey.
Here's the song he wrote and recorded with Waits, Dog Door.
Then there was 2006's Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain. (You can click here for a live version of the song Don't Take My Sunshine Away).
Linkous battled with depression and drug addictions; he channelled it into some of his songs. He wrote beautifully, often using vague, surrealist lyrics, sometimes an honest, direct line would just hit you out of nowhere in the middle of lines that seemed to contain nothing palpable.
He had an unreleased Sparklehorse album in the can which we may or may not get to hear. And he had recently collaborated with David Lynch and Danger Mouse to create Dark Night Of The Soul. You can hear the album, tracks from it, and read more about the project by clicking here.
It seems there were plenty of dark nights for the soul of Linkous. And now there will be Sparklehorse no more.
At various times the albums Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, It's A Wonderful Life and Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain have been favourite albums for me - ones I've played over and over for days; the only sound(s) I wanted to hear. To me, that was the magic of Mark Linkous' music - he created worlds you wanted to get caught up in, no matter how paranoid or claustrophobic they might have seemed (and sometimes it was because of that).
But he has taken his life. And that is sad. And there will be no more new music from Linkous. But maybe he will go on to find a peace that he was unable to find as an artist and living human being.
Were you a fan of Sparklehorse? Did you have favourite songs or albums? If you'd like to pay tribute in any way, shape or form then add a comment below. Or recommend an album/EP or song/s.
Linkous was 47.
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Very sad. I adore all four Sparklehorse albums and play them often. Very sad ...
Mark Linkous wrote some of the most beautifully fractured music I have ever heard. Hushed ballads collided with desperation driven rockers,and the words told stories of ghosts, broken hearts, little fat babies and horses in the most surreal manner. "Good Morning Spider" is a haunted masterpiece. "Its A Wonderful Life" is a work or lush, somber beauty. He will be sadly missed and the world will sparkle that little bit less without him. R.I.P.
Good Morning Spider is one of my favourite albums ever, one that I luckily discovered after hearing part of the song 'Sick Of Goodbyes' used on a local tv show. Knowing nothing else about the Horse I wandered down to Tandy's in Manners Mall and bought the album, and loved it from the first listen. Same goes for Vivadixie... which I quickly purchased soon after. I was lucky enough to see a Sparklehorse concert in Norwich England while I was working over there, just after they releases It's A Wonderful Life. Mark was brillant and I still joke abuot his funny stomp that he would do onstage while rocking out. I wore the t-shirt from that gig until it turned brown from black and had holes under the arm pits. Thank you Mark for the great tunes and memories.
I am really sad to read this. I was playing Good Morning Spider just the other day, I hadn't listened to it for a few years - it's a good album. Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot is also beautiful - I like Rob's description - beautifully fractured. Homecoming Queen, Rainmaker, Spirit Ditch, Someday I will Treat You Good, Most Beautiful Widow in Town - A tortured genius I suppose - I knew it would be suicide as soon as I read 'RIP Mark Linkous'. What a terrible waste.
Linkous' suicide, like that of Vic Chesnutt's, came as a shock but not entirely as a surprise. Glad to have been able to listen and look forward to their albums while they were alive. RIP to them both.
Rekon lotta muso's suffer from the blues, u r hit by the loneliness of ya 'skill' and branded a heretic on the other while offering up up gold, as u've wanted to know the mysteries since you were a child, I'm not too aware of his music but i am deeply saddened when this happens.
I have been a Sparklehorse fan since I went out and bought 'It's A Wonderful Life' after reading a glowing review in the paper. I fell in love with it and worked back through the catalogue from there. Mark had that extremely rare gift of being able to write very dark, emotive music, that at the same time was heart-achingly beautiful and also up-lifting.
Mark's music has been a huge comfort to me at some very difficult points in my life. His death is a huge loss to the world of music. I don't mind saying that I shed a few tears when I first heard the news late on Sunday night.
RIP Mr Linkous, I hope the afterlife is as beautiful as the world you created with your music.
Very sad. Like Ollie I was put onto one of his albums through a review and now have them all. He's left a mark.
how sad..rest in a peaceful place m. linkous....thanks for the music and lyrics and genius you shared with all of us...
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Sparklehorse’s music is a brilliant balance between light & dark, melancholy & humor, shade & honey. Mark Linkous and his music deserved a far wider recognition but he was just too far out there for mainstream tastes. I had the pleasure of filming an interview with him once and he really was a gentle soul. A true musical maverick. A genius lost in the woods. RIP Mark Linkous - Your music will live forever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA2-J0GApTU