It's A Wonderful Life (CD)

Formed by Virginia singer/songwriter Mark Linkous in 1995, Sparklehorse set out to make melodic yet experimental pop music in the vein of maverick performers such as Tom Waits and Neil Young. Following the critical acclaim of their debut album, the group--essentially Linkous, drummer Scott Minor, and various musically inclined friends--began extensive touring, supporting the likes of Mazzy Star, Radiohead, and Tindersticks. While in London during 1996, Linkous nearly died after a bizarre hotel room incident. Upon his recovery, he began work on the second Sparklehorse album, GOOD MORNING SPIDER. Since then, Linkous has continued to hone his songwriting and studio skills, collaborating with artists such as PJ Harvey, Nina Persson of the Cardigans, and even his reclusive hero, Tom Waits.

• Category:  Music  »  Rock & Pop  »  General Rock & Pop
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: August 28, 2001
• Label: Capitol/EMI Records
• UPC: 724353470920
• WAPI (Tower ID): 105778430
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• Tower.com Sales Rank: #50678 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #16182 in Rock & Pop (See Top 100 Rock & Pop Bestsellers)
• #10373 in General Rock & Pop (See Top 100 General Rock & Pop Bestsellers)

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Rolling Stone (8/30/01, p.122) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Slow and elegiac....The music is stately and deep as good loam, built around a few measures repeated stolidly with a kind of back-country resignation....peculiarly evocative."
Spin (10/01, p.127) - 6 out of 10 - "...A thick candy-and-sandpaper shell of weird old keyboards, strings, and liberally applied distortion concealing Dave Fridmann's frail Virginia murmur and surreal images..."
Q (7/01, p.116) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Excellent....combining droll lyrical insights with various permutations of guitar, keyboards, drums and electronica..."
Alternative Press (10/01, p.100) - 7 out of 10 - "...An enchanting record..."
Magnet (12-1/02, p.57) - Included in Magnet's "20 Best Albums of 2001".
CMJ (9/3/01, p.5) - "...This is a mood record for sure - but one that's not without its mood swings..."
Mojo (Publisher) (7/01, p.98) - "...Among America's modern primitives Mark Linkous is close to pre-eminent."
NME (Magazine) (12/29/01, p.59) - Ranked #22 in NME's 50 "Albums Of the Year 2001".
NME (Magazine) (6/9/01, p.40) - 8 out of 10 - "...A wonderful record...of backwood blues....Every moment thrums with micro-activity..."

Sparklehorse includes: Mark Linkous (vocals, Wurlitzer piano, Chamberlin, Optigon, percussion, samples); Sophie Michelitsianos (vocals, bass); Adrian Utley (guitar, bass); Joan Wasser (violin); Jane Scarpantoni (cello); Dave Fridmann (piano, bass); John Parish (synthesizer, bass); Bob Rupe (bass); Scott Minor (drums, programming); Miguel Rodriguez (drums).

Additional personnel includes: PJ Harvey (vocals, electric guitar, piano); Nina Persson, Tom Waits (vocals).

Recorded at Tarboy Road Studios, Cassadaga, New York.

Sparklehorse singer/songwriter Mark Linkous's consistently eclectic and inventive work garnered the admiration of many fellow musicians over the years, and a number of them appear on 2001's IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, the band's ambitious third full-length album. In addition to co-producing the record with Linkous, Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev/Flaming Lips) contributes various instruments, along with Portishead's Adrian Utley and PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish. Harvey herself lends her voice and guitar to the jagged "Piano Fire" and funereal "Eyepennies," her bold, plaintive singing playing wonderfully off of Linkous's more subdued vocals. Cardigans singer Nina Persson shows up on the bright pop gem "Gold Day" and the sleepy "Applebed," adding gorgeous harmonies at just the right moments, a presence sharply contrasted by Tom Waits's scruffy lead-vocal turn on the lumbering "Dog Door."

With all of the high-profile guests, it's remarkable that Linkous manages to keep the album sharply focused and solidly anchored, even with his usual satchel full of quirky sounds (optigan, electronic birds, "big seed pod") and enigmatic lyrical motifs (eyes, teeth, horses, dogs) on hand. Yet another fascinating installment in Linkous's catalogue, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE reinforces his status as a unique musical visionary.

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