When Mark Linkous, better known as his moniker Sparklehorse, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound earlier this year I was truly saddened. After the tragic event I found myself diving head first into his catalog, revisiting old favorites and discovering gems I had previously overlooked. His album It’s A Wonderful Life was pivotal to my maturation as a music lover. Linkous’s characteristically fragile voice was brimming with tangible pain. In 1996, while supporting Radiohead, Linkous overdosed on alcohol, antidepressants, and valium in his hotel room and was rendered unconscious while his legs were pinned underneath him for 14 hours. The incident left him wheelchair bound for a time and his legs never regained their full strength. It seemed his brush with death seeped into any subsequent material, and while he was so in tune with the darkness inherent in us all he also painted beautiful tableaus with his surrealist lyrics. Linkous’ words floated on an undercurrent of dull ache that injected a dose of melancholy into even his happiest, most hopeful songs. If tracks like “Sea Of Teeth” and “More Yellow Birds” don’t tug at your heartstrings, I’d venture to say you’re made of stone. If you’ve never done so, give It’s A Wonderful Life a careful listen. It might change your life. — Capt. Obvious

Listen:
More Yellow Birds
Comfort Me