Mark Linkous Archives - TURN UP THE VOLUME

MARK LINKOUS And SPARKLEHORSE Covered An Old Cracker From Psych Legend ROBYN HITCHCOCK

Posted on August 10, 2023 by JL

10 August 2023

Mark Linkous

Mark Linkous, the conductor of Virginia band SPARKLEHORSE
left this world too soon. He took his own life back in 2010, at the
age of 47.

For all fans (including me) here’s great news. The album he was working on,
named Bird Machine, at the time of his passing, will come out on September 8.
Linkous’ brother Matt and sister-in-law Melissa have been working on finishing
the LP.

One of the tracks is a cover of Robyn Hitchcock‘s 1982 psych cracker
Listening To The Higsons, recorded with his then band The Egyptians.

Mark Linkous heard the song when it came out and it became one
of his favorite ones. He recorded his take with renowned producer
Steve Albini. Sparklehorse’s version is infused with a lot of distortion.

Listen

Original

At the age of 70 Hitchcock has no intention to retire. Last year, he released
his highly acclaimed 22th (!) album, entitled Shufflemania!

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ROBYN HITCHCOCK: Instagram
SPARKLEHORSE: Instagram

Hear Previosly Unreleased Song ‘IT WILL NEVER STOP’ By The Late MARK LINKOUS And SPARKLEHORSE

Posted on December 9, 2022 by JL

Works faster and harder than caffeine

9 December 2022

SPARKLEHORSE was the band of mastermind, songwriter and
multi-instrumentalist MARK LINKOUS born in Arlington, Virginia.

Together they created/recorded 4 masterly
longplayers between 1995 and 2006.

Linkous was one kind of musician. Enigmatic, visionary, and always balancing
on the edge as I witnessed myself in 1996 when he played in Brussels with Mazzy
Star as support act. Unfortunately, Linkous who suffered from depression after
divorcing his wife in 2010. On March 6 of that year he shot himself with a rifle
in the heart, he was only 47.

SPARKLEHORSE was the band of mastermind, songwriter and
multi-instrumentalist MARK LINKOUS born in Arlington, Virginia.

His estate has now, unexpectedly, shared a previously unreleased
song, by the late legend, named IT WILL NEVER STOP.

Matt Linkous (his brother): “Great care has been taken to archive and
preserve Mark’s music. We are very thankful for Mark and the beauty he
brought to this world.”

Listen here to the vintage Sparklehorse rocker.
Short but mightily impressive.

SPARKLEHORSE: Bio – Discography –

SPARKLEHORSE Released His Capricious Top Album ‘GOOD MORNING SPIDER’ Twenty Years Ago…

Posted on July 18, 2018 by JL

Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums…

18 July 2018

Artist: SPARKLEHORSE

Album: GOOD MORNING SPIDER – second longplayer

Released: 20 July 1998 – 20 years ago

PITCHFORK wrote: “Mark Linkous’ second album as Sparklehorse shines an old light on impossible things. He found the purity of pop music and then lacerated it with the quirks and imperfections he cherished. Its songs bleed in and out of each other: an organ drone ends one track and begins another, a strand of tape hiss winds through the work. You can hear machines starting up and stopping again, fingers squeaking across the frets of an acoustic guitar. Linkous had a tendency to sing close enough to the microphone that you could hear the spittle crackling off his teeth, like he’s whispering in your ear or through a tin can strung up with twine.”
Score: 9/10 – Full review here

TURN UP THE VOLUME says: Mark Linkous‘ wayward, delicate, vulnerable, ugly/beautiful, quiet/loud, scary, confused, profound, gloomy, paranoid, raging songwriting – in sound and vision – is nothing less than genial…

TOP TRACKS: Pig / Maria’s Little Elbows / Sick Of Goodbyes

* PIG