SPARKLEHORSE
Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain
Capitol/EMI
· My pretty pony.
Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous has always had more range than many of his contemporaries. From road-trip rockers, to alt-country classics, to elegant piano ballads, he builds huge songs from simple musical and lyrical ideas. On his latest effort, Linkous uses big-name guests to take it down a notch. With the help of programming from producer Dangermouse and beats from Flaming Lips drummer Stephen Drozd, album opener "Don’t Take My Sunshine Away" is a beautiful and trippy nod to the Beatles. Throughout the album there are appearances from Lips producer Dave Fridmann, Tom Waits and former PJ Harvey sideman John Parish. That’s not to say that Linkous rests on his guest stars. "Shade and Honey" bubbles with jangly optimism and Linkous plays every instrument himself. With members of the Lips on board it’s not hard to consider their influence, but Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain is prettier than many of their recent releases. With Linkous only letting loose on the fuzzed-out rave-ups "Ghost in the Sky" and "It’s Not So Hard," this is an album of low-key charmers and delicate beauty.
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