Sparklehorse

Sparklehorse (read more)

2,515,877 plays scrobbled on Last.fm

Sparklehorse is essentially Mark Linkous, a Virginia native, and last of a long line of southern coalminers. Linkous records much of Sparklehorse’s material in his home studio, and his Southern Gothic vision guides Sparklehorse. Drummer and multi-instrumentalist Scott Minor is a frequent collaborator.

Much of Sparklehorse’s music has an introspective, melancholy feel, which Linkous credits to a chemical imbalance. His lyrics are full of odd imagery: Joe Tangari describes Linkous’ songs as “defiantly surrealist … with all manner of references to smiling babies, organ music, birds, and celestial bodies … In fact, some of the lyrics are so surreal that it’s hard to imagine they’re even metaphors for anything.” [2]

Musically, Sparklehorse are not far removed from alt country, though there are as many differences as similarities between that genre and Sparklehorse: Linkous is fond of incorporating obsolete musical instruments or technologies (such as woozy mellotrons, scratchy, distorted wire recordings of his own voice, or cheap, tinny drum machines), in ways reminsicent of some of Tom Waits’ music. Sparklehorse have offered a few full-throttle hard rock numbers, as well, such as “Some Day I Will Treat You Good” or “Happy Man”.

Sparklehorse’s first album was the confoundingly-titled Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot (1995). The record was a modest success, mainly on college radio. The supporting tour, however, found Linkous overdosing on valium and antidepressants. (read more)

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Track	Time	Listeners	Download
Add this track to your playlist Piano Fire full track	2:43	22,454	Buy mp3
Add this track to your playlist Return to Me full track	3:19	19,603	Buy mp3
Add this track to your playlist It's A Wonderful Life full track	2:58	18,536	Buy mp3
Add this track to your playlist Gold Day full track	4:13	17,106	Buy mp3

Good Morning Spider

Chest Full of Dying Hawks

Top Tracks, Last Week

1	1	Add this track to your playlist Piano Fire full track	514
1	2	Add this track to your playlist Don't Take My Sunshine Away	511
2	3	Add this track to your playlist It's A Wonderful Life full track	436
1	4	Add this track to your playlist Shade and Honey	426
1	5	Add this track to your playlist Getting It Wrong	396
1	6	Add this track to your playlist Gold Day full track	378
2	6	Add this track to your playlist Sea of Teeth full track	378
1	8	Add this track to your playlist Apple Bed full track	366
3	9	Add this track to your playlist Return to Me full track	356
1	10	Add this track to your playlist Some Sweet Day	346
1	11	Add this track to your playlist See the Light	329
1	12	Add this track to your playlist Mountains full track	313
1	13	Add this track to your playlist Ghost In The Sky	310
3	14	Add this track to your playlist Eyepennies full track	292
–	15	Add this track to your playlist Knives of Summertime	290
–	16	Add this track to your playlist Morning Hollow full track	285
3	17	Add this track to your playlist King of Nails full track	276
1	18	Add this track to your playlist Painbirds	275
1	19	Add this track to your playlist More Yellow Birds full track	261
2	20	Add this track to your playlist Sick Of Goodbyes	250

Number of listeners for the last week More top tracks…

Top Tracks, Last Six Months

–	1	Add this track to your playlist Don't Take My Sunshine Away	9,093
–	2	Add this track to your playlist Piano Fire full track	7,934
–	3	Add this track to your playlist Shade and Honey	7,743
–	4	Add this track to your playlist Getting It Wrong	7,270
–	5	Add this track to your playlist Return to Me full track	6,645
–	6	Add this track to your playlist It's A Wonderful Life full track	6,325
–	7	Add this track to your playlist See the Light	6,109
–	8	Add this track to your playlist Some Sweet Day	5,956
–	9	Add this track to your playlist Gold Day full track	5,775
2	10	Add this track to your playlist Sea of Teeth full track	5,464
2	11	Add this track to your playlist Apple Bed full track	5,335
2	12	Add this track to your playlist Ghost In The Sky	5,316
2	13	Add this track to your playlist Mountains full track	5,306
–	14	Add this track to your playlist Knives of Summertime	5,105
–	15	Add this track to your playlist Morning Hollow full track	5,036
–	16	Add this track to your playlist Eyepennies full track	4,898
–	17	Add this track to your playlist King of Nails full track	4,633
2	18	Add this track to your playlist More Yellow Birds full track	4,355
1	19	Add this track to your playlist Painbirds	4,335
1	20	Add this track to your playlist Sick Of Goodbyes	4,333
–	21	Add this track to your playlist Comfort Me full track	4,088
–	22	Add this track to your playlist Little Fat Baby full track	4,076
–	23	Add this track to your playlist It's Not So Hard	3,932
–	24	Add this track to your playlist Dog Door full track	3,896
1	25	Add this track to your playlist Pig full track	3,842
1	26	Add this track to your playlist Sunshine full track	3,838
–	27	Add this track to your playlist Saint Mary	3,664
–	28	Add this track to your playlist Hundreds of Sparrows	3,604
–	29	Add this track to your playlist Good Morning Spider	3,545
–	30	Add this track to your playlist Cruel Sun	3,419
1	31	Add this track to your playlist Maria's Little Elbows	3,408
1	32	Add this track to your playlist Someday I Will Treat You Good full track	3,335
–	33	Add this track to your playlist Hey, Joe	3,252
–	34	Add this track to your playlist Come on In	3,171
–	35	Add this track to your playlist Homecoming Queen full track	3,103
–	36	Add this track to your playlist

Sparklehorse

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Sparklehorse (read more)

2,515,877 plays scrobbled on Last.fm

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Top Tracks, Last Six Months