Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain

Mark Linkous, the heart of Sparklehorse, creates music that has sharp, gentle edges, like blades of grass that cut you while tumbling down a hill. Previous albums by Sparklehorse featured notable artists such as Tom Waits and PJ Harvey, but Linkous’ tormented psyche and ongoing addiction to heroin succeeded to still his artistic output for five years. A freak accident in which his heart stopped for several minutes caused him to lose the use of his legs for more than a year, and the events of 9/11 encouraged his deep depression until friends took him to a remote mountain in North Carolina where he finally reunited with his musical muse. Requesting the production skills of Gnarls Barkley member Danger Mouse, Linkous returned to the studio to record this touching and very real album. At times soft and lulling, and others pounding and rocking, the Sparklehorse sound often reaches into the red so that even whispers are fuzzed and distorted. This is an intimate record made to save his life and is a testament to how life’s challenges can be toppled.