Mark Linkous

I saw Sparklehorse live in 2007 after a couple years of waiting, and it was perfect. The first of two encores opened with a version of “Gold Day” that saw most of the audience singing along to create one of the best moments I’ve ever had at a concert. It’s a total cliche, but Linkous’ work really got me through a lot.

I think most of his songs were about the quiet moments that followed the loud and terrible moments in your life, and that’s really when you listen to music. Artists who write about those moments tend to get self-pitying and self-indulgent, but none of Sparklehorse's music was anything like that. Mark was really just a beautiful person.

All of his albums were great, but the one that sticks out to me most is "It's A Wonderful Life." It hit me when I was a junior in high school, just before it's follow-up came out. The album's title track was supposedly Mark's response to critics who found his music overwhelmingly depressing without any bright spots. But he had bright spots. They were blurry, but they were there, and that album always pulls you out just before it all gets too dark. "More Yellow Birds" will probably make me tear up for the rest of my life, now. The title track of "Dreamt For Lightyears In The Belly Of A Mountain" already did.

One of the big things people talk about with Sparklehorse is how long the waits were in between albums. Rolling Stone says he was close to finishing an album for Anti-. I hope it comes out. After that, though, there won't be any new Sparklehorse. It's going to be tough to find somebody to fill the place that Mark Linkous' music had in my life. It's not that he was my favorite artist or that he changed me in any signficant way, it's just that he occupied a unique place in my music collection. I don't really know that I want anybody to fill that place.

Rest in peace, Mark Linkous. Thanks for making everything a little easier to understand.