Sparklehorse
Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain (Astralwerks)
By Noreen Sobczyk
Published: September 25th, 2006 | 1:00pm
It's been a five-year wait since the last Sparklehorse release and Mark Linkous has provided pop songs tinged with sadness, truly exceptional lyrical moments, and an ever-present somnambulistic quality. After all, fans would expect nothing less. Sure Flaming Lips member Stephen Drozd, Tom Waits, and Danger Mouse added moments to the music, but the effort remains true to Sparklehorse's prior works.
The release might make one long for the days of vinyl as the CD begs to be separated into two distinct moods. That is the only obvious and immediate complaint with this release — the way the songs are ordered. Veteran mix tape masters will understand. It's more complex than a mere summation of "fast" or "slow," but rather distinct changes in the atmospheric moods created. "Don't Take My Sunshine Away", "Ghost in the Sky," "It's Not So Hard," "Some Sweet Day," and "Mountains" are a bit more folk and rock flavored making them less sleepy than the rest of the release, although "Mountains" ironically references "Twinkle twinkle little star." A bit more dissonance sprinkled lightly in spots might add a nice complement to the soothing sounds offered throughout this release.
The rest of the album including the ten-and-a-half minute instrumental title track are more esoteric, slower in pace, and act as a calling card to filmmakers looking for someone to score their visions. That would be an ideal project for Linkous and any creative filmmaker who would be lucky enough to have him.
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