Album Rating: 5.0

It sounds pained and cathartic, close to violent, I like that he had that side in his art

Album Rating: 4.5

"Cruel Sun is so damn amazing usually I play it twice in a row at full volume - easily his best 'heavy track'

One of my favourite rock choruses, well when it gets to the full chorus 'It's crawling, still aaall in, beeeeefallen, cruel sun {shred}' - sounds like screaming into a wind tunnel, just a song only Linkous could deliver, vocally and in guitar playing as a combo."

Sweet, you make a good case.



It's my least favourite on Spider though.

Album Rating: 5.0

It wasn't one I considered a great for the longest time and I'm sure it benefits from me starting to listen to it more because I'd chosen to just listen to 'Maria's and then just kept on to the next tune.



Twenty years later and I'm happy saying I consider the tune a classic - probably the Sparklehorse track I now spin most often (LastFM confirms this - 28 spins in two and a half years, five more than its nearest rival Sea of Teeth)

Album Rating: 4.5

"Cruel Sun" is like a 3/5 for me, but like I said I don't really vibe with Linkous' rawk songs as much. His slowcore moments are my favorite even more so than the poppy ones, I guess it's all about balance but an album all of stuff like "Eyepennies", "Sea of Teeth", and "Morning Hollow" would probably top this for me.

Album Rating: 5.0

Morning Hollow is tender and sad...a bit long to be a 5/5 track for me



Think I prefer Apple Bed to Eyepennies



All great picks though.



Only Dog Door is less than essential on this album.

Album Rating: 4.5

"Morning Hollow" is perfect as the closer here and the length works is an appopriate fade out. Its placement on Dreamt Like Light Years makes no sense, though it's nice to have it as a separate track rather than tacked onto "Babies On the Sun" (which I wish wasn't here at all tbh, it sounds too much like a proper closing track but not as good a one as "Morning Hollow").

Album Rating: 4.5

"Devil's New" is also inessential surely? Though at least it doesn't sound as awfully out of place as "Dog Door".

The title track is also a weak point for me but I guess it's an effective intro track.

Tbh most of the meat here is in tracks 2-7, the latter half doesn't convince me as much. It's a pretty light 4.5 for me all told. Kind of bloated, it could easily lose 4 songs and be a stronger 10 track album.

Album Rating: 5.0

I think the psychedelic quality of Babies makes for a better ending instead of something akin to another Eyepennies/SeaOfTeeth/AppleBed



The opener is strange and old time'y music box-y, so I feel the ending should be something a bit similar. They mirror each other for me.



I only listen to Morning Hollow as a standalone or part of Dreamt now

Album Rating: 4.5

I see how Babies creates a nice bookend - it's great mind you, 4/5 tier track, I like it better than the opener, I just like "Morning Hollow" a whole lot more.

Album Rating: 5.0

It is one of the best 'hidden tracks' of all time and although the rest of the album already warrants a 5/5 rating...it certainly doesn't hurt

Album Rating: 4.5

I do think Linkous is a writer I'll grow to appreciate more with time - there's nothing flashy about him, it's all very subtle and humble. I found his lyrical style a bit underwhelming at first but it's growing on me - he's not a "clever" writer really so he doesn't have many quotable lines like yer Isaac Brock for example but he has an interestingly different take on a similar sort of existential dread. All the animal imagery I found a bit inane at first but I find more depth upon reinspection.

Album Rating: 5.0

I think he really had his own world and language - I see the animals as more characters and symbolism than 'just animals', though I do think they literally populate the landscapes of these songs too



It's hard to explain but I think Sparklehorse is a one man vision in the best possible sense - he hasn't had to compromise it at all through band dynamic or commercial pressure



His work builds up images of a world you think may have existed in the past or that's slightly distorted by a fantasist's imagination...it makes sense to me lol

Album Rating: 5.0

Boney - also, you need to get onto the Elliott Smith catalogue. That's another one man vision artist who really conjures a world recognizable but somehow out of step, though my nostalgia might also help.



With Smith I get the youthful feeling I'm always heading out to a bar to meet a friend or coming back from a bar late at night - it's woven into the music I swear, some romantic notion. Amazing stuff that you need!

Album Rating: 4.5

I'm giving this another listen now, been a while, gonna reevaluate and check up on RYM track ratings - enjoyed the opener more than I remembered.

Yeah the animals are certainly symbolic, I just didn't see that at first. I agree he has a world his own, that's sort of what I was trying to get at - it takes time to fully see through his eyes.

I'm aware Smith is a major oversight of mine... I keep meaning to check him but not getting around to it.

Album Rating: 5.0

Just saw you referred to 'Devils New' - what edition is that on? I see it made the Spotify version :/

Album Rating: 4.5

According to Wiki it was excluded from the European release.

Album Rating: 5.0

Listening now - I quite like it, better than Dog Door. Decent atmospheric track, quite intrigued by it.

Album Rating: 4.5

Yeah it’s better than “Dog Door” surely, I’m not mad at it being there it just doesn’t really add anything, whereas “Dog Door” detracts.

Album Rating: 4.5

Anyway though, on my relisten this definitely holds up, definitely a 4.5. The back half is better than I remembered.

Album Rating: 4.5

"he doesn't have many quotable lines"



Woah now. Much disagree.