Sparklehorse
Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain
Capitol

Five years in the waiting, Mark Linkous has finally come around to his fourth album with Sparklehorse. For a fan such as I, it's no minor event. But from there on the disappointment is in danger of getting equal to the expectations. It's not quite there, but I have to admit that my knees aren't as week as every time - still - I listen to It's a Wonderful Life. It's not like the magic is gone, it's just not as magical as it was.

Although Linkous has that power to pierce through me with lines like "I could look at your face for a thousand years - it's like a civil war of pain and of cheer", it ("Shade and Honey") resembles songs like "Comfort Me" (from It's A Wonderful Life) too much to feel genuine. Then again, simple tunes like "Return To Me" has that nerve and intensity that only Sparklehorse can create.

I'm not about to dismiss Dreamt For Light Years... for a long time still. I'm looking forward to finally getting into the swing of "Some Sweet Day", the wonderful soundscapes of "Morning Hollow" and the rock of "It's Not So Hard". I'm just not there yet.

I know I'm digging for gold by glimpses in the water. It might be the reflections of the sun but I've got a few pieces to go by. So, maybe that is actually the beauty of Sparklehorse, far from perfect and sometimes too playful for its own good. But in the end, so much better than so much else out there.

Copyright © 2006 Anders Svendsen