Good Morning Spider
Sparklehorse's second album might be more lucidly named than its predecessor,Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, but that's about the only moment in which the (mostly) one-man band veers toward anything resembling greater accessibility. Otherworldly mastermind Mark Linkous has once again crafted a supersonic collage of pop, punk, and folk so weird and wobbly it'll probably make most conventionally minded listeners hightail from the room. But adventurous types who wade through the clamor and quirks that envelope the collection's 17 tracks will recognize Linkous as a master of hook and emotion--the latter, in this case, possibly inspired by a recent freak episode that left him briefly near death and paralyzed for months after. It's just this combination of noise, craft, and feeling that makesGood Morning Spidera dense and scintillating experience like no other.--Neal Weiss