It's a Wonderful Life
Like Neil Young on the finer moments ofTonight's the Night,  Sparklehorse leader Mark Linkous nails the lonesome-man dirge to the  wall on this third long-player. Along with his kindred contemporaries  (and guest musicians)Mercury RevandGrandaddy, Linkous  makes little secret of his worship for the Neil Young vibe, and he  takes it in a direction that Young has never fully realized.It's a  Wonderful Life's sweet melodies sound as if they were recorded on  corroded tape, with fragility inherent both lyrically and  musically; yet this is the least psychotic, and most cohesive  Sparklehorse album to date. Linkous and his mates also benefit from  appearances byTom Waits,Cardiganscrooner  Nina Persson, and the most effectively used guest of all,PJ Harvey, who  bites hard on one of the CD's few static rockers, "Piano Fire." Other  highlights include the almost-fit-for-radio "King of Nails," the piano  ballad "Sea of Teeth," and the hidden bonus track (eight minutes into  track 13), "Morning Hollow." Linkous moans on the title track, "I'm a  bog of poison frogs / It's a wonderful life / It's a wonderful life."  Get the feeling that this might not be for everybody? Thank God for  that.--Chris Paul Carter