The very first time I listened to Sparklehorse's It's a Wonderful Life, I felt with an inward smile the warm sensation of it filling me with a heavy and joyful sadness. If its power hadn't directed my emotions in the same way in subsequent listening, I would have written it off as a fluke. But Mark Linkous, the genius of it all, knows what he's doing, and I'm glad for it. It's a Wonderful Life has the sustained emotional complexity that only something of true beauty can bear with such humility. Over the years, it's withstood so much listening that there have been times when I've worn the thing out, when listening to it felt like drinking air or signing my name. But that isn't the fault of Sparklehorse, it's my over listening. There is a limit to one's immediate benefit from art, no matter how good it is. And this album is good, it's inexhaustibly fresh and yet so simple.
The opening and title song, It's a Wonderful Life, is a good introduction to the record's overall aesthetic: vintage Optigan synth-strings, twinkling glockenspiels and erratic streams of computer control room blips, all to the pace of a sluggish and sparkling half-speed circus waltz. The lyrics vacillate between clever simplicity ("I'm the dog that ate/ your birthday cake) and playful obscurity ("I'm full of bees / that died at see"). They're not for everyone, of course, but their authenticity is infectious.
Although Linkous has a tendency to sabotage the most satisfying pop moments in his songs (i.e. "Happy Man" on Goodmorning Spider), "Gold Day" represents the album's most unfettered elements of pop. It is, dare I say it, a single, with a quirky lyrical charm that undoubtedly sticks ("In silver piles of smiles/ May your day be gold my child) and synth flutes and organs that sound fresh and bright, that maintain a perfect fullness without sacrificing any of the song's clarity of vision.
The one song that really seems out of place on the album is "Dog Door," Linkous' collaboration with Tom Waits that feels more akin to the album's antecedent "Good Morning Spider." I like the song and I find the drudging distortion and general resistance to conventional melody still interesting, but it feels like Linkous really wanted to make a Tom Waits song with Tom Waits. I'll give him that.
As for the rest of the songs, It's difficult to describe them without repeating myself. They all operate in relatively similar ways. The drums often variate only slightly from the standard four-four pattern and the melodic direction rarely takes an unexpected turn. Boring, right? It's actually where the band really shine: no frills, but great song writing, a consistent aesthetic and room to breathe.
When it comes down to it, the most redeeming thing about It's a Wonderful Life is its vision, the associative force with which it captures the beauty of a striving heart in an ordinary world.
If you're new to the band, the tracks I'd recommend are "Piano Fire," "Eye Pennies," "Little Fat Baby," and "Comfort Me."
"It's a Wonderful Life" is on sale July 3, 2001 from EMI.
