When the family of
Sparklehorse's
Mark Linkous discovered his uncompleted fifth album in the archive of recordings he left behind after his death in 2010, they had a difficult decision to make: Should they leave it as-is, or finish and release it? They chose the latter, drafting producer
Alan Weatherhead, mixer
Joel Hamilton, and engineer
Greg Calbi to tie up the musical loose ends and bringing on
Grandaddy's
Jason Lytle and
Linkous' nephew
Spencer to provide additional vocals. It was a wise choice. Not only is
Bird Machine a chance for
Linkous' family to celebrate his beautiful, empathetic music by sharing it with his fans, it's also one of
Sparklehorse's finest albums.
Bird Machine is so evocative of
Linkous' previous work that it feels manifested out of memories of his songs. Blanketed in barbed distortion, "It Will Never Stop" begins the album with a burst of the noise-pop that peppered albums like
Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot (and hints at why
Linkous named his studio Static King). Several moments rival his masterpieces
Good Morning Spider and
It's a Wonderful Life. From its title to its surreal sorrow, "Kind Ghosts" is quintessential
Sparklehorse -- and one of many moments that will make fans grateful
Bird Machine finally saw the light of day. "Falling Down," a piece of spectral Americana informed by
Linkous' love of
the Beatles and
Daniel Johnston, is another, as is "Stay," which closes the album with the quiet, knowing reassurance he was so good at giving to his listeners.
Though it's a seamless addition to
Sparklehorse's catalog,
Bird Machine's simpler production sets it apart from
Linkous' previous albums. He recorded several songs at
Steve Albini's Electrical Audio, then embellished them and crafted other songs at Static King; the additions from the team who finished the album are respectfully subtle. This lends a vibrant openness to songs such as "Chaos of the Universe" and lets listeners get close to
Linkous' music after more than a decade of silence. It also allows his songwriting to shine. Being far away from loved ones is a major theme on
Bird Machine, and the circumstances of its release give an extra poignancy to the ruminations of a lonely soldier on "Hello Lord" and the deceptively warm isolation of "Everybody's Gone to Sleep." Little touches reflecting
Linkous' love for his family make
Bird Machine achingly personal, whether it's the rollicking cover of
Robyn Hitchcock's "Listening to the Higsons," a favorite of
Linkous and his brother
Matt, or the way he turns a voicemail message from his then-five-year-old nephew into a ghostly transmission on the fragile ballad "O Child." Since
Linkous' songs always felt timeless and out-of-time,
Sparklehorse's music has only sounded better with age. Even so, the chance to connect with his music for the first time once again is something like a miracle. Listening to
Bird Machine is a heartbreaking, uplifting experience -- in other words, a perfect tribute to the way he moved so many people. ~ Heather Phares