Today's mission should you choose to accept it....

Today I woke up and all I wanted to do was sing, sing and play guitar, at the same time.
I scrounged for the capo, I searched for the pick. I found no capo, I ALWAYS have picks. My handbag sometimes doubles as a shaker it is so laden with the little grey plastic discs that rattle and wantonly bounce around in there.

I felt a strong urge to hear then learn then play the song Piano Fire by Sparklehorse.
 It's A Wonderful Life is one of my go-to records, it has it all. Lo-Fi, but not flat, it has both moments of delicacy, sensitivity, as well as stretches of stomping thumping distorted fuzz.
Backing vocals provided by PJ Harvey don't hurt either (they in fact Make the tracks they're on) and there's a track sung by Master Waits too. Heavy hitters both, in the highest.

Oh Mark Linkous.
(Sparklehorse = Mark Linkous)
You sad sparkling beauty.

Within a couple of months of each other in 2010 Mark and one of my other most beloved and admired musicians, Vic Chesnutt, killed themselves.
Mark shot himself in the heart outside a friends house.
Vic passed away on multiple meds and painkillers in hospital.

Sorry the post just took such a dark turn. It's not what I think of when I play their music, as I so often do. It's A Wonderful Life is on it's 3rd rotation of the morn, that's what I mean when I say go-to album, I mean it hypnotizes me and I end up listening to it all day.

But now, back to my dusty Maton, 'little lady' as I call her.
(There's 'Big Girl' too, a Taylor, but she doesn't get played as much)
..to practice these quick chord changes of Marks, with these rusty as hell fingers.
What a gorgeous fucking song.

Xx