As per an earlier entry, I got into Sparklehorse some time in 2002, and this was my first album.
Around the same time, I had been "between jobs" for about half a year, my last job folding around Christmas 2001 (which goes without saying is a really shitty time for anyone to be out of work). I was living at home, emotionally and mentally boxed in by my well meaning, but stridently fervent mother and her religion, which was made even more stifling by the unemployment. My only escapes were my old friends video games and music. In those months, I was pretty much almost exclusively listening to obscure electronica and chiptune as that was where my head was at. I was also quite busy with my band, be it writing new songs or playing gigs.
In the spring of 2002, I was fed up of waking up every morning and feeling like there was no reason to even get out of bed, so I decided I was going to do odd jobs until I found something in my field. To that end, I visited an agency, and they got me some part time work. It wasn't much, but it gave me something to do and got me out of the house so I was grateful. One morning, I was on my way home from work and decided to pop into my local library. I found 'It's a Wonderful Life' on the CD shelf (you could borrow music from this library) and was immediately drawn to it. I can't exactly recall what compelled me to even pick it up; I think I may have heard of Sparklehorse somewhere before, but I can't remember. Anyway, from scanning the liner notes, I discovered the album was produced by Dave Fridmann, which was enough to make me want to give it a listen. I wasn't disappointed.
What I loved about Sparklehorse's music was Mark Linkous' almost alchemical way of combining the sounds that made up his music: plangent guitars, aged, crackly loops, mellotron, piano, drum machines and distorted keyboards all deftly woven into a musical tapestry that was hauntingly beautiful and affecting; languid, measured but intensely powerful. I also really appreciated his obliquely poetic lyrics which like the best, leave enough room for the listener to form interpretations that are personal to themselves, which something I found myself doing a lot.
IAWL became quite a personal record for me as I found within its lyrics words that spoke to my circumstances in their own way. 'Gold Days' made me feel hopeful, 'Piano Fire' (a favourite) seemed like a metaphorical analogue of my creeping distaste towards the aforementioned familial religious noise I could no longer simply drown out or temper. 'King of Nails' made me feel powerful and 'Comfort Me', reminded me that I was only human. I'm not going to go through every single song on the album, but you get the idea - it spoke to me and helped me through a challenging time. What's more, Linkous' music proved hugely inspirational for my own; a few of the songs I wrote for my band at the time drew their influence from Sparklehorse, particularly the lyrics.
That summer, I played 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Good Morning, Spider' to death, and I was only 2 weeks into that part time job before I found something more permanent. Things were beginning to look up and my introduction to the world of Sparklehorse marked the very beginning of a long, personal journey.
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