Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark, vast, creative, powerful, August 16, 1999
By A Customer
I can't say enough good things about this album. This album is so rich in emotion, passion, and textures that it holds up over years on its own. This is deeply personal music but not in the sometimes annoying and all-the-time cliched singer/songwriter confessional style of Countings Crows et al. This absolutely is NOT lo-fi. Rock critics are generally very ignorant of how music is made and calling this lo-fi is no exception. Make no mistake, I liken his studio talents and ingenuity on the level of a Trent Reznor or Roger Waters. The couple heavy numbers are a bit of an anachronism but ultimately, the contrast just adds more power to the quiet fury of the rest of the album. This is meant only for cold, rainy, November nights spent alone when it feels like the world has let you down once again. You will know it's all ok and you are not alone.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's a Sad and Beautiful World....., March 5, 1999
By A Customer
I discovered this album by accident in my local library. What a find! Upon first taste I realised that I had never heard music quite like this before. Mark Linkous bravely puts the music in the background on the slower tracks, and leaves his whispered vocals in the foreground to carry the weight of the song - and how it works. I found myself intrigued by the weird background noises on 'Homecoming Queen', captivated by the simple beauty of 'Saturday' and energised by 'Hammering The Cramps'. Two track titles which perfectly sum up this album are 'Heart of Darkness' and 'Sad & Beautiful World'. The world contains darkness, sadness and beauty, but for me Vivadixie is a graphic portrayal of the beauty within that dark side. This is an album that is not scared to express itself. It doesn't hide behind grooves, or booming beats - it just says,"take me for what I am." Musically I find this recording hard to describe - a bloke who likes messing about and creating interesting sounds with his guitar gives an introspective view of himself and his world? This is not a party album, it is for late night listening only. But it's also one of those albums that the rest of your collection will fear - because once you have put it into the CD player, it is VERY difficult to remove it! If you enjoyed Morrissey and The Smiths, if you find yourself drawn to Gene and you happen to have a soft spot for Lou Reed - his weirdness, his jumbled lyrics and infectious mellowness - then your music collection will never be complete without this classic album.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Viva la Horse de Sparkley, January 6, 2002
Onwards from the first notes, which are fragile and sound all covered with dust, this album creaks along slowly and beautifully through haunted images of carnivals, decay, and open fields. 'Homecoming Queen' and 'Weird Sisters', which begin the album, are two of the most gorgeous songs I can remember hearing. Both are filled up with schizophrenic lyrics concerning sparklers, horses, and bulging eyes, which only add to the sense of disorientation that comes from listening in to Linkous deliver the songs deleriously. There's a rawness and a freshness to some of the songs on this album that the band was never able to re-create on later efforts. And there's an honesty to all the moods of the album, and some lines are delivered openly and genuinely enough to provoke weeping. The album doesn't reveal itself entirely on the first few listens, but after enough time with it the music began to dig it's way deeply into my brain. It's one of my Favorite Records of All Time, and I reccomend it with severe enthusiasm.
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