Bird Machine is the posthumous fifth studio album from American indie rock band Sparklehorse, released on September 8, 2023 by Anti-

Gorgeous legacy

"Bird Machine" is at least a slight sensation. After all, bandleader Mark Linkous has been dead for 13 years.

His brother and fellow musician Matt Linkous has salvaged this musical treasure and produced it with care and consideration. The tracks were recorded in 2009 with producer Steve Albini, who has also helped Nirvana and the Pixies to their sound.

After Mark's death in 2010, his brother Matt Linkous began to take care of his estate and archive his recordings. This song was found among the tapes.

"We have taken great care in archiving and preserving Mark's music," Matt said. "We are very grateful for Mark and the beauty he brought to this world."

Sparklehorse, described by Pitchfork as an artist who "forced listeners to take to heart the beauty of darkness," have released many influential records, including the famed albums "Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot" and "Good Morning Spider" in the '90s, "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain" in the early '80s, and the collaborative album "Dark Night Of The Soul" released in 2010.

Throughout his career, Mark has collaborated with thought-provoking artists such as Vic Chesnutt, Daniel Johnston, Tom Waits, Danger Mouse and David Lynch.

While Mark recorded in various studios and collaborated with other musicians and producers, he did most of his work in his home studio, Static King, where he often recorded and recorded everything himself. He was "a working-class guy with a very poetic sensibility who gravitated toward artists like him who worked in isolation," according to NPR Fresh Air's Ken Tucker.

Tom Waits told the Los Angeles Times on the occasion of the release of "Good Morning Spider," "I love his songs ... It's like opening your eyes underwater at the bottom of a river. You say, 'My God, look what's down there.' I feel like I'm listening with him between radio stations. And we seem to share a fondness for pawnshop hi-fi."