Sparklehorse Delivers From the Heart

A cartoon sound-effect boing emanated as Sparklehorse leader Mark Linkous fiddled with a sampler between songs Friday at the Troubadour. It was a rare moment of pure whimsy in the often subdued show, and, typical of much of Linkous’ music, it was barely audible. His two arresting Sparklehorse albums are colored by almost subliminal background sounds as he reaches beyond conventional pop music language to communicate dark, pained inner dialogues.

But another moment of whimsy explained why this was not a burdensome load for his concert audience: When a woman in the crowd called for “more songs about carburetors,” a reference to one of his lyrics, Linkous quipped, “All the songs are about carburetors.” In the sense that the device is an engine’s heart, he was right.

Linkous isn’t exactly a dynamic stage presence, and his electronically distorted vocal effects can be distancing. But there’s so much heart in the lanky Virginian’s presentation that it transcended the barriers--with his three bandmates (especially former Camper Van Beethoven violinist Jonathan Segel) adding warmth to the mood swings from ultra-somber to harshly agitated.

The twist was that some new songs written in the wake of Linkous’ two-year recovery from a nearly fatal illness, revealed a new buoyancy. With crisp rock momentum and downright sunny melodies, the material is still pensive and personal, but from someone clearly glad to be alive.