Sparklehorse and Our Memories Keep Us Company on Valentine's Day

Seattlest had a really good friend years ago that was a huge Sparklehorse fan. We grew close over talks of her dealings with the band (one member in particular) along with other more personal dramas. Despite all of the talk, we never talked about the band's music directly, it was all at a very meta- level. Going into the show Wednesday night we were flooded not with excitement over the return of Sparklehorse after a five-year hiatus, but with thoughts of our friend, having had a bit of a falling out last year. We were worried our emotions would cloud the show, but instead it enhanced the experience, as did our alone-status on Valentine's Day.

The set started with "Spirit Ditch," kicking off the Valentine's Day show with the lyrics "I want my records back," a breakup-centric song on a day ostensibly about togetherness. The set jumped between the quieter, more delicate songs ("Apple Bed," "Painbirds") and more rocking numbers ("Piano Fire," "Pig"), with Mark Linkous working between two microphones, one normal, the other distorted. Linkous looked comfortable onstage yet entirely vulnerable, while an upward blowing fan gave him an almost majestic appearance. Closing the set with the effects-laden squall of "Pig" felt a bit odd, but ultimately closing out the show with the prematurely aborted encore's "Gold Day" was perfect. Others had their companions to embrace during the show, but Seattlest was wrapped in the music and our memories, so even we weren't really alone.

Band image from flickr user beeez

Setlist after the jump