Hey...its a grey and chilly Sunday outside - I'm inside doing some work here in the Indie underground bunker and came across this very sad note (from Pitchforks site):

Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse has committed suicide, according to a report from Rolling Stone. His family has released a statement reading, "It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today. We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There's a heaven and there's a star for you."

Linkous made his debut under the Sparklehorse name with the 1995 album vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, which yielded the minor hit "Someday I Will Treat You Good". He went on to release three more acclaimed records of fractured, experimental alt-blues: 1999's Good Morning Spider, 2001's It's a Wonderful Life, and 2006's Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain, as well as the Danger Mouse/David Lynch all-star project Dark Night of the Soul and the Fennesz collaboration In the Fishtank. A voracious collaborator, Linkous also worked with PJ Harvey, Daniel Johnston, Tom Waits, and many others.

It's a Friday night, just finished listening to the Valentines IGD special, the Olympics are probably on, and I just now realized I am wearing my last SMITHS tee that isn't, well, too gross to still wear (a familiar pic, backstage I believe, taken during the Morrissey hearing-aid period). Dang, now I REALLY feel old.

Meat Is Murder , the Smiths second longplayer was released February 14th, 1985. This is one of the biggest reasons my parents worried about me during my formative years (the Morrissey on a picnic blanket poster in my room didn't help).

The long awaited (and buzzed about) disc from VW is due in stores now...and you can stream it here courtesy of Indiesf.com and XL records:

https://www.beggarsgroupusa.com/digitalStream/index.php?playlist_id=42

Just in time for that krautrock-loving person on your list, the early Kraftwerk discs are out now as reissues featuring stunning sound (listened to AUTOBAHN this morning and it sounded amazing) and restored artwork, all packaged in slipcases. A boxset also available. Big thanks to Capitol/EMI/Astralwerks.

Its Saturday night and I just heard about Vic Chestnutts passing. The more I read, the more I feel he was yet another victim of our broken healthcare system. This is from the HuffPost:

Chesnutt slipped into a coma after taking a large dose of prescription muscle relaxants. He died in Athens, Georgia, on Christmas Day. Since being in a car accident as a teenager in 1983, Chesnutt was only mobile in a wheelchair.

The fabulous Americana mag No Depression has recently relaunched as an internet site and one you should definitely check out if you miss holding it in your hands: NoDepression.com