From Amazon.co.uk
The snappily-titled debut
Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot signified the emergence of a major talent. Sparklehorse frontman Mark Linkous was one of an encouraging vanguard of young American songwriters (see also
16 Horsepower,
Grant Lee Buffalo,
Uncle Tupelo,
Nadine) attempting to wrench the legacy of Hank Williams out of the clammy grip of Nashville's legion of anodyne Garth Brooks clones and redefine American music for a new age. The fact that Linkous owed as big a debt to the likes of
Pavement and
Sebadoh only served to make his music more interesting. The songs on this album, simple enough ballads at heart, came dressed in a wildly varied array of effects and distortions, all astutely judged to accentuate, rather than distract from, Linkous's lyrics of loss and hope. A great start.
--Andrew Mueller