It’s hard to believe it’s been over 12 years since Mark Linkous passed away, leaving behind a dense discography of solo releases as Sparklehorse and additional fascinating collaborations. On the eve of what would have been his 60th birthday, indie duo Hunting are celebrating his legacy with a cover of his 2001 single “Piano Fire,” which also happens to be the first single from their newly announced record You’ve Got Love (But It Even Tears You Apart).
“I’ve always loved the Sparklehorse album It’s a Wonderful Life,” shares the band’s Bradley Ferguson of the album “Piano Fire” appears on. “It was given to me at a time when it was exactly what I was looking for sonically and emotionally. I find Mark’s lyrics so interesting and surreal. Mark’s mom actually got a message to us after hearing our cover of ‘Gold Day,’ it was so incredible and heartbreaking. ‘Piano Fire’ is one of the more upbeat songs on that album and I thought it would be a perfect cover for us.”
The duo’s take on the track recalls The New Pornographers at times, with Ferguson and co-vocalist Jessicka’s harmonies over the swirling indie-pop instrumental recalling those of Carl Newman and Neko Case (I’m sure it helps that the record was mixed and engineered by John Raham, who’s worked with New Pornographers’ Dan Bejar, while Case’s collaborator Paul Rigby also contributes to the album). Hear it below paired with a stop-motion music video created by the band’s own Jessicka.
