Pitchfork

Mark Linkous and Co. are set to release their third LP on Capitol Records next Tuesday, August 28th. The follow-up to 1999's Good Morning Spider, entitled It's a Wonderful Life, is purportedly Linkous' first substance-free recording. All this from a man who nearly died after mixing valium with prescription anti-depressants in 1996. The record, co-produced by Dave Fridmann, is expected to tame the sprawl of Spider, mixing in guest appearances by PJ Harvey, Tom Waits, and the Cardigans' Nina Persson. The U.S. version, housed in a special limited edition packaging, includes a bonus track, "Devil's New," not included with the international release. The record may be heard in its entirety online, this week only, courtesy of Capitol Records.

Also on the agenda is a collection of short films, one for each Life track, which will air together as a special on the Sundance Channel this fall. Contributors to the project include Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev, Sparklehorse drummer Scott Minor, Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, and Grant Gee, the director, cinematographer and sound engineer of Radiohead's documentary, Meeting People is Easy. Online previews will be made available prior to the televised event. The band's recent performance for "Sessions at West 54th" may also be seen this fall on PBS.

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