Toronto based METZ recently covered the song Pig for a limited edition split 7″ single. Released on the 21st April 2012 for Record Store Day, the single was limited to just 150 copies and available exclusively from Sonic Boom in Toronto…

There have been a few whispers recently of an all-star Sparklehorse tribute album in the works. Artists thought to be involved include Matthew Ryan, Mark Lanegan, The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. Anyone know any more?

On a related but possibly unconnected note Wayne Coyne and Graham Colton recently collaborated on this great cover of Don’t Take My Sunshine Away:

The BBC Website is currently streaming the BBC Radio 1 Evening Session Sparklehorse recorded for Steve Lamacq back in 1998:

Hundreds Of Sparrows
Pig
Good Morning Spider
Happy Man

Mark is backed here by Scott Minor, Jonathan Segel and Scott Fitzsimmons. Happy Man and Pig were later edited together to create Happy Pig which was released on the Distorted Ghost EP and Sick Of Goodbyes UK CD Single Part 1. Good Morning Spider was released on the Sick Of Goodbyes UK 7″ Single. For those of you outside the UK who can’t access this I’ll upload the session in full at a later date…

This month Angela Faye Martin has been at Sound Of Music in Richmond with Sparklehorse cohort Alan Weatherhead recording the follow up to her Mark Linkous produced 2009 album Pictures From Home…

Also watch out for a new album later in the year from Sol Seppy’s Sophie Michalitsianos. Sophie appears on all four Sparklehorse LPs and played live with the band in 1997 and 1999. Sol Seppy’s 2006 album Bells Of 1 2 also includes the track Farewell Your Heart which was recorded by Mark at Static King…

Mark Kozelek mentions Mark in the song Track Number 8, from the new Sun Kil Moon album Among The Leaves…

“Songwriting costs
It doesn’t come free
Ask Elliot Smith
Ask Richie Lee
Ask Mark Linkous
Ask Shannon Hoon
To get up on stage
And sing you a tune”

The song is currently being streamed at Paste Magazine…