Daniel Johnston/Mark Linkous - Fear Yourself

A collaboration between fellow fringe dwellers Daniel Johnston and Mark Linkous seems like it should be a match made in twisted outsider-pop heaven. After all, the Sparklehorse leader is obviously a huge fan of Johnston's volatile but vulnerable music; aside from its influence coloring most of Sparklehorse's fragile, darkly innocent output, Linkous has gone as far as to put a cover of Johnston's "Hey Joe" on his best album, Good Morning Spider. It may be because of this reverence that producer/arranger Linkous gives Fear Yourself such a clean production that it almost sounds like Linkous is trying to protect the songs -- or their creator -- from some of their more dangerous or unpredictable impulses. Read More