For all intents and purposes, "Sparklehorse" is a one man band. Mark Linkous plays guitar, bass, drums, piano and a host of other instruments and toys (literally) on "Sparklehorse's" second release, "Good Morning Spider." He does, however, bring a few friends along to help him out, most notably cellist/vocalist Sophie Michalitsianos and percussionist Scott Minor. The result is a disc made up of everything from Neil Young-like ballads, to old school country numbers, to experimental tracks enhanced by studio tricks.

The constant changes in musical styles and production values make for an album that's hard to digest at first. It's also an album with enormous potential to grow on a listener. To put it another way, it's that rare kind of disc that can put you to sleep AND make you sit there listening to it on repeat for hours on end, depending on the day. "Good Morning Spider" had both effects on me, hence the middle of the road rating above.

The CD starts out on a harsh note. "Pig" begins with 15 seconds of muted acoustic guitar, accompanied by female vocals, before shifting suddenly and dramatically into productionally challenged punk overdrive. It's a shocking introduction to an album I'd previously seen described only as a country-tinged disc, made all the more so by lyrics like, "I wanna be a stupid and shallow mutherfucker now/ I wanna be a tough skinned bitch but i don't know how."

A second surprise came in the form of "Sick of Goodbyes." It sounded familiar, despite the fact I'd never heard of "Sparklehorse" before receiving this disc. It turns out to be a remake of sorts, co-written by Linkous and Dave Lowery. A previous version appeared on the "Kerosene Hat" album by Lowery's band, Cracker.

The first standout track arrives with "Sunshine," with it's easy- listening/kids song main melody, subverted by various underlying effects. Bolstered by a simple, yet solid bassline, the effects eventually grow to take over in an interesting, but very odd, song.

The trend continues with "Chaos Of The Galaxy/Happy Man," a very cool studio experiment. "Chaos . . ." is apparently a three note pattern repeating for 45 seconds, acting as an intro. "Happy Man" sounds like one of those situations where you find a song you like on a far-away radio station and have to fight to keep it tuned in. After one last intrusion from the "Chaos" pattern, the signal clears up and we're treated to a good, raucous example of basic American rock'n'roll.

"Ghost Of His Smile" exhibits a distorted, buzzing guitar line throughout, masking what would otherwise be a great example of bubblegum pop. The interplay of the two sides, with Linkous' wistful vocals bridging the gap, make this one of the best song on the album. It's main competition is the aforementioned "Happy Man," and "Hundreds Of Sparrows." The latter spotlights Michalitsianos's cello, and features the following, best-left-to-the- imagination line, "The tree you planted has become fecund/ with kamikaze hummingbirds."

All these qualities have led to quite a bit of buzz about "Sparklehorse," including repeated gigs opening for the band "Radiohead." Despite my rating, I'd strongly recommend you take a chance on this album. While I can't guarantee you'll like it, it could as easily turn out to be the best thing you've ever heard. "Good Morning Spider" is just that kind of album.