Pitchfork

Photo by Kirstie Shanley

With the major label system as we know it very much on the rocks, musical casualties are turning up left and right. Whether they've been cold dropped without mercy or merely freed from the bonds of corporate oppression is probably a matter of perspective more than anything, but few would argue that the era of million-plus first week sellers is long over.

Which leaves one to wonder how Mark Linkous and his Sparklehorse are feeling right about now, having parted ways with former home Astralwerks [via EW.com].

According to an Astralwerks rep, Sparklehorse's contract simply expired, and thus the act is no longer allied with Astralwerks nor its parent label, Capitol. No word yet where the band will go for the follow-up to 2006's Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain.

Beyond this bit of news, we've heard nary a whinny from Sparklehorse in 2008, though Mr. Linkous did premiere some new material at last month's Portishead ATP.

And hey, looks like Soulja Boy's a fan! So there's that.