Artist, illustrator, writer and lo-fi innovator, Tobin Sprout was the super-productive partner of Robert Pollard in the legendary Guided By Voices. The gifted songwriter returns pensive and expansive on biographical new album ‘Empty Horses’, out now on deluxe CD bookback beautifully packed with 24 pages of paintings and lyrics by Tobin Sprout, a true collectors piece for fans of Tobin’s music and art. Also released on standard black LP.
The album is a meticulously observed study of America and Americana (not the music, but the state of mind). An alternative American Songbook, if you will, a collection of laments to simpler times and the struggle for what’s right, peppered with an examination of faith and the search for a sense of justice. And, as it unravels these gritty anecdotes span the generations from the dividing and the American Civil War through to today’s confusing times.
He’s part Townes Van Zandt, part John Prine, part Robbie Robertson at his retrospective best; his heart beats super-slow on his sleeve – he’s in the cabin at Big Pink, a raconteur on a mission to reminisce; telling stories as only he can.
Close up and personal, ‘Empty Horses’ is a poignant carefully etched experience, a rolling journey in modern times, nodding back to tradition, a personal snapshot filled with honesty.
