Tobin Sprout: Let's Welcome the Circus People

Tobin Sprout: Let's Welcome the Circus People

1999

Recordhead Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Tuck Everlasting:  1. Smokey Joe's Perfect Hair  2. Digging Up Wooden Teeth  3. Mayhem Stone  4. And So On  5. Making A Garden  6. Vertical Insect (The Lights Are On)  7. Maid To Order  8. Liquor Bag  9. Who's Adolescence  10. Lucifer's Flaming Hour  11. 100% Delay  12. And Then The Crowd Showed Up


Oh yea. I like this one. It's not as initially welcoming as his first two solo outings but it's got an interesting, hermetic quality that draws me in. It's very dry, cold and brittle which lays bare every stumble but it's also oddly compelling to hear Tobin sing about room layouts and furniture in such a stark setting. The warm, fuzziness is mostly gone.  Imagine an eccentric hermit recording a homebrew version of "154" and you're not way off...

There are a couple of so-so tracks (the alright-ish "Smokey Joe"  and the incredibly bizarre "Making a Garden," where Tobin appears to be singing over the waltz setting on a casio keyboard)) but for the most part it's all moody, slightly off-kilter, hummable indie pop. 

Favorites: "Digging Up Wooden Teeth" is incredibly effective. I can't really determine what's the verse and what's the chorus but when he moves back into the verse from the bridge section (y'know the, "How do you expect me to dig wooden teeth?" part?) it just gets me and the ol' arm hairs start standing up... I also love the rickety piano popper "Who's Adolescence," "Maid to Order" also strikes me as super-solid Sprout with subtle hooks landing one after the other, and the closing "And Then the Crowd Showed Up" ends the album on a perfect note. The album suddenly lifts its melancholy  mood and feels celebratory in a warm, relaxed way.  Oh yea, I should probably mention that "Lucifer's Flaming Hour" rules too. Mainly because of those closing "doot doot doot" backing vocals. 

Y'know, I've been listening to this album for 18 years now and I still don't know what to think about "Liquor Bag." The song is ludicrous, with its forced rhymes and Tobin wheezing like some weird hybrid of Tom Petty and ancient Bob Dylan (there's definitely some Wilbury-ness to his vocal performance). I'm simultaneously fascinated by it and repelled by it. I can at least say I've never skipped it, which is more than I can say for "Making A Garden."

Overall, this is a good album and although I don't think it tops the first two Sprout albums, I've probably listened to it more than any other one. It's an interesting listen for sure and the songs get stuck in your head like crazy...

Let's listen to some music. Here's "And Then the Crowd Showed Up" by Tobin Sprout. Enjoy...

This was a hard one to rank. I listen to it way more than "Mag Earwhig!" but it doesn't have any moments as transcendent as "Now to War" or "Jane of the Waking Universe" so I'm putting it right below it. Looking at this list kinda bothers me at this point, cos it makes me out as one of those people who immediately dismiss the "Box" era albums, which (for the most part) I flat out love. I think you'll see the overall standing of those "Box" albums go up as Pollard's output gets a little more diluted during this Fading Captain era...I don't know though. Sometimes as I go through these GBV-universe albums, certain ones will rise in stature and other ones aren't as shiny as I remembered...If I had done these rankings without re-listening to each one as I do them, I think I would have ended up w/ a much different list...

1. Guided by Voices: Alien Lanes

2. Robert Pollard With Doug Gillard:Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department

3. Guided by Voices: Bee Thousand

4.Guided by Voices: Under the Bushes, Under the Stars

5. Guided by Voices: Propeller

6. Tobin Sprout: Moonflower Plastic (Welcome to My Wigwam)

7. Robert Pollard: Waved Out

8. Tobin Sprout: Carnival Boy

9. Guided by Voices: Do the Collapse

10. Guided by Voices: Same Place the Fly Got Smashed

11. Robert Pollard: Kid Marine

12. Guided by Voices: Tonics and Twisted Chasers

13. Guided by Voices: Sunfish Holy Breakfast

14. Robert Pollard: Not In My Airforce

15. Guided by Voices: Mag Earwhig!

16. Tobin Sprout: Let's Welcome the Circus People

17. Guided by Voices: King Shit and the Golden Boys

18. Guided by Voices: Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia

19. Guided by Voices: Vampire on Titus

20. Guided by Voices: Sandbox

21. Guided by Voices: Forever Since Breakfast

22. Guided by Voices: Devil Between My Toes 
23. Nightwalker: In Shop We Build Electric Chairs: Professional Music by Nightwalker

Tobin Sprout: Moonflower Plastic (Welcome to My Wigwam)

 

Tobin Sprout: Moonflower Plastic (Welcome to My Wigwam)

1997

Matador Records

Format I Own it on : Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Get Out Of My Throat  2. Moonflower Plastic (You're Here)  3. Paper Cut   4. Beast Of Souls   5. A Little Odd   6. Angels Hang Their Socks On The Moon   7. All Used Up   8. Since I...  9. Back Chorus  10. Curious Things  11. Exit Planes  12. Little Bit Of Dread   13. Hit Junky Dives  14. Water On The Boater's Back



Oh, shit. I was so focused on keeping the Pollard output straight, I missed a Tobin Sprout solo album., so let's check out 1997's "Moonflower Plastic (Welcome to My Wigwam)"...

 This is where the template for solo Tobin Sprout albums gets solidified. "Carnival Boy" felt more like a GBV album where there were curiously no Pollard songs. It maintained the same rickety, snippet-y, defiantly lo-fi spirit. "Moonflower Plastic" is cleaner and more fleshed out, sporting a warm, mid-fi sound. There are two snippet/songs but they are absolutely the exception since everything else clocks in at around the 3-4 minute range.  

Most of the music is either gently rocking indie pop or dreamy piano pop. It sounds like a big block of pleasurable sound on first listen but the fantastic melodies quickly pop out of the mix at around the second go-round. And there are some doozies here. "Angels Hang Their Socks on the Moon" is a real beauty. It's the aural equivalent of the world's biggest, softest, comfiest blanket ever. Starts out in a woozy rush of lo-fi that establishes the verse melody and when the song finally hits it isn't the cathartic rock that you're expecting but a huge, cathartic easiness if that makes sense. It makes you feel like everything is going to be alright forever. 

The other big one is "All Used Up" which is a power-popper with maybe the most excellent melody I've ever heard. That big, never-ending hook just about takes you head off. Again, a song that I don't think I've ever listened to just once. This always gets at least two consecutive  plays.  If  the ridiculously gorgeous "Hit Junky Dives" were one minute shorter, it would also probably reach "two play" status but the 4-minute running time makes it perfectly satisfying. Damn there's some great stuff on here. When I'm searching for music, songs like "All Used Up" are exactly what I'm looking for. So whenever I do find something of this caliber I tend to play the shit out of it...

Revisiting this, I think I'm going to have to say this is my personal favorite Tobin Sprout solo release. It's so unassuming on first listen, but boy is this some beautifully catchy stuff. Slow moving music has to be really good to maintain my attention, since I'm constantly on the verge of falling asleep, but the melodies on this album are so compelling that it easily carries me through. A quiet masterpiece of simple, understated indie rock that I wish could go on forever. I have no idea why there isn't some deluxe, 5-disc 20th anniversary edition box set coming out this year...C'mon! The Verve's "Urban Hymns" got one! Somebody get on this...

Alright, let's listen to some music. Here's "All Used Up" by Tobin Sprout. Enjoy...

That's right. The rankings. "Moonflower Plastic" is pretty high on my list. I effing love ""Waved Out" but "Moonflower Plastic" gives me such a good feeling whenever I listen to it. The ultimate comfort album. And it gets extra points for not having "Showbiz Opera Walrus" on it. I can't put it above "Propeller" though cos there's no song as great as "Over the Neptune" on it. "All Used Up" comes dangerously close though...

1. Guided by Voices: Alien Lanes

2. Robert Pollard With Doug Gillard:Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department

3. Guided by Voices: Bee Thousand

4.Guided by Voices: Under the Bushes, Under the Stars

5. Guided by Voices: Propeller

6. Tobin Sprout: Moonflower Plastic (Welcome to My Wigwam)

6. Robert Pollard: Waved Out

7. Tobin Sprout: Carnival Boy

8. Guided by Voices: Do the Collapse

9. Guided by Voices: Same Place the Fly Got Smashed

10. Robert Pollard: Kid Marine

11. Guided by Voices: Tonics and Twisted Chasers

12. Guided by Voices: Sunfish Holy Breakfast

13. Robert Pollard: Not In My Airforce

14. Guided by Voices: Mag Earwhig!

15. Guided by Voices: King Shit and the Golden Boys

16. Guided by Voices: Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia

17. Guided by Voices: Vampire on Titus

18. Guided by Voices: Sandbox

19. Guided by Voices: Forever Since Breakfast

20. Guided by Voices: Devil Between My Toes 
21. Nightwalker: In Shop We Build Electric Chairs: Professional Music by Nightwalker

Robert Pollard: Not in My Airforce/Tobin Sprout: Carnival Boy

Robert Pollard: Not in My Airforce

1996

Matador Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Maggie Turns to Flies  2. Quicksilver  3. Girl Named Captain  4. Get Under It  5. Release the Sunbird  6. John Strange School  7. Parakeet Troopers  8. One Clear Minute  9. Chance to Buy an Island  10. I've Owned You for Centuries  11. The Ash Gray Proclamation  12. Flat Beauty  13. King of Arthur Avenue  14. Roofer's Union Fight Song  15. Psychic Pilot Clocks Out  16. Prom Is Coming  17. Party  18. Did It Play?  19. Double Standards Inc  20. Punk Rock Gods  21. Meet My Team  22. Good Luck Sailor




Tobin Sprout: Carnival Boy

1996

Matador Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. The Natural Alarm  2. Cooler Jocks  3. E's Navy Blue  4. The Bone Yard   5. Carnival Boy  6. Martin's Mounted Head  7. Gas Daddy Gas   8. To My Beloved Martha  9. White Flyer  10. I Didn't Know  11. Gallant Men  12. It's Like Soul Man  13. Hermit Stew  14. The Last Man Well Known To Kingpin



Two solo albums by GBV's head songwriters released on the same day. This shit is Christmas. 

I guess it could be viewed as a competitive gesture since these releases fall right on the cusp of the big breakup , but it's just as easy to view it as a nice gift (and a memorable record store trip) to the faithful. That's why I'm covering these two together, cos they're inseparable in my mind. Listening to them back to back provides an interesting juxtaposition of the two artists strengths and weaknesses. You get to view GBV pulled apart and view the separated contents. Whee! 

Here's my take. Listening to "Not in My Airforce" shows Pollard as the more experimental of the two, which results in a lower hit-to-miss ratio than "Carnival Boy." But boy, when he hits, he hits. There are very few artists that can match Pollard firing on all cylinders. The highs here (as I hear them, GBV fans tend to have different hits and misses) are the opening run of tracks from "Maggie Turns to Flies" through "Release the Sunbird" which rival any stretch of songs from any GBV album. Every one worthy of the repeat button. I also love the hypnotizing acoustic beauty "The Ash Gray Proclamation" and "Psychic Pilot Clocks Out" which gets my vote as the album's MVP. The moment when Bob belts out, "I FEEEEEL LIFE PASSING ON BY US!" over a rush of fuzzy rock never fails to raise those ol' hairs on the back of my hairy-ass neck. 

The original CD version of "Not in My Airforce" made the album seem more inconsistent than it was by including a 7 track run of acoustic song fragments. The album up to that point is so varied and such a good sampling of Pollard's various modes that the stagnation at the end was always puzzling. The recent vinyl reissue rectifies this by ending the proper album with "Prom Is Coming" and placing the acoustic ditties on a separate 7-inch. Effing brilliant. It makes "Not in My Airforce" a stronger start to finish album and I appreciate the acoustic 7-inch as a little side door full of humble, knotty curiosities. 

Sprout's "Carnival Boy" shows Tobin as being the more sensitive and consistently tuneful of the duo. "Carnival Boy" is a warm, welcoming little album full of instantly appealing little melodies. It sorta reminds me of a little woodlands gnome opening a tiny music box full of crackling, twinkling, winsome songly-songs. And although it's got some stiff competition, it's maybe the best of Sprout's solo albums. There's some really lovely stuff here. Like "Gas Daddy Gas" "To My Beloved Martha," "I Didn't Know" and the spirited Syd Barrett tribute "The Last Man Well Known To Kingpin" that instantly give you an overwhelming rush of comforting nostalgia, even upon first listen. He has a way of nailing the feeling of looking at an old hazy polaroid of bygone days. It's hard to explain...There's also a fine re-recording of "It's Like Soul Man" that loses some of the bassy murk of the original while losing none of the soaring melody. 

I should probably mention that there is some cross-over between Pollard and Sprout's solo outings. Sprout provides backing vocals on Sprout's "Roofer's Union Fight Song" and Pollard plays guitar on Sprout's "E's Navy Blue." And man, when "White Flyer" starts out I could swear to God that it's Pollard singing, but he's not credited as such. It's an incredible approximation...

So ultimately, Pollard's album contains all the rocking weirdness, brevity, and the occasional stumblings into transcendent genius that characterizes the classic-era GBV and Sprout's album contains all the fizzy, poppy warmth that also characterizes the classic-era GBV... That big "POP" sprawled across the cover is no coincidence. There's also something inherently, gloriously  GBV-ish about Sprout's strummy and wandering guitar-lines throughout "Carnival Boy". 

Here are the revised rankings of my personal fave GBV/GBV-related albums. I'm putting Sprout's "Carnival Boy" at number 6. It's a super close toss up between it and "Propeller," but I'm giving "Propeller" the very slight nod due to the grandiosity of its highpoints ("Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox," "Exit Flagger," "Weedking," "Quality of Armor" etc.) even though "Carnival Boy" is the more consistently pleasurable experience. "Not in My Airforce" gets the number 7 spot. There's a bit of a routine feel to it when compared to "Same Place the Fly Got Smashed" which feels like more of an event record to my ears...Even though I'm unsure if the Pollard of "Same Place" could have pulled off something as masterful as "Psychic Pilot Clocks Out" or "Maggie Turns to Flies"...Again, really close call and I can totally understand someone who views it differently...

1. Guided by Voices: Alien Lanes

2. Guided by Voices: Bee Thousand

3.Guided by Voices: Under the Bushes, Under the Stars

4. Guided by Voices: Propeller

5. Tobin Sprout: Carnival Boy

6. Guided by Voices: Same Place the Fly Got Smashed

7. Robert Pollard: Not In My Airforce

8. Guided by Voices: King Shit and the Golden Boys

9. Guided by Voices: Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia

10. Guided by Voices: Vampire on Titus

11. Guided by Voices: Sandbox

12. Guided by Voices: Forever Since Breakfast

13. Guided by Voices: Devil Between My Toes

Alright, let's check out some music....Here's "Psychic Pilot Clocks Out" by Robert Pollard:

And here's "The Last Man Well Known To Kingpin" by Tobin Sprout...Enjoy...