Time Travel Tuesday: Tobin Sprout on Piano
Today's Time Travel post continues from this previous post on Tobin Sprout.
Although he is still actively recording music, of at least equal importance in Tobin Sprout's life is his studies in graphic art. His focus there is with light: its depths and reflections. You can see examples of that in the eyes of his dolorous and surreal subjects like this rabbit.
His other studies in the visual properties of light often involve its gleaming reflections off chrome and glass. There are truly amazing examples in the gallery of paintings at his website. Retro styles are another fascination of both his and his wife Laura, and the poster below is one of Tobin's works.
While I love Sprout's stuff mainly for the guitar work, he also occasionally composes on piano, and those rarer songs reveal a different dimension of the songwriter. A very private man, Sprout has said he keeps his personal emotions at arms length in his songs, even from himself. In these however, while the subject remains clouded, the emotional weight they carry is very strong. The echo-chamber effect imparts an intimacy that the guitar-based music that is less apparent when layers of guitar intervene. I think that "Moonflower Plastic" is perhaps the most developed and beautiful of these piano songs.
To me, "Water On the Boater's Back" combines Sprout's musical side with his graphic work with its focus on the tiny flecks of water on a muscled back. These tiny sparkles act like worm holes in Sprout's awareness that channel him toward a changed perspective on the world. I don't mind that the song feels rough and incomplete in comparison to "Moonflower Plastic." I can understand Sprout's reluctance to to return to the circumstances--the difficult birth of his children, in which he nearly lost his wife--that generated this deep reflection.
"Atom Eyes" makes an appeal for a simpler way of living. You can almost hear Sprout talking himself into leaving the hectic life of a touring band.
Atom eyes
Don’t worry your brain
Take a break from everyday
Sell the house, the car, the pain
Atom eyes
Just be sure to live again
In contrast, the GBV version sounds full and energetic but does not carry nearly the personal or the emotional impact of Sprout's solo version.
From Moonflower Plastic (1997):
Water On the Boater's Back
Moonflower Plastic (You're Here)
From Single Wish (a compilation album) (2002):
Atom Eyes (Sprite version)
lyrics
Compare this version from Bug House-rare and unreleased (1999)
from Guided By Voices' Peel Sessions:
Guided By Voices: Atom Eyes
Other Sprout piano songs:
To Remake the Young Flyer from Demos and Outakes (2001)
Angels Hang Their Socks on the Moon from Moonflower Plastic
Discography | Fan MySpace
Guided By Voices songs credited to Tobin Sprout
Guided By Voices Official website | Guided By Voices Database
Buy: iTunes | eMusic | Amazon.com
Information Sources:
Website | Wikipedia | Steve Albini Thinks We Suck interview (1997) | Matador Records
In a future Time Travel Tuesday: My other favorites from Tobin Sprout's discography and his latest release.
3 comments:
Thanks for the Tobin Sprout post (and I went back and read the earlier one). Back when I first got into Guided By Voices and put my favorite songs on cassette, I discovered how many were his songs.
I just love his songs. Something about the voice and the overall sound.
One of my top five live music moments had to be seeing Tobin and band at the Middle East, Cambridge, MA, on an incredibly freezing day. Restored my faith in music. And life. NO KIDDING.
The show, with a few deletions, was released on CD. I swear you can hear my yelp as one of my top, top favorites starts.
Thanks again,
Ace
Adding to my comment, I just listened to the "Sprite Version" of Atom Eyes. Holy crap. That's the stuff! I love the GBV versions, but that's really stunning.
The bad news is that only now finding this great version runs the risk of re-igniting my GBV completism illness!
Thanks,
Ace
what a great blog on tobin. What is it about that guy's voice? Its like he's beaming from some other time and place. So many of my fave GBV moments were penned by Mr. Sprout. Great blogging, keep up the good work!
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