Tobin Sprout – Empty Horses
By
Jesse E. Mullen
Tobin Sprout is the George Harrison of the Guided By Voices universe. Now, before you Beatle-maniacs bite my head off, let me elaborate. Both were the last to join as a member of a famed songwriting team (sorry Ringo.) Both were the quieter foil to bombastic frontmen. And both had a stockpile of leftover songs once the partnerships ended.
For Tobin, this resulted in the sometimes excellent, sometimes scattershot The Universe and Me in 2017. While it contained an all-time classic in “When I Was A Boy,” it also had a fair amount of filler at 14 songs.
So, when Tobin Sprout announced Empty Horses, I was cautiously optimistic. Sure, I knew there would be a few gems, but I wasn’t sure how the album would stack up as a whole.
Empty Horses is a deceptively simple album musically. It works primarily within the genre of folk with hints of country rock thrown in. The songs and their structures call to mind the sound of Neil Young’s Harvest and After The Goldrush albums. But whereas those albums dealt with subject matter of the early 70s and the Vietnam conflict of the time, Empty Horses deals with our current state of affairs with a twist.
And just what is that twist? Rather than dealing with current issues head on, Tobin uses characters from the civil war – some real, some fictional – as a metaphor for the division in the United States today.
The most explicit references to the civil war come in the song “Antietam,” sung from the perspective of a soldier who died in that battle. However, these references never get heavy-handed, and are instead treated as a warning as to what can happen when a nation becomes too divided.
Elsewhere, we hear several biblical references. Lyrics about “god’s hammer” appear as a recurring motif throughout the album. “The Return” recalls a journey where the narrator witnesses two characters praising god and the resurrection.
While I am not typically moved by religious references, here they are woven into the narrative of the songs particularly well, given the period when most of these songs take place – the 1800s. In essence, Tobin has crafted a period piece drama minus the moving pictures.
And speaking of pictures, I would be remiss not to talk about the packaging and artwork included with the album. Instead of a standard jewel case or digipak, Empty Horses is packaged in a 20-page hardbound book of lyrics and paintings by Sprout; one painting corresponding with each track on the album.
As an accomplished photorealistic painter – his work also adorns the front cover – it is a treat to have such a gorgeous package to accompany the music.
As terrible as 2020 was for all of us, we sure did get some terrific releases. But none measure up to Empty Horses. The album may stick to mid-tempo folk, but it never overstays its welcome. Instead, it leaves the audience wanting more.
Tobin Sprout has been crafting albums for nearly 40 years, but none match the lyrical depth and stark simplicity of Empty Horses.
Fire Records2020
