Tobin Sprout, former guitarist / songwriter of indie-rock icons Guided By Voices, has a new album (his first in 7 years), The Universe And Me (Burger Records), out on January 27, 2017. The Universe And Me takes a deliberately primitive approach that focuses on feeling, as opposed to production. The result is a vague bridge between the ballads of psych-era Beatles, and the haunting vulnerability of Daniel Johnston’s Hi, How Are You?.
Sprout penned and sang GBV classics including 14 Cheerleader Coldfront, It’s Like Soul Man, Awful Bliss, Ester’s Day, To Remake The Young Flier and Islands (She Talks In Rainbows). Burger Records will also be reissuing Sprout’s out-of-print 1990s Matador solo albums, Carnival Boy and Moonflower Plastic. In 2017, Sprout will be performing throughout the US with his 4-piece band.