Go backstage with The Music and receive FREE:

  • Exclusive members-only editorial, charts
  • Our subscriber-only newsletter
  • Members only competitions to win tickets, experiences and more
  • Access to our street press archives
  • First access to our exclusive limited edition vinyl variants

Thank you for being a part of our community! Enter your email address as verification and you'll be taken backstage right away.

Please ensure that you provide a valid email address.

Album Review: Tobin Sprout - The Universe And Me

StarStarStarHalf Star

"It's his innovative arrangements and oft-cryptic lyrics that never fail to fascinate."

More Tobin Sprout Tobin Sprout Profile

Tobin Sprout always proved the perfect foil to Robert Pollard in the 'classic' line-up of Guided By Voices, adding songs into the mix that often sounded otherworldly and strange but offset the palette wonderfully.

His sixth solo album was cobbled together over seven years — tracks like single Future Boy Today/Man Of Tomorrow originally penned for Guided By Voices — and was recorded live with his band leaving some typically lo-fi imperfections. Sprout's familiar vocals drip with vulnerability, but it's his innovative arrangements and oft-cryptic lyrics that never fail to fascinate. A fine return from an unsung creative force.