“I love old country songs, and had always wanted to use a pedal Steel on one of my songs at some point. Breaking Down seemed like the perfect song to use it on. Played by Drew Howard, it adds that texture of sound that makes sad lyrics even sadder.” Tobin Sprout
Breaking Down Lyrics:
There’s a road
That keeps building in my head
For so long now
And I just can’t shake it
And there’s a place
That keeps tugging at my soul
A gentle hand
But I just can’t take it
I’m breaking down
Break it all away
Breaking down
Break it all away
All the days
I keep searching for my words
I try to speak
But I just can’t say it
And there’s a face
That keeps scrolling across my eyes
I know she’s waiting
But I just can’t see it
I’m breaking down
Break it all away
Breaking down
Break it all away
Or so they say
On the new album ‘Empty Horses’:
▪ Limited-edition CD artbook and vinyl LP
▪ Available with extremely limited edition of hand numbered prints
▪ A true collector’s piece, the CD artbook is beautifully packaged with 24 pages of paintings and lyrics from Tobin
“Sprout’s lyrics pop with personality and wisdom” Pitchfork
“The perfect aural encapsulation of melancholy: in turns somnambulant, romantic and all-consuming” Rolling Stone
Artist, illustrator, writer and lo-fi innovator, Tobin Sprout was the super-productive partner of Robert Pollard in the legendary Guided By Voices. The gifted songwriter returns with a pensive, expansive part autobiographical new album ‘Empty Horses’.
The album is a meticulously observed study of America and Americana (not the music, but the state of mind). An alternative American Songbook, if you will, a collection of laments to simpler times and the struggle for what’s right, peppered with an examination of faith and the search for a sense of justice. And, as it unravels these gritty anecdotes span the generations from the dividing and the American Civil War through to today’s confusing times.
Tobin: “It was never intended to be a concept album, it just sort of rose out of a lot of recording we were doing. ‘On Golden Rivers’ is the focal point. I always loved American history. My grandfather was always reading about the Civil War and when I was around 10, or so, he took my brother and me to Gettysburg and Shiloh. It had a real impact on me; realizing what these men must have gone through, maybe that comes out in the songs.”
He’s part Townes Van Zandt, part John Prine, part Robbie Robertson at his retrospective best; his heart beats super-slow on his sleeve – he’s in the cabin at Big Pink, a raconteur on a mission to reminisce; telling stories as only he can.
Close up and personal, ‘Empty Horses’ is a poignant carefully etched experience, a rolling journey in modern times, nodding back to tradition, a personal snapshot filled with honesty.
Photo Credit: Brooke Olesnavage
Find Tobin Sprout online
https://www.facebook.com/tobinsproutmusic/
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