Lost Planets & Phantom Voices

Guitar player Tobin Sprout makes a merry mess with his band, Guided By Voices, but as a solo act he's a quiet man searching for a sweet, pop hook. His fourth album, Lost Planets & Phantom Voices continues the quest and Sprout is eager and wide-eyed throughout. As a songwriter, Sprout is intimate, an indie poet unafraid to lament about yesteryear. Songs like "All Those Things We've Done" and "Cleansing From the Storm" slowly waltz with country-like misery, reflecting Sprout's fractured heart. He's confident in gushing, a touch brazen in crooning over lost chances, making this particular album his most honest effort to date. A few pop gems such as "Indian Ink" and "Rub Your Buddha Tummy" highlight Sprout's subtle humor while the sexy instrumental groove of "Martini" offers something more sinister. Lost Planets & Phantom Voices, in a literal sense, taps into the listener's internal psyche for a daydream that's both theatrical and cathartic.Tobin Sprout carefully crafted a great album, probably one of indie rock's more dignified efforts of 2003.