Tobin Sprout: Let's Welcome The Circus People

It's no secret that, as part of Guided By Voices, Tobin Sprout wrote some of the band's best songs, although his contributions remained limited to a few per album. It's also not a secret that, after parting ways with GBV, Sprout has turned out a few solo albums that have approached greatness—not quite accomplishing it, but always suggesting that he has a masterpiece in him. Let's Welcome The Circus People isn't it, but it'll do. A short, self-produced collection of eccentric, jangle-prone pop, Circus People continues in the same vein as 1997's memorable Moonflower Plastic. If there's a problem, it's that it's a little samey, often emphasizing Plastic's more melancholy aspects at the expense of others. But as a writer and performer of sad, cryptic songs, Sprout ranks among the best. "Digging Up Wooden Teeth" provides one early highlight, and while his insistence on muting crunching guitars by burying them deep in the mix might sound like a perverse touch, it works to his advantage on the excellent "Maid To Order." Sprout may have again failed to make the knockout album he keeps hinting at, but if he's destined to fail, here's hoping he keeps failing as enjoyably as he does here. (Recordhead, c/o Luna Music, 1521 W. 86th St., Indianapolis, IN 46260)