The other day I popped on I Used To Be A Sparrow’s You Are an Empty Artist and couldn’t make it through it. I had a headache caused by a lack of sweets in my tummy, or at least that’s what my fat kid instincts think it was. So I had to have a couple more rounds with You Are an Empty Artist before I was able to fully grasp it and discover it was an indie record that was soothing a bit calm at times, but not calm enough to soothe my sugarless self.
Indie, so that’s a broad term to toss about nowadays. That could mean anything. Are I Used To Be A Sparrow the next Mumford & Sons? Oh no, there are no moonshine jugs on this record. You Are an Empty artist plays more like the well-fitting opener of a Postal Service show. That’s apparent with songs like “Warpaint On Invisible Children” and “Skinny Leaves.” Those songs are good representatives for the band, but if I was going to send the a pair out for a “best in show,” they wouldn’t be it.
The record played and I was listening, but I didn’t really hear it until I hit “Always The Runner.” The words to that one were like a lit match in the middle of the night and “Submarine” acted as the cupped hand, to guard the guide. If you want to define I Used To Be A Sparrow, listen to the first two mentioned, if you want to fall for them, listen to the last pair I just told you about.
It’s days later and my headache has ceased to exist and I’m finally able to tackle I Used To Be A Sparrow’s You Are an Empty Artist. If you’re yearning for more bands in your life who sound like The Postal Service and Annabel, then I Used To Be A Sparrow is just what you need to fill that gap in your music collection. You Are an Empty Artist is out March 15th on Paper Wings Records.
Leave a Reply