Hour.ca 2005
Jason Zumpano’s Sparrow returns with a second proper full-length, a perfect ode to the summer season of pop music and a lush exploration of likely the most overrun genre in history. This album stands out for a number of reasons: killer hooks, a thick layering of orchestrated strings, the harmonizing of Lucy Brain (who holds up Zumpano’s often-weak croak) and sweet, sweet keys (Farfisa, Rhodes, piano). The Early Years shouts out to The Zombies, Kinks and 1970’s AM radio, but manages not to get caught aping the greats. A fine example of how keeping it on the straight, honest and narrow succeeds.