Sparrow

Sparrow are destined to be compared to the New Pornagraphers. And no wonder. Both bands are from Vancouver. Both are led by ex-members of Zumpano (the Pornos byCarl Newman; Sparrow by Jason Zumpano). Both are semi-super groups with members from other West Coast outfits. And, most importantly, both deal in indie-pop laced with sunny melodies, jangly guitars, bouncy beats and co-ed vocals. The big diff? Everybody knows who the New Pornographers are, while Sparrow are still flying under the radar. Their sophomore disc The Early Years , with its nine cutsof pure pop for now people, may not change that. But it does make two things abundantly clear: 1) There’s more than one indie-pop Einstein in the 604 area code; 2) We all should have been paying way more attention to Zumpano back in the day.