Sparrow

“Jason Zumpano’s name gives him both a leg up and a tough bar to clear. The
Canadian band that bore his surname released two excellent albums for Sub
Pop in the mid-’90s, and it probaly would’ave disappeared into obscurity if
Zumpano singer Carl Newman hadn’t launched the New Pornographers. With
Sparrow, Zumpano (the guy) seems comfortable twirling in his own section of
Portland, chugging along earnestly and tunefully but never attempting  the
grandiosity of his ex-bandmate. That’s fine: The Early Years shares sonic
space with Robert Schneider’s various incarnations (Apples in Stereo,
Marbles, et al), winking at psychedelia but always keeping its feet in
unassuming, song-first shoes.”