fig. 4 (Tobin Sprout) - s/t + extra CD (1986-97)

Recently had a request for this.  I had assumed this was already available on iTunes and the like, but was proven wrong.  This isn't my first entry on fig. 4, an uber-obscure trio fronted by Tobin Sprout, simultaneous to the earliest incarnation(s) of a band he would eventually operate full time in, Guided By Voices.  Tethered to a similar lo-fi aesthetic as GBV, fig 4. fixed their collective gaze due south to Athens, GA.  Tobin & Cos. absorption of early REM is prevalent among these grooves, though not overplayed.   Our man wouldn't reach his creative apex until the next decade upon perfecting his mercurial muse alongside Robert Pollard, but what's here is commendable, if not above-average indie rock of the era.  BTW, Pollard was already a collaborator with Sprout at the time, and provides backing vocals on approximately half the album.

fig. 4 was originally available in a scant 300 copy vinyl pressing in 1987, and saw a significantly more widespread reissue about ten years later.  The CD contains five bonus cuts, and the source info has been provided below.

01. Way Way Gone
02. Train Brain
03. A Hard Place
04. Strangler
05. At Bay
06. Fishin'
07. She Loves Her Gown
08. Score
09. Naola
10. Contra Koo
11. Jump Now

12. Dig the Catacombs
13. Sadder Than You
14. Busy Bodies
15. Bottle of the Ghost of Time
16. I'll Buy You Everything You Own

1-10 - from self-titled fig. 4 LP (AF4 Records)
11 - unreleased live in studio
12 - from Bevil Web/3 Dream Bag 7" (Simple Solution)
14 & 16 - unreleased
15 - from Tobin Sprout - Popstram ep

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