Every (Penny) and Sparrow Fallen

Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham, Blind Pilot, Marcus King, and not giving up on a band

Don’t give up

Don’t you quit on me

—Penny and Sparrow, Brothers

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Happy Friday, Music Swappers! This is your weekly reminder to cruise into the weekend with the volume turned up.

Have you ever had an artist you love go in a musical direction you didn’t like? Our Bonus Track guest explores this unfortunate dilemma for music lovers.

No themed edition this week. Just an OG Swap where Ben, Kody, and Jonathan offer a song recommendation for you. As always, thank you for reading this newsletter. We greatly appreciate it.

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Crying in the Night by Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham (Ben)

Sometimes you hear about a musical project and like it before you have even heard it. That’s what happened when a friend told me Andrew Bird + Madison Cunningham teamed up to cover Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks' 1973 album, Buckingham Nicks. Fittingly, the new album is called, Cunningham Bird, and was released a few weeks back. They start with Crying in the Night - you should start there too, then let the rest of the album spin.

Fun fact: I learned the Buckingham Nicks album has never been remastered or released digitally.

Just A Bird by Blind Pilot (Kody)

Do you ever get in a rut and forget to explore new music? Side note: We exist to help you with that. But even the Music Swap guys get in these ruts. I’m in one right now. Can’t put my finger on it. To help, when I hear a new song I like from the Spotify algorithm shuffle, I hit that plus (like) sign. Then, when I have time to listen to music but don’t know where to go, I pull up my liked songs playlist and enjoy some new (to me) tunes. As I’ve practiced this rhythm, I keep coming back to “Just A Bird” by Blind Pilot. I like its upbeat, soulful build. You need a song like this when you live in the Midwest and the sun is gone at 5pm. Give it a listen and go dance in the darkness.

The Well by Marcus King (Jonathan)

I think I was introduced to this guy by fellow Music Swap writer, Ben Dockery a while back. Blues is a genre that I mix into my music rotation, and Marcus King often shows up there with his unique voice and bluesy southern rock. He’s a young guy who’s been around a while and is definitely worth a listen.

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Bonus Track: I Won’t Quit on Penny and Sparrow by Hayley Huls

I’m a big fan of the musical duo known as Penny and Sparrow. Maybe you’ve heard of them (if you’re friends with Kody, you almost certainly have), but maybe you haven’t. If you’re in that second category, allow me to introduce you to some of the most interesting musicians I’ve encountered. Andy and Kyle, best friends and musical masterminds, have six full-length albums and a seventh forthcoming early next year. Their folky singer-songwriter vibe welcomes you in, enveloping you with Andy’s rich lead vocal and Kyle’s aethereal harmony. These guys have an incredible gift for storytelling, especially on their Wendigo album from 2017, and they draw inspiration from various other forms of art (including Les Misérables and Midsommar). I encourage you to go along with them for the ride.

Some of my favorite things about following musicians over time are seeing how they grow and mature in their sound, how they experiment and try new things, and how their lyrics speak to what they’re wrestling with in any given season of their musical career. But what happens when the artist you love goes in a direction you don’t like?

With Penny and Sparrow, I don’t necessarily love where they’ve been going lately. Their 2022 Olly Olly album started to branch out from their usual string-heavy instrumentation and instead introduced pads and tracks that feel out of place. Their new lyrics also testify to a departure from the faith that has shaped a lot of the Penny and Sparrow catalog. Now, maybe I’m just a curmudgeon who doesn’t like change (if you know me at all, you know this is 100% true), but I just can’t seem to get on board with their new sound. The singles they’ve released leading up to their seventh album have only confirmed my fear that this change is here to stay.

This dilemma has forced me to ask the question “Should I stay or should I go?” Rather than boycott their entire discography in protest – which I may or may not have considered – I think there’s room for us to recognize and even respect the changes these artists go through. After all, isn’t that the defining characteristic of art?

I’m perfectly comfortable being a fan who prefers the albums of the past yet still recommends others explore all that an artist has to offer. Maybe you’ve experienced something similar with one of your favorite artists. Maybe it’s just me. Either way, I won’t give up on Penny and Sparrow. I’ll check out their new stuff and even when I don’t like it, they’ll still have a well-established place in my heart. I’ll always have the beauty of their earlier music. If I can’t go with them where they’re heading, I’ll still be a happy little camper back in their 2013-2019 golden era.

PS - Andy and Kyle are complete goofballs in between songs during their concerts. Their live shows are so much fun. I once saw them at a show in Phoenix, a show that Kody and his wife Juli also attended.

PS - I’ve created a Penny and Sparrow for noobz playlist. Enjoy exploring this legendary duo.

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Hayley Huls is an MDiv student at Phoenix Seminary and works on staff in enrollment. Her academic area of interest is church history, specifically 17th century Puritanism. Her two pinned Spotify playlists are “rainy” and “reverent rap,” and her favorite songwriter/musician is Gregory Alan Isakov.

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Sorry we were late today! Don’t give up, don’t you quit on the Music Swap!

-TheMusicSwap