Along with fellow traveler
Sufjan Stevens,
William Fitzsimmons has an ornate, virtually orchestral approach to what many would consider folk-based, confessional, singer/songwriter music.
The Sparrow and the Crow, his third disc, is
Fitzsimmons' musical depiction of a divorce. The melodies are anchored by guitar, banjo, or piano, then built upon as if they were mini-symphonies or mini-musicals, and the lyrics are harrowing and laden with metaphor. The mood is melancholy but not overwhelmingly so, and, expectedly, the songs are artfully constructed.