Linda Vista

On his third release, this adept singer/songwriter conjures up visions of L.A.’s San Fernando Valley, populated by alienated loners, jilted lovers and similar misfits. Wolfe works in the bittersweet pop/rock tradition of Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson and Ron Sexsmith; his melodies are piquant and old-fashioned, his lyrics minutely crafted and barbed with subtle wit. He puts some music-hall bounce into “Someone Else” and “Stop The Train” and basks in a moody electric guitar glow in “The Third Act.” The cheerful yet disquieting “Little Room” (a snapshot of a happy urban hermit) sums up much of the album’s off-kilter charm. The title track (a vaguely Spaghetti Westernesque instrumental) and a brooding cover of Neil Young’s “For the Turnstiles” expand the album’s sonic horizons. Produced by Nico Aglietti and Aaron Older, Linda Vista is filled with small but evocative gestures, like the ghostly steel guitar wafting through “Van Nuys.” The album stands as a skewed tribute to Wolfe’s stomping grounds, served up with an elegant tunefulness.