Libraries (Bonus Track Version)

Lovelorn, life-worn pop maestro Stuart McLamb continues his musical archeology, sifting vintage sounds from Brian Wilson to Phil Spector through a filter of contemporary artists like Rufus Wainwright and Atlas Sound. On his second effort as The Love Language, McLamb has found his groove and some sunlight. He brightens up the sound yet tempers the tunes with enough indie rock quirkiness to keep any “homage” tendencies from getting overly ripe. The grandiose, Spector-ish boom of “Pedals” is a heady delight. The deliriously peppy “Heart to Tell” has enough effervescent handclaps, percussion, and guitars to make a dysfunctional relationship sound like perfection, while the swaying, swaggering “Brittany’s Back” beautifully juxtaposes a few lines of fingerpicked acoustic guitar against a huge wall of pop sound. Echoing kickdrums, guitars (acoustic, electric and steel), sparkling webs of tambourines and synths, glockenspiels, and strings all make appearances. But the standout instrument may be McLamb’s voice, as warm and easy as maple syrup on Sunday.