Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, the Commuter

Grandaddy, Lytle's former band, were at their best when they had a kind of ragged edge to them. Lytle himself has admitted that when faced with the option of challenging his audience or going easy on them, he tends to err on the side of the latter, and if there is one criticism to make of this album then that would be it: throughout the record he plays it pretty safe. Saying that, Lytle is a really gifted songwriter, with a knack not just for evocative lyrics, but the music to match. He roots his sound in an odd combination of the technological and the organic, and the imagery of his words is similarly ambiguous, which is what makes both so captivating. This album, whilst it may not break new ground for him or his audience, has a confident atmosphere and is another fine collection of songs from one of indie music's most uncomfortable heroes.