TW Walsh: Songs of Pain and Leisure

Former Pedro The Lion man TW Walsh gets back to business with 10 tracks that remind us how much we loved his 2001 album Blue Laws. The opening “Make It Rhyme”, cowritten with David Bazan, sets the pace for a series of smart songs that highlight Walsh’s deft touches as a producer and, of course, musician. “My Little Brother” reeks of late ‘70s studio rock (Steely Dan) but without lyrics bent toward hedonism, “Plant A Garden” has a vintage Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young vibe, and “Capital Gains” proves irresistible, making you want to dance and think. The closing “Struggle and Strife” isn’t just the mellowest track on this collection, it’s also probably the prettiest.