JJ Shiplett’s fourth studio release opens on a hopeful note. “Already There” acknowledges the difficulties of following a dream, but resolves with the Calgary singer-songwriter’s Zen-like realization, “You never really know just where you’re gonna go ’til you’re already there.” It’s one of several nuanced observations from Shiplett on the seven-track project, a gently rootsy collection that’s also heavy on melody. Highlights include “Oleander,” a hypnotic track that uses the titular flower as a metaphor for life’s ever-shifting balance of light and darkness, and “Modern Drugs,” which confronts the complications of relationships between sparkling bursts of reverb-drenched guitar.