The Weatherman

Banjos and choral harmonies, string sections and brushed drums, soft-sung lines like, "If it weren't for second chances we'd all be alone”—this is the magic of Gregory Alan Isakov. On his fourth studio album, the troubadour evokes the tender songcraft of such luminaries as Leonard Cohen, Elliott Smith, and M. Ward, spinning a set of mournful yarns adorned with a yard sale's worth of shopworn-sounding instruments. There's not a misfire on here, but "Amsterdam," "O'City Lights," and "The Universe" are particular standouts.