EVERMOTION (Vinyl)

The seventh studio long-player from the affable East Coast alt-rock veterans, Evermotion retains the soaring melodicism and on-the-nose (in a good way) pop architecture of Guster's earlier work, but the band has come a long way from its college rock-ready acoustic guitar and hand percussion-led beginnings. Bolstered by layers of sequencers, breezy synth pads, and cavernous harmonies, the 11-track set, which was produced by musical polymath Richard Swift (the Shins, Damien Jurado, Foxygen), features a handful of standout cuts like the propulsive first single "Simple Machine," the breezy north-country rambler "Never Coming Down," and the sumptuous opener "Long Night" -- the latter of which skillfully pairs the infectious, circular gait of the Beta Band's "Dry the Rain" with the icy expansiveness of Coldplay's "Clocks." ~ James Christopher Monger

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Pop