Hanalei

Between 2004’s We Are All Natural Disasters and this year’s Parts & Accessories, singer-songwriter Brian Moss has transformed his Hanalei project from “laptop folk” to full-fledged band, with delightful results. The new album is full of insightful lyrics, sparkling instrumentation and relentless melodies. Moss’ vocal work combines the oblique sensitivity of Craig Wedren and the raspy obstreperousness of Craig Finn into a kind of tetchy vulnerability. Whether it’s the bar-band rock of “Duct Taped Tapes” or the melancholy emo-ricana of “Nothing Works,” Hanalei’s lyrical candor, pop chops and layered instrumentation — which includes plenty of acoustics and pedal steel — should make for plenty of surprises and few dull moments for fans of Americana-based indie rock. <