Mowing

Before releasing this, his solo debut, Michael Nau spent the better part of a decade with indie pop duo Cotton Jones. *Mowing* is made of unused material from those years, but Nau gives these tunes a distinct sonic stamp. The album’s hushed, late-night atmosphere bears echoes of early-‘70s singer/songwriter sounds. He evokes Harry Nilsson on the spare, haunting “Good Moon,” while “So, So Long” has hints of *White Album*-era Lennon and the muted “Unwound” is imbued with a McCartney-circa-*RAM* vibe. In a word, intoxicating.

Michael Nau has been the frontman for Page France and Cotton Jones. On his solo debut, he displays his penchant for uplift: Sumptuously warm, the set feels invitingly casual, loose-strung, and slightly accidental, a collection of messy indie-rock demos that he fleshes out into surprising songs.