Harper Simon turns up the volume with Division Street, the follow-up to his very successful self-titled 2010 debut. His intelligent, well-crafted lyrics remain, but the lines are a little more blurred and the edges a little more ragged; the alt-country slant has morphed into more of a rock’n’roll feel.

Simon explains the tracks here as snapshots of characters at pivotal moments in their lives, having multiple possibilities and directions they can take. He has assembled a small but great cast of musicians from acts such as Wilco, The Strokes and Feist.

If you loved his first album, give this a few listens and enjoy the progress of an emerging artist.

Lou Fulco