It’s still early days, but probably my favourite record of the year so far is Fade by Yo La Tengo. What really stands out about it is how concise it is. It’s a forty-five minute album with a four-letter title, comprised of songs that are sonically very cohesive, which is a refreshing departure for a band usually more given to producing near-eighty-minute epics with titles like I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass.

On a similar note, a long-time favourite songwriter of mine, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, has recently made fairly dramatic changes to his lyrical style, ditching a previously abstract, metaphor-heavy approach in favour of a less complex, more straightforward modus operandi. He’s talked about the shift being inspired by songwriters like Randy Newman, who tend to be “economical with words” – again, it’s all about concision.

On paper, then, the prospect of a new record from Gibbard’s fellow Seattleite, Michael B. Lerner, should be one that excites me. His debut full-length under the Telekinesis moniker, Telekinesis!, was a sharp, to-the-point exercise in bouncy indie rock, clocking in at a little over half an hour. There was certainly no reinvention of the wheel, but Lerner’s ability to produce a record that felt at once energetic and laid back recalled a young Weezer and hinted at plenty of promise for the future.

It’s taken him four years to prepare follow-up effort Dormarion, although, on the surface at least, it appears as if little’s changed; this is another punchy record that breezes along at a similar pace to its predecessor. Repeat listens, however, begin to reveal a subtle shift in approach. The realisation dawns that, unlike on Telekinesis!, these songs aren’t merely bursts of energy that have been knocked into shape in the studio; instead, there’s clearly deliberate intent behind the apparent simplicity.

Opener ‘Power Lines’ drops a rollicking guitar line in and out of the mix, repeatedly giving way to, then swamping, Lerner’s vocals. ‘Lean on Me’ is pithy pop at its best, punctuated by a lively riff that’s just the right side of Vampire Weekend. ‘Dark to Light’ is perhaps the record’s best example of Lerner’s ability to condense all the necessary ingredients for an indie rock stomper into a sub-three minute timeframe, with a chorus that’s both soaring and snappy.

The focus on briskness of pace is not without its missteps, however. ‘Empathetic People’ starts promisingly, but descends into a messy race to the finish line between its furious guitars and drums, whilst ‘Little Hill”s midsection promises to make good use of quiet-loud dynamics, but doesn’t quite deliver.

What’s promising in terms of Lerner’s progression as a songwriter is that when he does choose to expand his palette and experiment with slower, more controlled tempos, he hits more than he misses. ‘Ghosts and Creatures’ is wonderfully atmospheric, distorted vocals over pressing piano, whilst the acoustic ‘Symphony’ is a welcome tonic at the midway point. Dormarion is a record that fits the Telekinesis mould whilst taking major strides towards breaking it; it’s uneven, sure, but it’s also pretty exciting.