Although factually accurate, it feels like a disservice to call this week’s featured musician Jake Mann a “singer-songwriter,” perhaps because his new album, Daytime Ghost doesn’t fall into the traps that so many solo artists do, balancing the density of a full band work with the unique vision of a single authorial voice. The album is a strong, engaging work definitely worth checking out.

Lyrically, the new album contains poetic examinations of themes of urban decay and development, no doubt influenced by Jake’s upbringing in the Central Valley and his job as a mapmaker. In the interview, Mann jokingly dismissed the spoken word verses in a few songs as an opportunity to skip writing vocal melodies, but they’re more likely indicative of Mann’s general willingness to take risks that pay off well.

Mann draws from lower-fi sounds and a professed Pavement influence, incorporating the use of tasteful diverse instrumentation as well as the support of talented local musicians and fellow alumni of the Davis music scene, like Payam Bavafa from Sholi and Garrett Pierce. There’s a real sense of propriety to the music, which compliments Mann’s lyrical imagery well.

We’ve included four songs from Daytime Ghost in the podcast, along with our interview with Jake, which we conducted last week at The Bay Bridged studio. Catch Jake Mann and his band at two upcoming shows:

Sunday, September 9th
Mama Buzz Cafe
with The Fits and Indianna Hale
2pm, $tba

Sunday, September 30th
Hemlock Tavern
with The Spires and Salt & Samovar
9pm, $6

For more information about upcoming dates and to hear more from Daytime Ghost, head on over to Jake Mann’s web site and MySpace page. You can purchase a copy of Daytime Ghost, out now on Crossbill Records, at CDBaby and on iTunes.