Call me old fashioned, but Pacific-Northwest indie-pop warms my heart and feeds my soul. I don’t know how anyone makes it through their late-teens and early-20s without it. And then when you return to it a few years later (older but not necessarily wiser), it’s like an old friend inviting you for a drink in that pub you used to go to in college.

A mix of memories, embarrassment and nostalgia sets in. Except now you just find yourself sitting there, surrounded by college kids with fake IDs and it suddenly occurs to you that you are in fact, only older, in case there was any lingering doubt, that you have, despite your best efforts, grown up.

This new Telekinesis record is a bit like that. 12 Desperate Straight Lines is a healthy mix of heartache and contemplation with a splash of memorable choruses and catchy hooks. Produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie), 12DSL is a stalwart follow up to the 2009 release Telekinesis!

With driving guitars courtesy of Blood Brother’s Cody Votolato and bass by Jason Narducy, singer-songwriter Michael B. Lerner has really set himself up for a tidy little success. The mood and themes are as diverse as the sounds on 12DSL; opening with “You Turn Clear in the Sun,” a few chords of an acoustic guitar flourish into a cute, catchy tune with biting lyrics. Lerner is jaded, a little sad and entirely aware of how potentially pathetic he might sound.

On “Car Crash” the beat picks up and his sweet, smooth voice muses, “Will I die alone? / You know I’m so concerned / You know I’m so confused / Like a lost child, a little lost child.” It would be annoying if it wasn’t adorable with the most likable little tune and a drilling guitar right on its tail.

The strength of the arrangements and the creativity of the path of these songs is why Telekinesis rocks. Each one tells a tiny story about lost love, growing up and self-analysis without wanting anything in return. Trying to put your finger on exactly what is different about this band is difficult. Lerner’s songwriting style and ability to craft a scene that is both touching and transparent is at the heart of why you can listen to these catchy tracks over and over again.

On “Country Lane” Lerner admits “I wanna sleep in late / I wanna start from the top / Clean my slate and forget you, too” and here (and throughout the entire record), it’s the honesty in his voice and the strength of Votolato’s guitar that drive this song in a million directions all at once.

12DSL closes with “Gotta Get It Right Now,” a scatty bah-bah-dah, happy-ish sing-along about finally growing up, and, well… getting it right. Lerner takes everyday pressure and effortlessly turns it into pop, which, as we late-20-somethings know, is what life is really all about.

Conclusion:  This record is awesome. It’s like Wilco and the Shins had a baby and it grew up with the best of both and gave us 12DSL. No drama, no migraines, no Zack Braff… Win, win, win.