Back when he was a member of Guided by Voices, Tobin Sprout was often accused of playing an indie-pop George Harrison to GBV leader Robert Pollard's John Lennon. But on Moonflower Plastic (Welcome to My Wigwam), his second solo album, Sprout unleashes his inner McCartney. The 14 songs here, much like those on his 1996 LP, Carnival Boy, are driven by strummed guitars, wistful melodies, and stately minor-key chord changes. But this year, Sprout supports his sure-fire phrasing with plenty of Macca-esque pianos. When he gently wings his pretty tenor voice through the dreamy ballad "Angels Hang Their Socks on the Moon" or shouts the wordless chorus of "Exit Planes," the results practically demand that you sing along. (RS 768)

RODD MCLEOD