Tucson fixture and Giant Sand founder Gelb delivers his umpteenth album, this one a straightforward set of dusty, gritty, loosely played pop Americana. This sounds very much like a throwback; the vocals have that classic rockabilly delay effect, and backup singers and guests pop up throughout. Nicely crafted stuff for your inner old-West journey. Favorites: 2, 4, 8, 9. No FCCs.

1. (4:18)—Medium-slow, low-key strut. “Well, welcome to the desert.” Bonnie “Prince” Billy guests.
2. *(2:05)—Mid-tempo. Dark, urgent Western intro and chorus, floaty and soft verse.
3. (2:23)—Mid-tempo, peaceful, slightly jazzy walk. Woozy organ.
4. *(4:35)—Medium-slow, pretty, rambling. Spoken word intro. Tinny piano, steel guitar. KT Tunstall guests.
5. (2:19)—Mid-tempo, upbeat, bluesy. Bouncy backing vocals. Heavy outro.
6. (2:49)—Medium-slow saunter, “ba-dum-dum” vocals. Andrew Bird guests.
7. (3:20)—Mid-tempo, simple bluesy pop. Could mistake this for M Ward.
8. *(4:21)—Slow and dramatic. Whispery backing singers, deep vocals, deep piano, bird sounds.
9. *(4:44)—Fake-out intro. Slow, soft waltz. Gets loud and noisy in the middle. Changes again—picks up speed. Play with Bill Callahan’s Dream River.
10. (2:09)—Mid-tempo, subdued, sexy, minimal.
11. (2:56)—Jazzy instrumental. Starts slow, speeds up. Piano, stand-up bass.