Jeremy Enigk - "World Waits" (Reincarnate Music, 2006)

If Lindsey Buckingham recorded chamber pop music, he'd be playing with Jeremy Enigk. This long-time-coming sophomore effort from the former lead singer of Sunny Day Real Estate swims in acoustic guitar, synths and deeply resonant vocals. And the arrangements of tracks like "Been Here Before" show impressive studio prowess that allows Enigk's unique songwriting skills to shine through. This isn't music that will be shooting up the charts, but fans of Buckingham, Peter Gabriel, U2 and the ilk will all find plenty to enjoy. "River To Sea" has the sound shows like Grey's Anatomy and the OC love to drool over, which could be to Enigk's (financial) benefit, but it's "Damien Dreams" that stands head and shoulders above the rest of the album, with its dark opening chords providing just the right base for his brooding vocals. The way he builds the song's arrangement, from quiet and foreboding to deeply dischordant yet hopeful, adds to the album's overall mystique. All said, World Waits demands repeat listens and could sneak onto a lot of end of year Top Tens as a true original.

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