For me, as a listener, ‘Good Luck with Whatever,’ the new album from California folk-rockers, Dawes, is a bit like a brilliant full moon that rises softly over an ink-black autumn night illuminating the shadows, and rendering everything in its path a deep indigo blue. Simply put, this album is a remarkable collection of touching songs that marks another triumph in the band’s artistic evolution. From opening to closing, the tracks showcase the introspective songwriting of Taylor Goldsmith, Dawes front man and creative driving force.

With its murky and elusive title, the 7th studio album from the Los Angeles-based quartet who, in my mind, might be the most talented band to come out of California since the Eagles, seems to drill a hole into the depths of the human psyche. Listening to the tracks, one can’t help but be held in the grip of Goldsmith’s mature, thoughtful and haunting lyrics that are set against the backdrop of beautiful melodies.

His are alluring songs that wrap themselves around you like a soft and snuggly blanket. When I close my eyes and listen closely, I often hear the distant echo of the legendary Jackson Browne in Taylor Goldsmith’s voice. He crafts songs that amplify universal themes, and that stay with you long into the quiet hours of the late night. In their way, Goldsmith’s lyrics tap deeply into the collective mood and feel of today’s society.

The album kicks off with the straightforward rock song, “Still Feel Like a Kid.” It paints a picture that may hang on the bedroom walls of many from the millennial generation who are sinking under the crushing weight of adult responsibility while clinging to the last vestige of the carefree days of their fading youth and feeling like they simply aren’t ready to grow up. The overall theme of ‘Good Luck With Whatever” is autobiographical in nature. Basically, it is Taylor Goldsmith lamenting the pitfalls of a life in transition through poignant lyrics that have him seeing life’s changes and uncertainties through the prism of his own personal reality lens.

In “Still Feel Like a Kid” he sings, “I love dancing through a grocery store – makes me feel like a kid. I go three times round revolving doors – makes me feel like a kid. I love the music from the ice cream man – makes me feel like a kid. I’m a singer in a rock ‘n’ roll band cause it makes me feel like a kid.”

First class vocals come through consistently as the tracks move along amplifying a gloomy sense of the sobering realities associated with living in today’s society. Set against the underpinning of a growling piano, Goldsmith again draws on his own personal experiences in “None of my Business;” there the gritty feel of stark reality that has him reflecting on a bizarre night where he was attacked in a bar in a case of mistaken identity, and later on the same night, being cornered by an avid fan.

With accomplished acoustic guitar fingerpicking that is coupled with raw and emotional vocals, “St. Augustine at Night” is definitely the crown jewel in the album. The song is steeped in nostalgia as Goldsmith looks back over his shoulder at the disappearing days of his youth, and the scars that he’s carried with him on his journey into adulthood. One can feel the ache in his voice as he sings about the suicide of his older brother, and how the memory of it is never far away. “Our older brother left this world for leading one too many lives – I guess he settled for none at all. The rest of us just grew apart, and blamed our husbands and our wives – When anyone was asked why they don’t call.” As I say, the pain in his voice is palpable, and it reaches out to draw the listener in.

Before having heard this latest offering, I thought that this band could not put out anything better than what they have released thus far. However, they proved me wrong. For their members, Taylor Goldsmith, his brother Griffin Goldsmith, Wylie Gelber and Lee Pardini have delivered their best work to date with “Good Luck With Whatever.” There’s not one bad song on the album, which is indeed quite rare.

Today’s overcrowded and often mediocre music scene features too many artists who sound alike, think alike, and who ultimately leave listeners thinking… “Is that it? Is that all there is?” In this bubbling cauldron of lackluster sameness, Dawes is like a cool and refreshing autumn breeze. They continue to lead while others follow, and their musical output stands head and shoulders above the pack of also-rans. What sets them apart from their contemporaries is not only their musical agility, but the thread of humanness that it stitched into the fabric of their songs. Once again, they have given us a meticulously crafted collection of songs.

For me, after having listened to this CD late at night, I found myself actually anticipating the coming of the morning, so that I could get up and listen to it all over again. There is a powerful allure to this remarkable California band. They put out material that is edgy, melodic, and real. So if you might be a frustrated music lover who has been wondering where all the really good bands are today, look no further than Dawes. Top shelf folk-rock music is alive and well. It’s been reborn in the persona of four talented young guys from the North Hills section of Los Angeles who call themselves Dawes. Their songs will not only have you playing air guitar in your living room, they will also shine a light on current social issues by holding a mirror up to reflect the confusion, chaos and uncertainty of the challenging times in which we live. This is an exceptional album.

Paul Collins is a freelance writer from Southborough, Massachusetts.