Kasey Anderson

As the doors closed on his beloved underground rock bar in Bellingham, Wash., Kasey Anderson foresaw an end to his extended stay as a guitarist and songwriter in the college town. A year later, Anderson moved back to his hometown of Portland, Ore., to record Nowhere Nights. The album begins with “Bellingham Blues,” an acoustic-guitar and snare-drum-heavy song laden with the hope of finding a more permanent home and tinged with remorse over leaving friends behind. His dread of parting with his former stomping grounds segues into a convoluted love story in “Sooner/Later.” The surprisingly upbeat track has vocals reminiscent of The Wallflowers’ “The Difference” but with an up-tempo country flavor. And on the raucous “Nowhere Nights,” Anderson returns to his party-happy, college-dropout days: “You got any pride left honey, you better keep it out of sight/ You’re going to lose it out there in those nowhere nights.” Anderson’s third album ranges from reflections about life as a struggling musician to being a lover left behind, and what emerges is a mix between a eulogy for the past and an entreating prayer for the future.