ANNA WARONKER

California Fade

[Five Foot Two]

Anna Waronker fronted alt-rock darlings That Dog during the ’90s, which scored hits like “Never Say Never” before breaking up in 1997. Her long-awaited second solo album shimmers like the sun setting on the Pacific, as she crafts a lush, introspective indie pop sound that often brings to mind Aimee Mann (as on the fragile, soul-searching “How Am I Doing?”). Waronker’s outlook, however, offers a few more rays of optimism than Mann’s: In the opening track “Beautiful Life” she proclaims, “I refuse to live in unhappiness,” while in “Cannibals & Quicksand” (which recalls Paul McCartney’s “Junk”) she sings, “You fill my life with light.” Waronker hasn’t totally polished away all the rough spots. Noisy guitars add bite to the tumultuous “Scared” and the New Wave-y “I Don’t Wanna.” With California Fade, Waronker has delivered a smart disc about the ups and downs of grown-up life. –MB