Like his debut, 2016s homespun Harlequin, and its ambitious 2020 follow-up Caravan Chteau, Alex Izenbergs new album Im Not Here inhabits the shaggy, world-weary mode of artists like Harry Nilsson, John Lennon, Randy Newman, and Lou Reed.

With the help of producer Greg Hartunian, and swelling string and woodwind arrangements courtesy of Dirty Projectors Dave Longstreth, Alex manages a paradoxical and visionary trick: he disappears completely while simultaneously revealing more of himself than ever before.