Barsuk

After Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard (who goes solo here as Benjamin Gibbard) experienced a widely public divorce, it seemed inevitable that the musician would channel the resulting angst into his next release. But as introspective as the lyrics are on Former Lives, Gibbard’s debut solo disc, the music itself is buoyant and carefree, channeling folk-tinged indie rock without descending into mopey territory. There are traces of heartbreak that linger, though. On “A Hard One to Know,” a propulsive acoustic number, Gibbard mourns a lover he can’t quite get a handle on, and on slick bluesy tune “Broken Yolk in Western Sky,” the singer repeatedly croons, “I faded into your past.” If only we all sounded so chipper after a breakup.