After a membership shake-up, singer/guitarist Jeff Schneeweis became the last man standing in Number One Gun. He turns The North Pole Project (2008) into a solo vehicle, handling the instrumental and production chores himself while keeping the spirit of the original band mostly intact. Number One Gun has long been diagnosed with emo tendencies, and this release is no exception — angst and yearning seethe beneath the churning waters of tracks like “This Holiday,” “Bad Habits” and “The Massacre.” Schneeweis lets his angry side show on “Thank You Ending,” flinging out complaints as the track roars and surges. Still more revealing are “I’ll Find You” and “The Different Ones,” a pair of painfully introspective ballads. Schneeweis tempers his fondness for big electric guitars with some retro-synth stylings on “The Best of You and Me” and “Million.” The album’s lyrics are oblique, especially on matters of faith. Still, the sense of personal struggle and growth that pervades the album is clear enough. Number One Gun may have fired its final shot as a “band” on The North Pole Project. But given time to reload, Schneeweis will doubtless be back with more soul-searching pop/rock in the future.