Stockholm-based songwriter Johannes Mayer has just the right voice to bring his words to life. It's an instrument of simple but effective beauty that puts wings on his tales. His live band joins him to help flesh out these wonderful tales, and the chemistry yields new results. "No Easy Way Out" has an extra skip in its step. "Forest Fire" adds an electronic undertow. Mayer's previous albums (2009's Leaving Notes and 2010's You Already Have a Home) were solid entries; here, they're built upon with the shuffling beauty of "Keep Calm," the acoustic guitar–fired "Heavy Heart," and the piano grandeur of "Wandering Through an Empty Field." The title track floats through various stages, crafted to reflect the narrative arc of a feature film in five minutes. Yet Mayer can still achieve stirring intimacy on the winsome "Everything in Its Place," where his acoustic guitar work turns attention to his folk roots.