Christopher Andrus' The Glass Man is a break-up album, you could say, but it isn't about a woman. You might remember Andrus as the vocalist of Bless You Boys, a band that toured five times, and in that last tour, the members found themselves unsatisfied.

"Each tour was a carbon copy of the last tour," Andrus said. "Our attitudes were in the gutter. We were thinking of the money we weren't making and we felt stagnant."

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A documentary that was meant to be about a band on the road turned out more like Let It Be. Worn out and looking for a new direction, Bless You Boys contemplated a name change, but eventually split up, though the members remained friends. Meanwhile, Andrus started writing a solo album.

For three months, Andrus claimed to be a hermit, recording the album in his basement, mostly by himself. Piano-driven and fully scored with big harmonies, Andrus later mixed the album at Mackinaw Harvest, where he works.

Andrus made an effort to be simple and honest, saying the album is "much less poetry as it is trying to communicate.

"I used words so basic, it made me cringe, but it's what I meant to say. That's the dying hipster in me."

Despite being about a desire for simplicity, Andrus' songs are incredibly narrative stories told as much by his emotive voice as the words themselves. No longer trying to write a hit song for a band, Andrus has given his focus over to songwriting, and each song has its share of transitions, dynamics and nuances, meriting multiple listens. Using Pet Sounds as an example, Andrus used multiple tracks to create a muffled vibe. Though everything is clean and uncluttered, the album sounds full and warm, even in tracks like "Hey, Melissa" that are light rhythm and vocal harmonies.

At Andrus' release show, he will be backed by a full band, but you can frequently catch him solo. This is Andrus' first full-length album as a solo musician, but his intent is not to stop here.

"The [band] breakup showed me this is really what I'm going to do, and what I want to do," he said. "I'll do it even if I'm by myself."

Photo: Ryan Pavlovich