It's hard to say where exactly the path that led Peter Walker to a San Francisco warehouse, cutting demos with a buddy, diverged toward a studio stocked with all-star musicians like Wilco's Jay Bennett, superdrummer-for-hire Joey Waronker and Beck stagemate Justin Meldal-Johnson. But never mind the circumstances of their introduction -- the merry band of strangers comes together to churn out a pleasant collection of afternoon rock songs that wreathe Walker's raspy swagger and scuffed sentiments in a folksy pop-rock package.

The bitter rocker "I'm Through" sets the album's tone -- it's replete with the standard stock of songs expressing regret and longing. "It's your movie and you're the star," Walker sings with earnest weariness, but he could just as easily be speaking to the listener or his Lonely Hearts Club Band. Oddly yet fittingly, Walker himself often sounds like an afterthought on Landed. He's trying to be unassuming and unpretentious, and he succeeds. Is this a problem? You could argue as much, but it probably speaks more to Walker's ability to let the songs speak for themselves.

"Neighbor" strays the furthest from the formula, but wins by doing so. It's a piano ballad punctuated by Wilco-esque spikes of feedback that help create the perfect mood of dim isolation. Walker sounds the most heartfelt here, asking, "No one can see me / But you, can you see me? / It's good to know you're there." "Gone Away" extends this mood with its slow, dark electronic swirls; Walker wisely notes, "Oh, what a night will do to anyone."

The album's most successful track is "Pluto", a fun romp that not only boasts more rollicking melodies and sweet harmonies than the other tracks, but also takes itself less seriously. The thing about being super-earnest and backed by super-talent is that your songs are continually forced to meet... well, super expectations. "Pluto" shakes off the pressure and has fun, and for that reason it's the most enjoyable track here.

If Walker's songs on Landed have stubble, his collaborators add just the right amount of musical airbrushing without diluting the charm of their scruffiness. Walker has a knack for penning smart, forthright, unvarnished rock songs that are imbued with bitterness and hard-earned insight but go down easy. While the musicians featured here surely aid that cause, the notes and words still belong to Walker, and they sail true.