Alva Star, Escalator; and Storyhill, Duotones

We’ve been admirers of John Hermanson’s brand of harmonic, smart guitar-pop since 2001, the year his band Alva Star released Alligators in the Lobby, and couldn’t be more pleased that he’s got not one but two lovely new CDs out. Alva Star’s Escalator is a breezy, uplifting set of tunes fronted by Hermanson’s pleasing tenor and heart-on-his-sleeve songwriting. And Storyhill, Hermanson’s cult-favorite collaborative duo with Chris Cunningham, has just come out with the splendid Duotones, covering songs by the 1970s singer-songwriter pairs who inspired them, and with liner notes by Chuck Tomlinson and Joel Stitzel of the Radio K program Cosmic Slop. It’s currently only available on storyhill.com until the official release next year, but is well worth seeking out. Available now