Ira Merrill is a Seattle singer/songwriter with a new record out and a release party to promote. First, we’ll talk about the record, and then we’ll talk about the party.

The Handshake And The Heartbreak is a ten-song album of originals. From his bio: “His most prominent prior work was the five plus years he spent fronting the Seattle-based rock band Common Heroes, but Merrill finds that being alone allows him to ‘write without a band or particular sound in mind.’” A strange thing to say, considering the uniformity of this record. The songs are consistent throughout, indicating that maybe he’s produced a record that represents him truly. It’s certainly a healthy sign when, left to your own devices, the results nevertheless remain within the lines.

Aside from Merrill’s mental clarity, the record has a lot going for it. The production is top notch; I’ve seen this guy play live and it is very true to reality, a quality that I always appreciate in a sound recording. There is a lot of creative engineering tricks, like panned double vox tracks, and smart harmonic choices, which adds that oft-craved “pop sensibility” to the mellow acoustic sound.

Merrill’s defining quality is his earnestness. He has those melancholy gazes into the camera that dare you to say anything negative, letting you know that you’re putting your sense of decency on the line. Lucky for him, there’s mostly good things to say about the music anyways, so we critics are rarely put in that position. The only piece of advice I would have to offer is to try a little attitude. His lyrics are touching, and real (”So much love has passed me by, and i’m breathing”), but in the grand scheme of things they sound overwhelmingly defeated. And despite all that, Merrill does seem like an optimist, in his own Seattle-ite way, so I would like to hear it in the music.

In the gorgeous ballad ”Just Like We All Rehearsed,” he writes, “fear of tomorrow may one day cost us,” which shows that he is aware of the dangers of melancholy. In a world where it is unfortunately possible to be a “post-Death Cab” musician, Merrill shows us that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

His CD release party is on June 23 at Q Cafe in West Seattle. It starts at 8PM, costs $7, and is all ages. Check it out and report back. Also playing are Dana Little (of Late Tuesday), the Graze, and Gabey Love.