Salim Nourallah displayed a firm and engaging command of the rudiments of indie pop on his first three albums, but he’s embraced a bit more Beatlesque formalism on his fourth full-length solo effort, Snowing in My Heart, and these sessions represent some of his most appealing work to date. Nourallah has brought a larger ensemble of players into the studio for Snowing in My Heart, and the comparative richness of the arrangements and production makes a powerful difference; this time out, songs like “The Wicked Are Winning,” “Days Disappear,” and “It’s Lonely When You’re All Alone” sound as grand as they want in their lovely melancholy, and the layers of guitars and keyboards (including some well-applied Mellotron work) give the songs a wealth of detail and subtle dynamics that serves them well. Nourallah also produced this disc with the help of Rip Rowan and Paul Williams, and their command of studio craft is commendable. Nourallah’s skills as a songwriter are equally impressive here, with melodies that are sad but gloriously melodic and sweetly hooky at once, and the maturity of the lyrics is a genuine step forward from 2005′s Beautiful Noise. If Nourallah doesn’t always have much to say that’s strikingly original on tunes like “It’s OK to Be Sad” and “I Miss You (So Come Back),” his post-adolescent angst feels genuine and he makes himself understood with a clarity and emotional honesty that’s winning, especially when the tunes are married to some killer guitar hooks. Snowing in My Heart is a subtle but very real step forward for Nourallah that should please admirers of his earlier work while showing vision and craft that by all rights should win the attention of the larger audience he deserves. – Mark Deming