Prolific singer/songwriter Kevin Devine continues developing with each release. His first few solo albums were quiet acoustic efforts, while 2009’s Brother’s Blood involved a full band on several tracks. He then joined with indie rock outfit Manchester Orchestra to form Bad Books for a 2010 release. For Between the Concrete & Clouds, his sixth release, he fully embraces the possibilities of a group dynamic by bringing in his five-piece Goddamn Band to back him up, and he sounds liberated as a result. The space to expand his ideas and explore sonic options results in dynamic performances filled with crunchy, overlapping guitars (“A Story, a Sneak” and the title track), bouncy power pop (“Off Screen,” “The First Hit”), and textured keyboards (“Awake in the Dirt” and the majestic “11-17”). Yet while the music has expanded, he edits himself lyrically to produce a concise and focused set of songs. His talent for wordplay and rich imagery is still there, but he’s not as lyrically dense as in the past; he’s content to let his melodies carry more of the load on this energetic release.