IMAGE: Denise Siegel

Born: Bryan G. Phillips on Sept. 1, 1963, in Stockton, Calif.

Latest release: Little Moon, 2009

Why you care: Because if you’re my age or older, Phillips’ old band, Grant Lee Buffalo, probably made an impact on your eardrums. The band’s biggest hit, “Mockingbirds,” was a refreshing bit of pop songwriting upon its release in 1994, with Phillips’ breezy falsetto cutting out an unflinchingly infectious hook. The band released three solid albums before its disappointing 1998 swan song, Jubilee. Since then, Phillips has led a low-key but artistically exciting solo career: Debut Ladies Love Oracle was a fine, lovably underproduced charmer. Follow-up Mobilize was the opposite: With big, modern-sounding production and sweeping compositions, Phillips totally nailed it, creating a one-man masterpiece. He has shied away from anything quite as ambitious as Mobilize since then, but follow-ups (including pop covers album Nineteeneighties) were understated and organic feeling. Somewhere in the midst of all these efforts, he managed a recurring role on Gilmore Girls. His latest, Little Moon, is a crisp pop record reminiscent of Mobilize for its electronic elements and bold songwriting. The sweeping “Strangest Thing” is Phillips’ best song in years, and he’s in prime form overall.

Sounds like: He’s been living in a remote cabin for 20 years, whittling an orchestra of homemade instruments and developing his eccentric songwriting style.

For fans of: The Tragically Hip, R.E.M., Mazzy Star, David Gray, the Decemberists.