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With precision eerily reminiscent of Coldplay, Copeland has created an album in which every tiny note is a deliberate step toward an atmosphere - You Are My Sunshine - that carries all the joy of this phrase and it’s solemn dependence.

Copeland’s latest is a box of pop treats from a group of guys who have mastered the technical wizardry required to make an epic modern rock disk. But sometimes, you can’t help but think you’ve heard this album before.

There’s a lot of carefully crafted contemporary rock out there, thanks in large part to the success of groups like Copeland. They range from New Atlantic, who unapologetically wail pop anthems over rhythms more finely tuned than an atomic clock, to Pompeii, whose forlorn storytelling perfectly matches music that changes tempo as fast as a leaf turns brown in fall.

Copeland’s strategy in You Are My Sunshine at first seems to be out-majestic everyone else with ambitious (Don’t try this without adult supervision) instrumentation and Aaron Marsh’s typically soaring vocals.  They may not have one trick that’s better than everyone else’s, it’s just that Copeland brings a bigger bag of tricks.

Sumptuous bass and appropriately scattered synth effects define tracks like “Good Morning Fire Eater,” which make this album a must recommend for fans of any and all rock music. After all, great craftsmanship should never be taken for granted.

Probably the most memorable track is “The Day I Lose My Voice (The Suitcase Song),” which blends skillfully understated keyboarding, tasteful slabs of bass and an occasional plodding horn that captures the slow compounding dread of stuffing your worldly possessions into a suitcase.

“As sure as the floor ‘neath my toes/ And somehow not surprised/ That I was superimposed/ Somehow in this life/ And if my friends or my foes/ Would just drop me a line/ That’d be nice,” Marsh sings at the song’s open. “You see love is a drink/ That goes straight to my head/ And time is a lover/ And I’m caught in her stead … I’ve got my life in a suitcase/ I’m ready to run, run away.”

You Are My Sunshine is the sort of album that grows on a second and third listen, making it a welcome addidtion to any music collection. It’s sincere, fun, and offers and array of sounds you wouldn’t expect after listening to the first few tracks out of context.