ALLEN - He set out to make a positive record.

It was about a year and a half ago that I met singer-songwriter Chris Allen in Tremont at Edison's, a quiet neighborhood bar/deli close to his house, to discuss his solo debut, Goodbye Girl and the Big Apple Circus. Produced by Don Dixon (R.E.M., Smithereens), it picked up where Allen's old band, local heroes Rosavelt, left off, and showcased Allen's development as a songwriter who embodies the rootsy rock of Tom Petty and the punk vigor of Paul Westerberg. Apparently, Allen's on a roll since his new album, Things Unbroken, didn't take long to write and record so, déjà vu notwithstanding, I met him again at Edison's to discuss the new disc.

"I just start working on new songs immediately after I get done with an album," Allen explains over a beer. "I don't give myself much time off. I feel like if I stop writing, it's never going to come back and everything's going to go cold. It just takes the pressure off. [Things Unbroken] is a nice combination of the two records. It features some of the more in-depth production from the last record and we've got the live, raw drum and bass and guitar takes. These songs really translate live and are meant to be played with a band."

The continued presence of Dixon, who plays on most of the songs, gives this second solo album a sense of continuity. And it helps that Allen sounds older and wiser, too. He embraces middle-aged malaise, writing about death ("Dying in My Sleep") and growing old with rock 'n' roll ("Welcome to the Bigs") with the kind of all-knowing candor you'd expect from someone much longer in the tooth.

"I wanted to make a rock album, but at the same time I didn't really want to write more songs about girls; I've done that before," Allen says. "This time I really set out to write a positive record. I know some of the songs probably don't sound that way, but I just wanted something that was about looking forward."

Though it might not seem so optimistic, one of the album's catchiest tunes, "Our Bad Luck Is Going to Save Us," was the last song Allen wrote before heading to the studio to record. It was inspired by the Tribe's latest run at the playoffs. The Indians were one win away from returning to the World Series and Allen, a huge baseball fan, felt the painful loss as much as any diehard.

"Being in this town for so long and being a sports fan, there's a certain element of "we're always going to lose and shit is always going to go wrong,'" he says. "I don't buy into that. I think you could use that for some greater good."

The Springsteen-like rocker "She's a Fighter" is a song Allen used to perform with Rosavelt, and while it always went over well when the band played it live, it never made it onto one of the group's albums simply because the guys couldn't get it right in the studio.

"Finally, I did it in the studio with [drummer] Will [Rigby] and we just slowed it down," Allen explains. "We made it a groove rather than a pop song and it made more sense. I remember writing it as kind of a blues joke song and it's one of the least serious things on the whole album. I just designed it as a song for the band to have a good time with."

With intimate CD release parties planned for Chicago, Washington, DC and New York, Allen says he's taking a new approach to his career. Rather than trying to get radio airplay and break that big single, he's simply trying to cultivate a small but appreciative fanbase and see where that leads him.

"I feel like I'm starting over," he says. "I want to play small rooms and fill them and keep in contact with the clubs and fans. I'm contacting publishing companies rather than record labels because what's the point of dealing with a label. Even if I was 19, I might have a shot. But where would you put this record on the radio? That's why going into this, I thought maybe I don't even print records. But I can't let go of that concept. It's for the people who care about it and who still want to buy records. My goal is to get together the people who care about what I've been doing and make them care even more."

Chris Allen: 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at The Harp, 4408 Detroit Ave., 216.939.0020.

Vietnam Werewolf

Ohio's City (self-released)

These punk rockers aren't about to get noticed for their finesse. That's apparent from the opening track, "Greetings from W. 44th St.," which, with its hoarse, off-key vocals and a barrage of distorted guitars, sounds like it was recorded in some dude's basement. The guys' sense of melody improves with the snappy "Patriotic Cancer" and the snotty "More Than a Sound." And they show a sense of dynamics with "The Paste," a tune that stops and starts with some sense of precision. As rough as the recording quality of this, the band's full-length debut, might be, its intelligent lyrics and straightforward approach are bound to appeal to fans of the bands you find on the Epitaph roster. - Jeff Niesel

Vietnam Werewolf performs with Iron Teeth, Clan of the Cave Bear and Reverse the Curse at 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Davenport, 6287 Pearl Rd., Parma. Tickets: $5.

David Ullman

Dog Days (Dreaming Out Loud)

A singer-songwriter of the sensitive type, David Ullman has crafted an exquisitely beautiful record with his full-length debut, Dog Days. Problem is, many of these acoustic ballads start to sound the same after awhile. The breathy vocals and tepid melodies in tunes such as "Begin," "Start Anew" and "Coming To" are barely distinguishable from each other. Ullman is better when he mixes things up a bit. He takes a more soulful approach on "Déjà Vu" and gets pretty worked up on the standout tune "If You Can." A few more tracks with the same vigor would have done this disc good. - JN

David Ullman and the Sad Bastards perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at Musica, 61 E. Market St., 330.374.1114. Tickets: $10.