"I rarely just sit down with a guitar to write a song," Nick Young told me in a 2007 interview. "If I ever do it just doesn't happen." Young and his band, Burning Daylight, behave more as vessels for songs found wandering in the ether - or maybe as lightning rods. The band's sound is a stripped-down Americana and lush pop smoothie. Yeah, there's a splash of country sour mash too, but it doesn't require boots and a hat. And though Young leans heavily on his love of the alt-country medium, his penchant for melody and hooks takes away some of the requisite melancholy. You'll hear the Earle, but the Costello is in there, too. It's fine-tuned and well-worn Americana that'll still give you heartache and splinters. Hinkley and The Corrections also play.

Nick Young and Burning Daylight play Thursday, January 28, at 8 p.m. at the Bug Jar, 219 Monroe Ave. $6. 454-2966.