“By this time…” is Monzano’s second full length album.The first thing you notice is that By This Time Last Year.. sounds a bit “bigger,” more polished and focused than their last album, while gracefully avoiding that awful “stadium rock”-sound. You’d think polishing it up would make it lose a bit character, but it works extremely well.The production is great and the sound perfectly complements Lyseid’s other project The Little Hands of Asphalt. Monzano is kind of a noisier big brother, where Little Hands is more of a mellow middle child; you clearly notice that they’re from the same “father” and are a lot like each other, but like other siblings, they have some distinct differences. Little Hands is more acoustic and folksy, a bit similar to a less mopey Bright Eyes or a poppier and more accessible Elliott Smith. Monzano are leaning more against shoegaze, but they still keep their feet firmly planted in the territory of catchy indie pop.From the quiet beginnings of “The Mannequin Wakes,” through great songs like “Yes, We Can’t” and the brilliant “Cold Waters” featuring Thea Glenton Raknes from Norma Sass, It’s a damn solid album. It’s deliciously familiar, yet fresh and promising. Oslo’s indie pop king has done it again