The upstate New York band Woods has been a model of consistency in recent years, balancing relatively ragtag jamminess (often spiked with some Krautrock flavor) and hooky, strummy pop songs, all of them delivered with an appealing casualness. On its new album, With Love and With Light (Woodist), the group has excised much of its shambling excess, putting full faith in the endearing melodies delivered by singer Jeremy Earl in his gentle falsetto. To be sure, there are still some hippie flourishes—the title track, which clocks in at nine minutes, retains the band’s penchant for ambling Grateful Dead-style guitar meandering. But it’s never sounded more palatable than when surrounded by such lovely tunefulness, and most of the album reveals a new concision, guitar solos complementing rather than sandwiching or smothering the vocal melodies. There’s the breezy George Harrison-style slide guitar that only adds to the delightful vibe of “Full Moon,” and on “Shining,” some Byrdsian chiming. For today’s 12 O’Clock Track you can check out the album’s first single, “Leaves Like Glass,” a Dylanesque ditty with Blonde on Blonde-worthy organ, after the jump. The albums stands as the band’s strongest achievement yet. Woods rolls into town tonight for a show at Subterranean.