It was inevitable. Singer-songwriter Dan Bryk has returned to record store racks with Discount Store.

This six-pack of Bryk’s trademark alternapop provides a glimpse into what he’s been up to the last five years—with a taste of Pop Psychology, the forthcoming full-length follow-up to 2000's Lovers Leap (released by Scratchie in North America; Avex in Asia).

Lovers Leap's relentless pop melodism and funny/dour/romantic lyrics introduced a songwriter who could walk the tightrope between confession and art that few but Elliott Smith would even attempt. Bryk was compared favorably to forebears like Bacharach and David, Randy Newman, and Jonathan Richman, contemporaries Aimee Mann, Ben Folds, and Fountains of Wayne, and more recently, indie phenoms Sufjan Stevens and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst.

Critically-acclaimed Lovers Leap landed towards the bottom of several prominent critics' year-end lists, including Robert Christgau who lauded Bryk’s "Gemlike acts of idiosyncratic genius... more proof of just how exaggerated reports of song's demise remain."

In 2001 Bryk travelled to Japan for a triumphant tour opening for freshly solo Pavement frontman Steven Malkmus, and a few months later was toasted by Sound Opinions’ Jim De Rogatis as having given one of the “ten best performances of SXSW 2002.” These career “ups” were immediately followed by a clichéd hiatus of label wrangling and immigration delays that has kept Bryk from releasing another record for five years (although it did at least yield a few bitterly funny new songs that show up on Pop Psychology).

During that “career downtime” Bryk has written and/or recorded several albums' worth of material. But unlike J.D. Salinger, he's not waiting until he dies to release it. He has leaked songs to internet blogs, and various tracks have appeared as e-singles (2006’s We Don’t Care earned 4 stars from Pitchfork), magazine compilation tracks and in soundtracks—and to Bryk's bewilderment, Lovers Leap tracks have appeared in mash-ups with the likes of The Human League and Nirvana.

Bryk’s 2006 website-direct Christmas Album (Urban Myth) garnered a handful of stellar reviews from the web and the press, who couldn’t resist an eight minute-plus ballad about a star-crossed journey from his native Toronto to Raleigh, North Carolina, with perhaps a sly nod to that old Beatle chestnut about John and Yoko.

Those immigration difficulties are hopefully at an end, now that Bryk has received his U.S. residency and can tour and properly release records—the first of which is Discount Store. The 6-track EP features two versions of the title track (as mixed by Mika/Rufus Wainwright producer and fellow Canadian expat Greg Wells) with three more sparkling originals that would be welcome on any Dan Bryk album, plus a riveting cover of I Miss You, a ballad by new wave cult heroes The Furniture.

Discount Store is the first co-release between Bryk's singer/songwriter-focused label Urban Myth (also home to Brooklyn's Lee Feldman and LA's Corey Landis) and upstart Raleigh Emo/Punk label Firefly Music (Dakota Darling, Love and Reverie, The Tourist).

(Un-)apologetically Canadian, Bryk has nonetheless toured throughout the US solo and within varying bands, and has shared stages with many great alt-rock singer-songwriters including Fountains of Wayne, Ron Sexsmith, Leslie Feist, Teddy Thompson, Lee Feldman, Sarah Slean, Chris Mills, Jason Collett, Django Haskins, Eleni Mandell, Noam Weinstein, Amy Correia, Steve Wynn and Hayden.

Dan also plays and records with Triangle band Down By Avalon (who are readying their 2007 Urban Myth debut record) and has performed sideman duties with the likes of Bull City, Spookey Ruben, and (Hershel Savage and) the American Flag. He has produced and recorded the Flag, the Bicycles and Django Haskins as well as much of his own work in his home studio Flabby Road.

Fans of great pop music would do well to keep an eye on Dan Bryk.