With a history still built on those heady early days of Mudhoney and Nirvana, it’s always a surprise when the likes of Sera Cahoone pops up on the Sub Pop roster, but (alongside other anomalies Jennifer Gentle and Chad Van Gaalen), here she is.

With Only as the Day is Long, Cahoone heads towards lightly countrified Cat Power territory, with more than just a dash of Lucinda Williams’ storytelling prowess. When it hits — as it does on the gorgeous “Baker Lake” and “Happy When I’m Gone” — there’s no music more pleasant to order an Americano to. When it misses, we’re still dealing with Starbucks-ready middle-of-the-road balladry destined to someday soundtrack a very special moment on Ugly Betty.

Sub Pop has never quite known what to do with its singer-songwriters. Rosie Thomas, for one, became interesting only after she was dropped and rebounded with one of last year’s finest musical diaries, the self-released These Friends of Mine. Sera Cahoone, despite all of her charms and the occasionally sweeping moments in her able grasp (some tricks no doubt kept from her days as Band of Horses’ original drummer), is destined to fall between the cracks.