The soft and sweet songs on Circles -- the second album from The Autumn Defense, Wilco bassist John Stirratt's side project with multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone -- have frequently been compared to saccharine '70s radio pop from the likes of Bread, Jim Croce and America.

Personally, I would be insulted, since, unlike the above artists, The Autumn Defense's songs contain neither cringingly sappy lyrics nor syrupy strings. But Stirratt doesn't seem to mind, as long as they're getting some attention.

"I don't like Croce much, but I can handle a little Bread," he says magnanimously. "There are a few songs I like, mostly the David Gates stuff. But I think they made too many records, and some of them are horrible. When you listen to them, you learn what to avoid as much as anything."

Stirratt and Sansone -- who has previously worked with Joseph Arthur, Dave Pirner and Josh Rouse, among others -- first got together to make music when they both lived in New Orleans in the late '90s.

"We would just hang out and listen to records," Stirratt recalls. "I brought some songs to him, knowing he was a good arranger, and we started working on things. The first record (2002's The Green Hour) was tough, because we didn't have a lot of time and it was hard to establish a vibe.

"But this one was much easier. One of the first songs I showed him was The Sun In California. It had a lot of harmony possibilities, and it kind of led the way for the other material, I think -- like a thread we could follow."

As they've gotten to know each other better, the two have been moving toward writing together, rather than bringing their finished songs to each other.

"We'd like to try that head-to-head thing a little more," Stirratt says. "The ones we wrote jointly have a distinct voice, different from my voice or his voice. Plus our vocals sound similar, and I like that -- when you're not really sure who's singing. It feels like more of a band."

For Stirratt, The Autumn Defense -- which he's described as "purposefully casual" -- provides a refreshing change from the intensity of his day job in Wilco, as well as a chance to be more involved in the whole song-making process.

"In Wilco you can work on the music, but not the lyrics," he explains. "It's like a year and a half in the making -- we end up searching and searching, recording things in different ways. The Autumn Defense is not so much of a quest. And because of the lower budget and limited time, we have no choice but to do it sleekly and fast, which is great. I find that each one complements the other."

The Autumn Defense play the Horseshoe tonight, with Thornley, the new project featuring Big Wreck's Ian Thornley and former Watchman Ken Tizzard, and Kelly Stoltz.