A city can teach a person how to carry noise. The Liberties, with its old trade routes and close communal pulse, has long carried dense human music. From that inheritance, Zak Coghlan appears to have taken not only a taste for melody, but a belief that feeling becomes sharper when placed inside a story that can stand up under pressure. “Lead Balloon”, his new single...

Okay, so Jari Salmikivi. From Sweden, they make music. Right, got it. This particular serving, "Believe (Remix)", lands in the dance/pop arena, which, if you’re keeping score at home, means it’s basically designed to get you moving and possibly singing along into your hairbrush. But wait, there's more. It aims to dose you with pure, unadulterated positive energy, all served up with lyrics that...