The Austin-based songwriter Alex Winters turns the terrifying act of emotional surrender into a towering alt-rock confession. There is a specific kind of silence that occupies a room right before a heavy truth is spoken aloud. It is thick, suffocating, and entirely self-imposed. We build fortresses out of our past traumas, stacking bricks of deflection and mortar of avoidance to guarantee nothing can ever hurt us...

Josh Tepper emerges as a rare talent in the area of American singer-songwriters, and his most recent single, "Guide Me Meron," proves to be a Kabbalistic hymn that crosses boundaries. This mystical hymn takes us on a fascinating trip to the holy mountain of Mount Meron. The beginning of Josh Tepper's career as a musician can be traced back to the bustling metropolis of New York...