Mark Rolfe has released "Compton Bay," an ethereal new instrumental single ahead of his upcoming album "The Isle of Wight." The Nottingham-based composer, academic, and Lorna songwriter handles entirely everything for this project through his DIY label Winnetka Records. You hear him acting as the solitary architect of this ambient universe tracking the guitar, cello, clarinet, piano, and percussion himself, all while handling his...

Listening to Arnold J.’s new single, "Muddy Waters," isn't quite like anything else swirling around right now. It arrives with the gentle insistence of incoming tide, pulling you into its specific gravity. Arnold J., Ghanaian-born and now Canada-based, weaves a sound tagged as alt-country and folk, but those labels feel thin, like trying to contain smoke. There’s earthiness, sure, but his soulful vocal lines...