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...

RSAI’s new single, “Let The Good Times Roll,” has waltzed into my listening rotation, and honestly, it feels a bit like finding an unexpected party already in full swing in your own living room. This Moscow-based musician seems intent on manufacturing pure, unadulterated joy, the kind that fizzes up from your toes and demands a bit of a shimmy, whether you’re ready for it...