The risk inside a good day gives Biernacki’s “Up & Down” its pulse. The Kraków songwriter and producer places a close vocal over piano, delicate percussion, bass and electronic detail, then lets the pressure collect rather than explode. This is polished alt-pop with a melancholic streak, built for the listener who knows that relief can sometimes make the mind start looking for the next thing...

Oshawa, a town pulsating with industry, is the birthplace of exceptional talent such as Ryan Wayne. Growing up in this town, with a father who drove trucks by day and penned songs by night, Ryan was nurtured in a home where melodies intertwined with memories. Summer escapes to the family cabin in the Madawaska Valley provided the backdrop for gatherings that sowed the seeds of his...