Maraad’s new album, “BUFF”, is a strange and beautiful paradox, an object forged in the very fire it’s meant to protect you from. Each track is presented as a "buff," a bit of protective magic for the spirit, but the energy humming underneath feels less like a polished shield and more like the faint, determined glow around a figure in a centuries-old altarpiece—somehow both...

Kelsie Kimberlin, a multi-talented musician and singer who was born in the United States but has strong ties to Ukraine, deviates significantly from the mould of the normal artist. Her work, despite the fact that it is clearly amusing, delves deeper than the surface, exploring serious social themes with multiple meanings that demonstrate her great awareness of the transforming power of music. Kelsie went on an...