Amy-Lin Slezak’s “Known 3 Yrs. Seen 24 Hrs” opens with the bright, optimistic twang of country pop, a sound so sun-drenched you can almost feel the heat coming off the asphalt. The fiddle weaves itself through clean acoustic strums and soaring electric guitars, a musical language we all know. But the story it tells is something wonderfully specific, a peculiar ache you didn't know...

With Paul Gehl and his latest single "Train to Nowhere", we are invited into a sonic space that feels suspiciously like the inside of a pressurized cabin just before the oxygen masks drop. It is fascinating to consider that Gehl, an artist hailing from Luxembourg City, has roots in the disciplined worlds of classical and flamenco guitar. You might expect delicate fingering or warm...