You know that exact second when everyone is staring at you, waiting for you to blow out the candles, and all you want to do is disappear? Ava Valianti has captured that highly specific, deeply uncomfortable feeling and turned it into an absolute indie pop gem. Her latest single, "Birthday Cake," drops you right into the middle of a party you never wanted to attend....

Folk music and indie folk have become more mainstream in recent years, to my surprise. The uplifting and soothing vibrations of this clean and global form of music are something we should all have more of in our lives. Two years ago, Lee Leffler (guitars, keyboards, vocals and lyrics), along with Michael Frackleton (drumming and bass), formed the Boston-based band, Dream of a Man...