It's... a sunbeam through a raincloud, isn't it? That’s the initial feeling, anyway. Hal St John and Cherrie Anderson, the British-Filipino duo known as Ooberfuse, have delivered a track that bounces between vibrant pop and something a bit more globally aware. This song feels less like a commercial, and it might just be the flavor needed to add a punch. I was doing some...

Near Death Experience's single, "Shake," arrived not so much as music, but as a sudden, urgent insistence. It’s London psych-rock-soul alright, but brewed with something fiercely immediate, demanding attention like a ringing telephone in an empty room. The core quartet – Ian Whiteling guiding the trip with vocals and guitar fuzz, Joshua Van Ness laying down a heartbeat that feels both frantic and locked-in,...