With Oli Ng and his latest release, "Steadfast," I found myself suddenly transported away from my cluttered desk and into a passenger seat, watching telephone wires loop and dip against a setting sun. You know that specific physical sensation when you stop checking the speedometer because you trust the driver with your life? This track bottles that. It’s the sonic equivalent of finally unclenched...

Listening to “Panic Buttons,” the new single from the resurrected rave act Joe Average, feels like finding a party invitation tucked inside a government-issued emergency broadcast. It arrives with a grin, not a grimace. Thirty-four years is a long time to be quiet, and the Brighton trio of Rich, Mad Mick, and Prof have clearly spent their time away pondering the best way to...