Some songs are like a time machine. You press play, and suddenly you’re somewhere else, some other time. Maybe it’s a smoky bar in the 1970s, a sweaty punk club in the 80s, or, in the case of “Oh Denise,” the new single from Ken Woods and The Old Blue Gang, a dusty dancehall on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, sometime in the not-too-distant past. The...

Australian musician LokkisKott is very expressive in his new single, which is full of painful emotions, melancholy, and bitterness. The man sings about himself, combining haunting vocal and guitar textures with naked authenticity. In New South Wales, Australia’s multi-talent artist, Lachie Alford, resurrects his magical band, “LokkisKott,” with stirring lyrics about love and heartbreak. The heartbreaking story titled “Deep Inside” reveals how difficult it was...