Ashot Danielyan opens an intensely candid, solitary world on his latest album, "Make Classical Music Great Again". The provocative title reads almost like a cultural dare, yet the performance itself abandons all irony at the piano bench. Danielyan strips his craft down to bare hammer, felt, and immediate instinct. Without sheet music, pre-planned arrangements, or studio trickery, these uncomposed solo improvisations trace the slow...

Fiona Amaka’s new single, “Cowards and Shadows,” doesn’t kick down the door; it slips the lock and vanishes into the night, leaving the chain on. There’s a particular London cool to this departure, a swagger in its disappearing act. The track's lauded Bowie-esque posture is immediately apparent, thanks in no small part to Andy Zanini's sharp, stalking guitar work. It’s less a gentle fade...