With The Mortal Prophets and the release "Hide Inside The Moon", John Beckmann isn't just making a record; he seems to be curating a gallery exhibit for the ears, where the paintings are made of reverb and the sculptures are built from anxiety. It’s a curious, swirling thing a "gentle psychedelic weather system," to borrow a phrase, that hits you with the specific humidity...

Trick Shooter Social Club's "Television," isn't some shiny, manufactured anthem. It's a scratched-up record, the kind you pull out after a long day where everything tasted like cardboard and feels the same kind of worn in and comfortable. This Chicago outfit, led by Larry Liss and Steve Simoncic, they’ve bottled that feeling into a song about quiet corners and the kind of love that...