Ettie, who was born and raised in London, is a phenomenon in the music industry because of her lyrical alchemy, which transforms cultural touchstones and personal histories into pure alt-pop gold. She is able to compose alternative pop songs that speak to the anxiety that is felt by millennials because of the gift of being able to play with words. Ettie, who has a degree in...

Seishin Takeno's "Echoes," a sonic postcard from Kanagawa. Nine instrumental pieces, I've been told. Not nine songs, mind you – more like nine shaded windows into a particular kind of quiet. This isn't music that yells; it leans in, like a friend confiding a secret you half-hear on a summer porch. Immediately, you're not so much listening as remembering. Or maybe anticipating. It feels...