The first encounter with Asta Bria’s new single, “Dragonfly,” is a calculated disorientation. For an artist who once cozied up to funk’s leisurely sway, this is a sharp turn onto a rain-slicked digital highway. The song’s intent for the dance floor is immediately apparent; a commanding, four-to-the-floor beat acts as a gravitational field, pinning you to the present moment. But hovering just above it...

Listening to the new album from The Bateleurs, "A Light In The Darkness", is like finding a perfectly worn leather jacket in a forgotten wardrobe. Not one from London or Los Angeles, mind you, but one discovered in a dusty Lisbon alley, smelling faintly of sea salt and old cigarettes. It fits perfectly, but it carries the shape and the stories of someone else's...