Leon Blanchard, a name perhaps faintly echoing from the mid-noughties indie surge, returns not with fanfare, but with a solitary signal flare titled "Astronaut". Hailing from Grimsby, a town known more for its fishing heritage than its celestial aspirations, Blanchard's new song does not really feel like a return, but more like a personal gearbox picked up after years of chatter. In 2007, his old band,...

With this song, American rapper Frank Black takes a more thoughtful and aware style, rapping about topics that many people from all backgrounds may connect to. The new song "Peaks and Valleys" demonstrates his true interest in conscious matters, and his ability to use his words to highlight critical societal and artistic concerns distinguishes him as an artist with a mission. His songwriting is both interesting...