Fleanger, an Israeli-born singer-songwriter-performer presently located in buzzing Berlin, has established himself as a genuine musical light. His creative persona emerged at an early age, putting him different from his Israeli music industry contemporaries. Fleanger's newest effort, "Better," aims to take listeners on an introspective journey on a roller coaster of feelings that will stay with them long after the music has stopped. His ability...

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...