Earl Patrick pivots sharply away from his usual indie-folk and guitar-driven comfort zones for his newest release, the wildly inventive album "Conditioned By Machines". The Portland, Oregon-based composer, singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist has spent over two decades building a dense, eight-album catalog. Here, however, he entirely flips the script. Feeling that classical flute music too often prioritizes gesture over pure melody, he set out...

Here we have Giant Killers with their single “One For Georgie,” a name that immediately sends ripples back three decades, a testament to patience and perhaps a touch of rightful stubbornness. Jamie Wortley and Michael Brown, the duo who saw their initial 90s trajectory cut short, are back, holding the reins to their own music. And this release feels less like dusting off relics...