Robin James Hurt’s “A Song, A Story Told” arrives with a sound you can almost run a thumb over, like worn corduroy. In an age of sterile, diamond-polished productions, this album is a defiantly handmade thing, tracked onto vintage cassette machines. The result is not a flaw, but an ingredient. A faint, persistent hiss breathes alongside the instruments, a ghost in the machine who...

Imagine the calm waters of an ocean while listening to Ray Johnson's most recent hit, "Ocean Blue," and you'll start to get an idea of what the song is about. This song is the most recent example of the growing tide of love and adoration that the band is receiving from its legion of devoted followers, both new and old. Ray's musical journey will both warm...