I saw a pigeon wearing a tiny top hat yesterday. It has absolutely nothing to do with Rich Allen's new single, "No Pinks", but, honestly, what does? The song unravels like a worn photograph, the edges blurry with regret, a silent conversation shouted in the spaces between plucked guitar strings. Allen, known around Tampa for his poignant songwriting, digs deep, like a fossil hunter...

Haugesund duo Mainstreet channel wide-open highways and bruised romantic defiance on their gripping single, "Living by the Sword." Hailing from coastal Norway, Glenn Kringlebotten and Magne Skålnes make music steeped in the dust-caked mythos of classic American heartland rock, evoking the stubborn, rolling momentum of Bob Seger or Bruce Springsteen. https://open.spotify.com/track/69zkx8pCYXF1BtjLunRfd6?si=daa781bbf62643d0 The track locks into an upbeat, mid-tempo groove powered by a bright, soaring lead melody....