J. Matthews is a distinctive force in the world of modern pop music. He has created a one-of-a-kind aural environment that speaks to listeners from all different walks of life. His music creates a tapestry of disconnected but united rhapsodies, with each story developing via unique chapters and surprising turns. His music is like a tapestry. J. Matthews, who is a poet and singer at heart,...

Ultan’s single, "The Tempest," erupts not so much into the room as it does through the floorboards, dragging with it the scent of wet wool and imminent confrontation. This Dublin solo musician, a cartographer of past agonies, presents an energetic rock piece that feels less like a song about history and more like a fragment of it, throbbing and urgent. The main riff careers...