With The Widows and their jagged new single "Bardo Blues", the speakers don't just output sound; they seem to physically sweat. From the opening seconds, this track captures the exact frequency of a nervous breakdown occurring in a dimly lit restroom of a venue that definitely violates several health codes. https://open.spotify.com/track/4U7900swNQAaAj2T5MxrqY?si=0f2168babd504508 This London quartet, Kim Le Tan, Francesco Manzi, Roger Salsas, and Vince Johnson, has been...

Some comeback albums arrive wearing a suit. Block’s "Love Crash" kicks the shoes off at the door, laughs at the mess, then starts telling the truth before anyone has found a chair. Released on Meridian, ECR Music Group, the album is Block’s sixth full-length and his first new record in 13 years. That gap matters, but the record does not beg for sympathy. It feels awake,...