Listening to Arnold J.’s new single, "Muddy Waters," isn't quite like anything else swirling around right now. It arrives with the gentle insistence of incoming tide, pulling you into its specific gravity. Arnold J., Ghanaian-born and now Canada-based, weaves a sound tagged as alt-country and folk, but those labels feel thin, like trying to contain smoke. There’s earthiness, sure, but his soulful vocal lines...

With LunaRover and their latest single "Little Things", I found myself suspended in that strange, gelatinous space between being fully awake and drifting into a fever dream. It’s a curious offering from Kevin Rieth and Ben Pelletier, a duo who build their soundscapes asynchronously, sending digital ghosts back and forth across Silver Spring, Maryland. https://open.spotify.com/track/56VUMjvZZsw6hI8geeg7CH?si=8fbf469199984b3e The track operates like a malfunctioning calmness machine. There is a...