Angelo Ceriani's new album, "Lofi Weather," arrives not with a bang, but like a slow-moving front rolling in off Lake Maggiore, where I imagine his Somma Lombardo studio might catch the changing light. These ten instrumental pieces, curated from two decades of Ceriani simply making music (1995-2015, no less!), feel less like a planned collection and more like leafing through someone’s sonic sketchbook, found...

Sam Akins' new song "i'm fine, i'm ok" delves into themes of inner power, tenacity, and the disparity between how someone displays themselves to the outside and their hidden troubles. This is a prominent theme in music and art because it may speak to many people who have suffered terrible times in their lives, as the song portrays the notion that even when confronted with...