Maverick Smith’s “We Make Fire, They Make Smoke” lands not with a thud, but with the distinct, satisfying crackle of something catching alight. It’s a title that carries the grit of the Ohio Valley in its consonants, a resolute statement from a band – Paige Bosic on commanding vocals and rhythm guitar, Sean Boynes sculpting soundscapes on guitar, Jim Courtney’s intricate drumming, Charlie Kovach’s...

Novozero. Anna and Andreas, up there in Tromsø, sending out signals. This single, "To All The Times," arrives sounding less like a postcard from the Arctic Circle and more like a transmission intercepted from a satellite caught between decades. There’s a definite gravity here – fuzz bass anchoring washes of synth that shimmer and pulse, guitars that chime before they roar. It’s big rock...