Shelby Lock and the Venezuela Strings Recording Ensemble have joined forces on "A Matter of Time: Perseverancia," a sweeping modern classical single that turns physical gravity into something buoyant. https://open.spotify.com/track/58D1KqkKhCXBnjNEc91JKD?si=Dx9X2tW9Qs-Uwmo_fuLNWA Lock, a conservatory-trained pianist who runs Silver Moon Sound in Santa Cruz, spent years bedridden by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, literally clawing her way back to the keyboard. Across the hemisphere, the San Cristóbal orchestra guided by conductors...

Some tracks do not ask for your attention politely; they kick the door off the hinges and demand you listen. That is exactly what happens the moment you hit play on "So Close," the latest alternative rock single from New York City's own Kim McClay. It hits with the same sudden, dizzying clarity as seeing your ex post a hard launch on Instagram. You know...