With the release of her most recent EP, "Alchemy," Tess Posner has established herself as a leading figure in the world of alternative dark pop. Tess Posner is a singer, songwriter, and composer who makes her home in the dynamic metropolis of San Francisco. Posner is carving out a niche for herself in the alternative music scene. Tess creates a tapestry of ethereal soundscapes, including piano,...

Robin James Hurt’s “A Song, A Story Told” arrives with a sound you can almost run a thumb over, like worn corduroy. In an age of sterile, diamond-polished productions, this album is a defiantly handmade thing, tracked onto vintage cassette machines. The result is not a flaw, but an ingredient. A faint, persistent hiss breathes alongside the instruments, a ghost in the machine who...