The Chilean musician Stefan Elbl's eighth album 'Chungungo' hits with sharp riffs, Spanish-language urgency, and a fearless sense of movement between Quilpué and San Francisco. Some albums walk in politely. 'Chungungo' kicks the amp, fixes the cable, and starts moving before the room has settled. Stefan Elbl's eighth studio album comes loaded with guitars that bite, basslines that march like they have rent due, and...

Some songs feel like opening a message you were never meant to read. Agnes Fred's 'After Death' has that private charge, the kind that makes you lower the volume even when you are alone. It is small, strange, and heavy in a way that sneaks up on you. No fireworks. No dramatic chest beating. The track simply appears, pale and close, then leaves a mark...