I confess, my first encounter with MAAME’s new single, “Daydreaming,” was one of deceptive serenity. Here is a track that slides into your awareness with such poise, a self-assured piece of modern R&B that knows its way around a groove. It’s only on the second pass that you realize the serene space it creates is filled with a low, anxious hum—the sound of a...

With a name like that, you expect a certain solitary drift, so when Earth-o-Naut’s “Bring The Light” kicks in, the effect is disarming. Here is a vessel, piloted by a single Liverpudlian architect of sound, that feels impossibly full. This isn't the cold echo of the void; it's a warm, inhabited space, anchored by the legendary propulsion of Steve White on drums. His groove...