There is a specific kind of frantic energy in Jacob Chacko’s single "Drive Thru Fog And Rain" (from the album "Give Me The Good Stuff") that reminds me of realizing you’re late for a meeting that might change your life, but your foot is tapping against the floor mat anyway. It captures a feeling that is kinetic, nervous, and strangely electric. https://open.spotify.com/album/3nsiOEVBM8JKDEeZ3jlePu?si=jCITTgSDSy-xdDMJWLFuiw Chacko leans hard into...

Some comeback albums arrive wearing a suit. Block’s "Love Crash" kicks the shoes off at the door, laughs at the mess, then starts telling the truth before anyone has found a chair. Released on Meridian, ECR Music Group, the album is Block’s sixth full-length and his first new record in 13 years. That gap matters, but the record does not beg for sympathy. It feels awake,...