Near Death Experience's single, "Shake," arrived not so much as music, but as a sudden, urgent insistence. It’s London psych-rock-soul alright, but brewed with something fiercely immediate, demanding attention like a ringing telephone in an empty room. The core quartet – Ian Whiteling guiding the trip with vocals and guitar fuzz, Joshua Van Ness laying down a heartbeat that feels both frantic and locked-in,...

Rachel Swain has spent two decades moving through the roots music scene, but with her debut solo album "Neon Lullaby", she finally takes the absolute center of the stage. Blending her Texas country foundation with the stubborn grit of Chicago, Swain delivers a record that feels strangely like walking into a dimly lit bar immediately after a spectacular, life-altering breakup. https://open.spotify.com/album/4N0yl76UGcGaokaDZCG9p4?si=NNBBTsB5STKIvR6cWEVChw There is a very specific,...