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,...

With the passage of time, it becomes increasingly important to have quiet time and space in which to process complex ideas. You must honor that under any circumstances. Having said that, Cullen Jack is hoping that things will get back to normal and that he will be fine even if you don't end up going. He sings about this and other related issues in his new...