THE HYBRIS, a masked virtual trio—Ringo Rabbit, Beanie Bison, and Malcolm Mandrill—posing as superhero wannabes, drop their new album "t h r e e." They claim a mission to save the world with tunes. It's alt-rock, doused with punk sneer, a splash of 80s neon, and enough stadium-rock ambition to make Bono blush. But does it soar? https://open.spotify.com/album/77fXBjseRJRoWbGrHSGAwB?si=HVX0tqQlRTCswO0HaDxAgQ Well. This record digs its claws deep, like...

Geoff Westen’s album, “Music For My Friends”, thumps onto the scene like a dropped box of heavy disco balls – all shiny potential energy and the slight threat of chaos. It aims for that classic pop song euphoria, the kind designed to rattle car speakers and fuel late-night dance floors, an "aural assault" as Westen puts it. And it does pulse with energy, a...