Okay, buckle up, because Track Dogs just dropped a Christmas card. Not the kind with a sparkly snowman, though. This "A Christmas Card" album feels more like a rambling, joyous postcard sent from a slightly tipsy, globe-trotting relative. They've taken the usual folk/Americana framework and tossed in some maracas and maybe a sneaky jazz trombone. It's the sort of unexpected musical mashup that makes...

The Chilean musician Stefan Elbl's eighth album 'Chungungo' hits with sharp riffs, Spanish-language urgency, and a fearless sense of movement between Quilpué and San Francisco. Some albums walk in politely. 'Chungungo' kicks the amp, fixes the cable, and starts moving before the room has settled. Stefan Elbl's eighth studio album comes loaded with guitars that bite, basslines that march like they have rent due, and...