For a man who has authored over 300 compositions, the French guitarist Arnito somehow still sounds entirely untethered on his latest release, "Musiques de mon monde, vol.4". When a musician hits their twenty-seventh album, you usually expect them to settle gracefully into a predictable chair. Arnito, alternatively, rips up the floorboards. The guitar-driven record acts as an intensely felt invitation to explore a map...

Listening to the new DownTown Mystic EP, "Mystic Highway", is a bit like finding an old, perfectly worn-in roadmap in the glovebox of a brand new car. It has the feel of something essential, something foundational, yet it’s being used to navigate a landscape of blindingly modern anxieties. Robert Allen, the architect behind this project, isn’t just playing classic rock; he's conducting a seance...