To listen to Vicious Clay’s `"bleecker street revisited"` is to stumble upon a cartographer’s personal diary, one filled with maps of places that no longer exist and sketches of emotional territories still being charted. This is the latest work from Vinny Silva’s musical project, and it feels less like a collection of songs and more like a core sample, drilled deep into the bedrock...

There’s a curious sort of old-soul gravity to Amelina’s single, “Step by Step,” one that defies the pop-rock sheen and the artist’s young age. The track opens with a resolute, almost stern, string and piano line that feels less like an invitation to a party and more like the sound of someone tying their shoelaces before a long journey. This is the sound of...