When the storm finally breaks and the rain begins to fall, the immediate human instinct is often to seek shelter, to view the deluge as an interruption of the day’s intended rhythm. Yet, agrarian societies have long understood what modern life sometimes forgets: the downpour is not a setback, but a necessary precursor to growth. This philosophical shift, from enduring the weather to welcoming its nourishment,...

Ultan’s single, "The Tempest," erupts not so much into the room as it does through the floorboards, dragging with it the scent of wet wool and imminent confrontation. This Dublin solo musician, a cartographer of past agonies, presents an energetic rock piece that feels less like a song about history and more like a fragment of it, throbbing and urgent. The main riff careers...