The moment the jaunty guitar kicks in on John Smyths’ new single, "Now I'm Wiser", you feel a familiar, comfortable warmth. It’s the sound of a good chair in a bar where the floor is sticky with spilled truths. And then the story starts, a classic yarn of a hard-living past yielding to a peaceful present. Smyths, a Dutch ex-metalhead singing country out of...

There is a distinct, almost chemical alchemy happening with Ryuichi Hayashi and Krokodile latest release, "Turning to Gold". It summons the specific, drowsy euphoria of staring at a ceiling fan spinning at medium speed on a Tuesday afternoon a suspension of time that feels necessary rather than lazy. https://open.spotify.com/track/65mMtHBtflaSpyQ55ssCnX?si=cb08a608b5784db8 Usually, Hayashi acts as the structural steel within the music industry. He is the guy bridging the...