Listening to Oxiroma unfold "Hug & Hold the Ocean (Cosmo Symphonic Version)" feels less like pressing play on a digital file and more like opening a window in a submarine that somehow navigates the Milky Way. Roman, the creative force behind the moniker, brings a peculiar discipline to this composition perhaps it’s the Kriya Yoga, or maybe the ghost of his big band trumpet...

Well, Ricky Leroy Brown has gone and done it, presenting us with "SEXUAL MANUAL FOR EXPERTS," and I confess, the title alone sent my mind skittering off like a startled cat at a séance. This solo Madrileño, who conjures entire soundscapes from his own hands and instruments, is clearly still communing with the spirit of Prince, all slinky guitars and a rhythm section that...