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...

Here we have Giant Killers with their single “One For Georgie,” a name that immediately sends ripples back three decades, a testament to patience and perhaps a touch of rightful stubbornness. Jamie Wortley and Michael Brown, the duo who saw their initial 90s trajectory cut short, are back, holding the reins to their own music. And this release feels less like dusting off relics...