Water Street's "Alone in a Crowded Place" – Have you ever felt like a sock in a washing machine, tumbled and spun with no real control? That’s kind of the vibe Water Street throws down in their new 8-track EP. This New Jersey indie outfit – Dave Paulson, Alex Kerssen, Brendon Gardner, Connor Konecik, Edward Woodcock, and Julia Aiello – are churning out a...

Robin James Hurt’s “A Song, A Story Told” arrives with a sound you can almost run a thumb over, like worn corduroy. In an age of sterile, diamond-polished productions, this album is a defiantly handmade thing, tracked onto vintage cassette machines. The result is not a flaw, but an ingredient. A faint, persistent hiss breathes alongside the instruments, a ghost in the machine who...