Rusty Reid is such an artist that his indie work is based on the folk-country rock tapestry element to emphasize protest and passion narrative. However, his most recent work “ American Villain ” stands as an alarm bell, reminiscent of the infusion between the sixties and today’s political constituency. After a short tenure with the University of Houston, he was under Nashville’s bright lights at 19....

The fastest pop songs arrive like a notification. Ben Lester’s self-titled debut does something more interesting: it lets the listener wait for the message to finish forming. Across 13 tracks for Mayfield Records, the London singer, songwriter, performer and producer turns patience into part of the pleasure. The result is indie pop with an arranger’s discipline, a record built for people who like a chorus but...