Bolidde's new album, Rainbow Galaxy, doesn't so much arrive as it does seep into the room, a ten-track document of flight powered by rock and roll muscle. Here is a veteran of the French scene who understands the architecture of a great pop hook, but who uses that knowledge not to build a summer villa, but a high-speed getaway vehicle. The album’s energy is...

Some songs are built to be lived in. They are not merely heard; they are structures, meticulously assembled spaces that offer a particular perspective. Paul Gehl’s single, “Devils and Demons,” is one such creation. It is a work of sonic architecture, designed from the ground up as a fortress against the internal chaos of bipolar disorder. The track is a heavy, brooding piece of gothic rock,...