With “Island Lantern Festival”, Tony Frissore manages to soundtrack a specific kind of mental vacation I didn’t realize I was overdue for taking. Ostensibly an instrumental nod to the Lunar New Year and the hopefulness of renewal, this piece operates less like a celebration and more like a gentle exhalation. https://open.spotify.com/album/3n43BcxSnavYKC0wt28GNu?si=E_50eQ_lQomyHT1RsD2Jrg It starts wet with the actual crash of ocean waves before slowly drifting inland. I...

Mia Mormino's music has an immediate impact and a power that is unlike anything else in the pop scene. You can find the tenacious spirit that sings songs of self-empowerment at the core of this beating heart. That's also where the ability is. On her way to loving herself, Mia has had both hard times and happy times, which gives her a truly captivating sincerity....