There is a specific kind of caffeine-jitter energy driving the new collaboration from Doctor Noize, titled "Diversity". It hits you immediately a bright, bouncing sequence of notes played with the frantic urgency of a silent film chase scene, yet anchored by a stride-style rhythm that feels surprisingly sturdy. It’s the musical equivalent of a golden retriever that has just realized you are holding a...

Olivier Laurent’s new concept album, “Solin Anj”, doesn't so much play for you as it does around you. Listening feels like an act of accidental espionage on a life in progress. We are placed in the sonic womb, hearing the muffled arguments, ambitions, and affections of a world getting ready for our arrival. It’s an album that unfolds with the unhurried, jazzy cadence of...