The Catchmen have officially resurfaced with their sweeping, cinematic pop single "England". Formed during the dizzying 1988 Madchester boom, they were the cult teenagers who once commanded Oasis as a support act before abruptly evaporating. Today, Ian Livingstone and Michael Knowles have returned, hauling the sprawling orchestral heft of their Ivor Novello and BAFTA nominations along with them. Anchored by original bassist Dave Fryman...

Danny Watts is to acoustic strings what winter frost is to tree branches: an unexpected adornment, at odds with what you thought you knew, but too breathtaking to question. With "Angels In The Snow," the Downtown Patriots step into a snow globe of uncharted soundscapes, leaving behind the grungey scrape of amplifiers for something quieter, but no less expansive. It’s a curveball—a swerve from...