Seishin Takeno's "Echoes," a sonic postcard from Kanagawa. Nine instrumental pieces, I've been told. Not nine songs, mind you – more like nine shaded windows into a particular kind of quiet. This isn't music that yells; it leans in, like a friend confiding a secret you half-hear on a summer porch. Immediately, you're not so much listening as remembering. Or maybe anticipating. It feels...

With "The HeARTist," Dublin's very own Galvo joins the indie-folk community in its ongoing pursuit for true heartbeats among an array of sounds. This 14-track journey relates to an authenticity that is difficult to find these days. Galvo is a phenomenon rather than simply a name or an artist. Every note he sings and every chord he pulls tells of a life submerged in melodies since...