Listening to Amara Fe’s new album, "SHIFT," is a bit like finding a perfectly preserved suit of medieval armor that’s been custom-tailored by a high-fashion house. It is formidable, gleaming, and entirely without apology. Across the sprawling landscape of its 24 tracks, Fe builds a monument to self-belief so solid it could probably withstand a siege. There is no room for doubt in this...

Ben Heyworth returns with "Image of Roads (Montana Mix)", a track that feels like watching a blueprint suddenly sprout wings and take flight. Collaborating with the members of Minorplanet, Heyworth a man whose history suggests he’s been sketching the Manchester indie skyline for years revisits an older acoustic skeleton and wraps it in something far more sinewy. It is "urban folk" that has decided...