"Avalon" hits like someone opening the car window at midnight and turning the volume up before anyone asks permission. Red Light Factory have built a single that moves fast and knows where its hook is hiding. This is Manchester alternative music with a pulse you can feel in the chest: electronic drums snapping forward, guitar attitude cutting through the smoke, and a chorus-ready spirit made...

Sometimes the heaviest thing you can carry is the art you stopped making. Brendan Ranney knows exactly how that feels, having traded his guitar for the demands of daily life almost two decades ago. Now, the Southern California indie singer-songwriter is back with his debut solo album, "Slightly Out of Focus". Sparked by finding his late father's poetry, this record is a raw, guitar-driven reflection on...