Max Norton confronts the quiet sting of fading memory on his luminous new single, “Dark Moon.” Operating out of his home studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the longtime drummer handles every instrument himself, weaving western-tinted indie rock and dream pop into an expansive sonic tapestry. There is a tangible craft in the way his live rhythm section anchors the piece driving forward with a...

Listening to Cat Cork’s "Simple Song" is a funny thing; the title is a clever piece of misdirection, a plain brown wrapper on a package containing an entire life. This isn't some breezy, three-chord singalong for a lazy afternoon. It’s the sonic equivalent of discovering a shipwright’s meticulously drafted blueprint, detailing the construction of a human spirit from the first plank of childhood to...