There is a peculiar kind of engine at the heart of "Half Evil" by Tomato Soup, and it runs not on gasoline but on disorientation. The Denver six-piece calls their sound "Motor-Folk," and it fits. The track has the chugging, forward-moving momentum of a vehicle, yet it seems to be driving through a landscape seen in a fever dream, where the signposts are all...

Allan Jamisen’s new single, “Living the Dream,” settles in not with a shout, but with the unsettling quiet of finding oneself utterly lost in familiar territory. It’s pop-rock, sure, the label fits loosely enough, but the air hangs thick with something else. Jamisen’s vocals, subterranean and strangely calm, anchor the track. They don't soar; they resonate, like the hum you feel through the floorboards...