Dianne Forte has somehow built a bizarre, joyous bridge between Sunday morning devotion and a vintage arcade console with the instrumental version of her latest single, "Hallelujah Just Keep Your Heads Up Now". I anticipated the gentle cadence of her North Carolina gospel roots. Instead, the self-taught organist handed me a soundtrack for a sun-drenched, high-speed drive down a pixelated coastline. https://open.spotify.com/album/6GStrr1WiKEWJaAkuWYX5K?si=AOhyiEbXR1iGjVkwFtTIVQ The sheer, unrestrained energy...

"America" from Dave Clark drops like a chipped ceramic mug onto a linoleum floor, not exactly a bang but you feel the thud. It's not about sparkly flag-waving; that much is clear from the first plucky guitar notes. It’s a story woven in threadbare folk chords and tinged with the static hum of some plugged-in grief. https://open.spotify.com/track/7nSYreI8IQDkOgvGjTvjwy?si=bbfaa8073f824d01 There's a man in this track, though you never...