You hear the first strike of the drum and instantly know this is not a history lesson. Folk music often gets treated with too much reverence, placed carefully on a pedestal where no one can touch it. Remon Nakanishi takes a completely different approach. He grabs these centuries old communal songs, drags them into the studio, and surrounds them with some of the most infectious...

Atlanta band Lotus Grove has shared "Ordinary People," the roaring second single pulled from their upcoming 12-track album project. Built upon a 15-year friendship forged in the sweaty anxiety of middle school, the group synthesizes their incredibly diverse backgrounds into something intensely physical. This latest cut leans hard into alternative rock and emo-pop, throwing a fast-paced, urgently emotional melody against a dense, fiercely propulsive...