If you’ve ever wondered what Liam Gallagher would have sounded like fronting the Stone Roses (and don’t just say “Oasis”), I have a song for you. The pursed-lipped Gallagher joins forces with Stone Roses’ quirky guitarist John Squire on “Just Another Rainbow,” the first single from an upcoming collaborative project, and naturally, the two Manchester musicians together make immediate sonic sense. “Red and orange, yellow and green, blue, indigo, violet,” Gallagher sings in his unmistakable tone; Seriously, this song has Liam Gallagher singing the colors of the rainbow. But Squire finally takes center stage in the second half of the song, projecting his towering, prismatic riffs across the sky. LINDSAY ZOLADZ
Smallgod and Black Sherif, two Ghanaian songwriters, harmonize on a gentle song that offers lifelong support and compassion – “I’m looking out for you wherever you are” – but also gently rebukes: “How long will you remain a slave to your flaws? ?” A discreet rhythm and small guitar touches invite you without being too aggressive. JON PARES
Umi with V from BTS, ‘Wherever UR’
Umi, a songwriter based in Los Angeles, and V, a member of BTS, offer the serenity of total devotion, promising to be “wherever you are” with slow guitar arpeggios and a minimal backbeat, modestly treating a big commitment. PAIRS
A.G. Cook, ‘Golden Needle with Silver Thread’
Hyperpop maestro AG Cook expands his style with “Silver Thread Golden Needle,” 10 minutes of staccato hyperactivity and emphatic beats. It’s a manic, ever-evolving array of intermittent arpeggios, breathy vocals, snappy electronic percussion, distorted notes and pearly resonances, always moving at full speed. PAIRS
A twinkling piano riff seems to float in the weightless atmosphere of “Football,” a new song from singer-songwriter Trevor Powers’ recently dormant and recently revived Youth Lagoon project. “Maybe you’re not the person who caught the ball,” Powers sings, in a long sigh of disappointment that finally turns to acceptance. ZOLADZ
Hannah Kaminer, ‘The Broke Girl’
On the standout cut from her third album, “Heavy on the Vine,” North Carolina songwriter Hannah Kaminer introduces herself to a new link singing, “You look like my next stop on this highway to destruction.” The track is bluesy Americana, subdued and in a minor key, with a hint of Dire Straits. The lyrics call for mutual self-deception, although the singer knows better: “Let’s keep what happens to us a secret,” she suggests. PAIRS
María Timony, ‘The Guest’
Mary Timony, the charming cerebral guitarist and former frontwoman of indie band Helium, has spent the last decade rocking in bands like power-pop revitalizers Ex Hex and punk supergroup Wild Flag. On February 23 she will release her first solo album in 15 years, “Untame the Tiger.” The latest single, “The Guest.” she finds her in a more relaxed and reflective mode than she’s typically known for, mixing weepy country licks with reflective lyrics. “Hello loneliness, you’ve come home,” she sings. “You were the only one who never left me alone.” ZOLADZ
It might have started out as a play on words, but “Rhapsody in Blue(grass)” is a joyful, harmonically clever, agile and knowing adaptation of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” performed by banjoist Béla Fleck and his string band, My Bluegrass Heart. It loosely follows the trajectory of Gershwin’s composition, but swaps out the orchestra for violin, dobro, mandolin, guitar and bass, moving Gershwin’s big-city romanticism into more rustic territory. PAIRS
