Caught in the net: Glasser loves to share her pared-down beats

Cameron Mesirow of Glasser performs during Day 2 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (Getty Images)

US electronic artist/singer Glasser released one of the standout debuts of 2010 with her song-cycle LP Ring. The singer, real name Cameron Mesirow (pictured), returns shortly with the follow-up record, Interiors released on 7 October. The album's opening track has been shared at youtu.be/jJhAuEYk3ms; “Shape” finds Glasser in restrained form, with her vocals and brand of electro-pop pared back and downbeat. Elsewhere Mesirow has been offering up 15-second snippets of other tracks from Interiors using the video function of Instagram. The brief excerpts have appeared on her own account – instagram.com/glasser_ – and through those of other sites including The Fader, Nowness and NME.

Is this Willis Earl Beal's breakthrough?

With his curious mix of lo-fi, folk, blues, soul, gospel, r&b and that deep singing voice, Chicagoan Willis Earl Beal has been much touted since his signing to an imprint of XL Recordings. His debut Acousmatic Sorcery didn't set the world alight last year but showed potential. He returns in early September with a new album under his belt called Nobody Knows. Two tracks from it are already available – “Too Dry To Cry” (youtu.be/xuDRyAWxNNw) and “Everything Unwinds” (youtu.be/1OvM0kj3NxE) – and a third was put out this week: “Coming Through”, is a mid-tempo soul number with backing vocals from Cat Power. It's streaming at youtu.be/ nUQdJC5w8S0.

It's classical music, but not as you know it

New Sounds is a long-running music programme on the New York radio station WNYC, available online at wnyc.org/newsounds and as a free podcast that I dip into for its charting of the avant-garde music world, along with its more pop-orientated sibling on WNYC, Soundcheck, both of which are hosted by John Schaefer. Recently I caught up with an old episode that was essential listening. It offered a great survey of post-minimalist classical composers taking in wonderful work from the likes of Nico Muhly, Sylvain Chauveau and Simon O'Connor. It served as a primer to the realm of adventurous classical music, impressively varied and all utterly gorgeous. Hear it at ind.pn/17lsXbI.