Take Jack Horton, a Portland-based singer-songwriter whose path to folk-Americana included stops at Japanese law school, Tokyo piano bars, corporate boardrooms, and government offices. His latest EP, "Imperfections," feels like finding someone's private journal set to music. And that someone happens to write really, really well. The five-song collection opens with "Set Me Free," a piano-driven confession that might surprise anyone expecting typical breakup bitterness. Horton...

In the mix of "The Speed of Dreaming" by Love Ghost; an album of magical impressions of travelling through the planes of dreams and feelings, we adventurously go. Expressed in the moody city of Mexico, this four-track album of the Los Angeles-based band is an artistic exploration of the emotional landscapes that are usually found in our dreams. The EP starts with "Be Not Afraid" which...