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...

“Fields” feels like the kind of track you play when your brain has too many tabs open. Calico Sun is not chasing noise here. The Connecticut project, led by multi-instrumentalist and producer Sam Bahman, is reaching for something calmer, wider, and more lived-in. Released as a stand-alone single while also sitting inside the album Cosmic Revelations, “Fields” has a clear hook for new music fans: nature,...