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...

Hit play on "Bon Voyage" and you are instantly transported to a place where the sun never sets and the vibes are perpetually immaculate. The latest single from Malaga-based duo Kaleidoscope Collision is a shot of pure, unadulterated serotonin. Heather and Jovani have managed to bottle the feeling of a perfect summer day, shaking it up with a healthy dose of psychedelic energy that makes...