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...

Nagoya, Japan-based rock band Chai. Mana, Kana, Yuuki, and Yuna are the four members of the group. Pink, the band's first studio album, was released in 2017. https://soundcloud.com/subpop/chai-surprise "SURPRISE," the band's latest song, has been released as an official music video. In Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture in 2012, twins Mana and Kana, together with sisters Yuna and Yuuki, created the band, Chai. Mana, Kana, and Yuna all...