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...

The Perceptions EP by Everything Counts and Christian Mical Schwarz is the label's fourth release of the year and their first collaboration. Toshka and Chris Leon, an Italian-born Salvadoran, have collaborated on a new EP with Freaky Farm frontman Christian Mical Schwarz. The EP includes songs like "Different Clouds," "Date Back," and "Tornado." In order to attract opposites, this partnership combines their opposing styles. A...