Starlight Fantasy invites us into a very specific kind of neon-drenched solitude with "The Fire." Listening to this single feels like finding a warm spot in an otherwise cold, metallic room. This solo artist from Easley has built a dream-pop engine fueled by a driving rhythmic pulse that keeps you moving even when your brain wants to stall. It has a hypnotic, nocturnal weight...

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...