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...

Right, so, Sleeping Together. Manchester and Liverpool's own four-piece purveyors of… what was it again? Oh yeah, energetic indie rock. "The Essentials," their new single, dropped recently and I think it contains atoms. You know, like everything else. Except maybe thoughts. Are thoughts atoms? My cat doesn't think so. He thinks thoughts are made of tuna. https://open.spotify.com/track/67VYZmYQDqQsOeSbbnmNO3?si=c305f9979ce44321 Anyway, "The Essentials." This tune is all about a...