Well now, here’s The Flying Beets with their single "I See Through You," and it lands with the distinct thud of knowing something you almost wish you didn't. Singer/guitarist Nathan Waller, flanked by David Cross on bass and Steven Clements on drums, crafts an alt-rock sound here that feels less like soaring rebellion and more like pacing anxiously in a beautifully furnished, yet soundproof,...

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...