The Vancouver sensation who is popularly known as Karina Morin in close circles has managed to do what Kärma Sounds does. The social statement of her latest single, “Getting Better,” is a melodic manifesto that radiates empathy and strength. Kärma Sounds, in partnership with Pranam "Chin" Injeti—a multi-award-winning producer—was able to collect and create a soundtrack that is immortalized by time itself. Injeti is a...

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...