The beat drops, and suddenly you are standing at the edge of a decision you cannot take back. That is the immediate, visceral pull of "Wide Open", the latest release from a group that knows exactly how to manipulate tension. It hits the ear not with a bang, but with a slow, deliberate pressure that wraps around you before you even realize you are caught....

Micah Rose-Trespeuch’s new album, "Coughing Up Blood," feels less like a listening experience and more like witnessing an urgent, almost involuntary act of transmutation. Rose-Trespeuch (piano, vocals), with Julien Baraness masterfully texturing the soundscapes and Gaetan Allard providing the often-fractured, sometimes thunderous pulse on drums, has crafted something akin to a diary written in volatile ink. One moment, you're amidst Chopin-esque piano runs that...