Some records do more than ask for your attention; they sit down right next to you, hand you a tissue, and wait for you to stop pretending everything is fine. Light Bird's debut album 'See Her' is exactly that kind of record. Released a few years after singer and songwriter Danni Hoshino came out as a trans woman, this eleven-track collection hits like a late-night...

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...