by Joel Dwek | Jun 29, 2022 | Interviews
One of the most successful acts to come out of the Real World Records label, Afro Celt Sound System have made musical fusion, inter-cultural exchange, and sonic innovation their hallmarks. We spoke with band members Simon Emmerson, N’Faly Kouyaté, and Johnny...
by Joel Dwek | May 23, 2022 | Uncategorized
As we reach our 200th nation from which we have reviewed an album, we take a moment to pause and look at where we have got to thus far. When we started our descent into insanity, taking on the mission to search for and write about an album from each nation back in...
by Joel Dwek | May 8, 2022 | Reviews
By creating original pop songs with a traditional flair, The Sakishima Meeting have managed to innovate while preserving culture… It can be easy to fall into the trap of seeing countries as culturally homogenous within themselves, when that is rarely, if ever,...
by Joel Dwek | May 7, 2022 | Reviews
Tackling a number of genres through the lens of hip-hop instrumentals, this album lives up to its title… On his Spotify page, Azerbaijani musician Akshin Alizadeh describes himself as a “music hobbyist” who makes music “occasionally just for fun and not for...
by Joel Dwek | May 5, 2022 | Reviews
From traditional roots reggae to afrobeat to sweet ballads, Alpha Blondy’s peace-seeking album has it all… When we think of visionaries for peace, our minds are often drawn to figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela whose ideas fortunately got to...
by Joel Dwek | May 3, 2022 | Reviews
This fusion album reinterprets Turkish folk music through the lens of modern funk as well as the 1970s Turkish rock scene… Based in the Netherlands and comprising of Turkish and Dutch members, Altin Gün (translating to Golden Day from Turkish) have an...
by Joel Dwek | May 2, 2022 | Reviews, Top Picks
One of the most iconic records of all time, the multi-talented Wonder manages to pack complex and poetic lyricism alongside intricate and catchy music… At the start of this project, the lyric “music is a world within itself with a language we all understand”...
by Joel Dwek | Apr 24, 2022 | Reviews
The oud pioneer manages to create a soft and smooth album of intricately constructed genre-bending melodies… The oud has a long history in the music of North Africa and the Middle East. We have reviewed albums of oud music from Arabian Peninsula nations like...
by Joel Dwek | Apr 21, 2022 | Reviews
An unusual combination has once again born fruitful results with Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band’s Caribbean sounds merging with a wide range of genres… We have been working on this project and this website for a long time now. We’re coming up to two years...
by Joel Dwek | Apr 19, 2022 | Reviews
Serbian new romantic music with funky inflections makes for highly entertaining listening Examining music from around the world is always an interesting process for us, but often when looking for music from dictatorships, it can become more interesting due to there...
by Joel Dwek | Apr 18, 2022 | Reviews, Top Picks
After two years of honouring musical delights from across the globe, we don’t have to search hard in our home nation to find a gem of our own… If one decided to try to pick objectively the best artist from any largely-populated nation, one would inevitably...
by Joel Dwek | Apr 5, 2022 | Interviews
Germany’s premier Balkan-jazz-funk-afrobeat-dub-reggae-Arabic-klezmer-folk-electro band Äl Jawala are not known for being easily categorised. Their esoteric back catalogue makes them a curious case, so we decided to sit down with percussionist Markus Schumacher and...
by Joel Dwek | Mar 21, 2022 | Interviews
On the 15th of February 2022, we got in touch with Dnipro-based band Kimnata Grethen for a chat which we finalised eight days later on the 23rd February. The following day, Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. Having assumed the interview was cancelled, we got in touch...
by Joel Dwek | Mar 5, 2022 | Reviews
Repurposing surf rock for the modern day alongside a host of other styles, Hungarian outfit Fran Palermo burst with exuberant energy and verve… Fran Palermo is not an Italian musician as I had initially assumed when I first listened to this, but rather a band...
by Joel Dwek | Mar 3, 2022 | Reviews
Electronic music with several twists, this album takes the listener on a journey into the diverse musical stylings of its creators… Portuguese musician Benjamim and British electronic music producer Barnaby Keen look determined on the cover art of their 2017...
by Joel Dwek | Mar 2, 2022 | Reviews
This album of good Arabic pop songs may provide an easy entry point into the wider world of this rich genre… When I first listened to Libyan musician Salah Ghaly’s 2013 album Aghany El Thawra El Libeya, I enjoyed it, and it seemed to me like Ghaly was a...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 28, 2022 | Reviews, Top Picks
This behemoth rap record masterfully combines a whole range of genres into hip-hop, while retaining a firm worldview Events, dear boy. That phrase is British prime minister Harold Macmillan’s most well-known saying, and maybe the most succinct way to describe what it...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 24, 2022 | Interviews
Throughout our time researching music from around the world, one region remained something of a mystery to us – the Pacific Islands. Though we had listened to several albums of both traditional and modern music, the area was still enigmatic. To help us understand more...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 20, 2022 | Reviews
Adapting the music of West Africa’s griots for the modern day can be a challenge, but Noura Mint Seymali proves herself worthy Like many artists we cover, Mauritanian griot Noura Mint Seymali comes from a line of well-respected musicians. In fact, for those of...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 18, 2022 | Reviews
Border-defying desert blues by way of Syria, Israel, and Europe is how this stateless rock duo express their musical free spirit… As a music review site based around covering all countries and as many territories as possible, our review of TootArd’s Laissez...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 16, 2022 | Reviews
Liberia’s only funk rock band Kapingbdi dazzle on this album which remained hidden away for decades… During the course searching for a studio album from each country, Liberia began to achieve a reputation between us at NoiseNomad for being something of a...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 15, 2022 | Reviews
Hard-hitting political rap music is the order of the day with these Arabic-language hip-hop pioneers When reviewing an album as political as Dabke On The Moon by DAM, we try not to take sides. However, as two Jews with family in Israel and a close personal connection...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 5, 2022 | Reviews
Crowd-pleasing electronic music with an experimental edge that makes it a cut above the average… Caribou is the stage name of Canadian electronic musician Dan Snaith, who has also recorded under the pseudonyms of Daphni and Manitoba, the latter he dropped as an...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 3, 2022 | Reviews
Returning to a genre he helped inspire, Henri Salvador serenades the listener with charming bossa nova-inspired chanson… If I were to ask you what is France’s longest land border, what would you answer? Germany, maybe? No, surely it’s Spain, with that long...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 1, 2022 | Reviews
Breezy jazz-pop allows Slovenian singer Nana Milčinski to pay tribute to her famous grandfather… The arts can often be a family affair, with there being many famous families of writers, actors, and, of course, musicians. On this very site we’ve covered musical...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 31, 2022 | Reviews
Taking reggae and blending it with blues, R&B, and rock’n’roll, Jamaican icons Toots and the Maytals are at their best on this resplendent album… I have always considered myself a person with adventurous film tastes, though I am aware that saying...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 30, 2022 | Interviews
To mark two decades after the release of the first 1 Giant Leap film and album, we spoke to co-creator of the project Jamie Catto, filmmaker, musician, and author, to discuss the effort that went into making 1 Giant Leap, its considerable legacy, as well as Catto’s...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 23, 2022 | Reviews
Adopting and adapting a number of African and European styles into pop, Calema manage to keep true to their roots while retaining global appeal… Being a former Portuguese colony, it is no surprise that São Tomé and Príncipe has many Portuguese elements within...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 21, 2022 | Reviews
Pleasant guitar pop with a bit of an edge, Polache’s debut album shows us why he is well regarded in his home nation… To most Western music fans, the popular Latin music that they will probably know best is from the United States. The genre in question is...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 20, 2022 | Reviews
On this solo record, the Eritrean vocalist Faytinga proudly sings the songs of her people… We try to be as positive as possible on this site. I think, on some level, this is a by-product of having started this project in the first wave of the Coronavirus...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 18, 2022 | Reviews
Highlighting an ancient musical form and fusing it with modern sounds, Ghanaian four-piece Alostmen take the kologo into the 21st Century… Africa is a continent of myriad musical traditions. One of the most interesting parts of this project has been exploring...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 7, 2022 | Reviews
Redefining the genre with a unique tenderness, Popcaan’s debut album deservedly launched him into the global public conciousness… For most people, one’s teenage years are instrumental in forming and developing one’s own music taste, as it is an...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 6, 2022 | Reviews
Putting his own spin on both electronic music and the folk traditions of Niger, Hama has created an singular album that is all his own Niger is often associated musically with the tishoumaren scene (also known as desert blues) that has grown popular especially in the...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 5, 2022 | Reviews
Part of a new generation of Lao pop star, Jojo Miracle entertains on his fun debut album… Hailing from the Southeast Asian state of Laos, Jojo Miracle is part of a new wave of Lao pop music. Laos has a long history of traditional music forms, but Lao pop as we...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 2, 2022 | Reviews
Containing a variety of rock genres within, Juan Karlos’ debut album shatters the child star image of its lead singer and songwriter with style… It may come as surprise to some of you reading this article without a knowledge of the Filipino music scene...
by Joel Dwek | Dec 29, 2021 | Reviews
Afro-Cuban music inspired pianist Kishon Khan as a young man, and the result is this epic album of Latin-South Asian fusion… While the music is always the most important part of an album, there are certain extraneous details that can be important as well. Things...
by Joel Dwek | Dec 28, 2021 | Interviews
Six years on from their previous release, and despite being hampered by the pandemic, Tuvan folk-rockers Yat-Kha delighted fans earlier this year with the release of their most stripped back album to date, We Will Never Die. Fortunate enough to be joined by lead...
by Joel Dwek | Dec 27, 2021 | Reviews
Despite questions about the album’s quality, Micronesian musician Ozeky teaches us a deeper lesson about how artists should not pay too much attention to the opinion of critics… Danny: When this journey to discover the best album we could from every...
by Joel Dwek | Dec 5, 2021 | Reviews
Taking the oud and the music of the Middle East and fusing it with Western genres, Charbel Rouhana has formed an album that is accessible while also intricate… Lebanese oudist Charbel Rouhana’s album Sourat – Trait D’Union is an entertaining modern take on...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 30, 2021 | Reviews
A fascinating mix of poetry and music, Lesego Rampolokeng’s sharp writing entertains and provokes in equal measure… To the uninitiated (such as myself, a few minutes before starting my research for this review), this album has a few surprises. Lesego...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 25, 2021 | Interviews
Known for its great warriors, wordsmiths and wise men, the legacy of Ancient Greece lives on in every aspect of modern society; breathing the energy of this era into song, singer and percussionist Katerina Papadopoulou joins us to discuss her journey in creating an...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 15, 2021 | Reviews
Enjoyable pop with some interesting flourishes, yet Šako Polumenta’s music does not stand out from the crowd… The European region of the Balkans has a truly fascinating history and an extremely rich musical heritage. Whether it’s the brass band music...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 14, 2021 | Reviews
Guitar virtuoso Jukka Tolonen is at his best on this album which not only shows off his skills, but his ear for interesting combinations of sound… Finnish jazz guitarist Jukka Tolonen has had a life of ups and downs, to put it very mildly. Starting his career in...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 13, 2021 | Reviews
A passable record with some fun tunes, Salah Al-Zadjali’s effort may entertain some and leave others unenthused… Joel: Where to start with this album, really. Or, indeed, where not to. It’s fine. I can’t get too excited about it. It’s perfectly listenable,...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 9, 2021 | Reviews
Mozambican traditional sounds meet the modern world in Deltino Guerreiro’s vibrant and wonderfully ambitious debut album… Usually, the albums I pick as ‘albums of the week’ are ones that I find myself compulsively relistening to over and over...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 31, 2021 | Reviews
Soca from one of the world’s smallest countries – but is it up to scratch…? Joel: Going into this project, while I liked calypso music, I was not a huge fan of soca music. Over a year later, and though I would not say it’s my favourite genre, I have...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 29, 2021 | Reviews
From piano ballads to synth pop, Italian duo Colapesce & Dimartino manage to impress in an expansive album… In the sphere of culture, Italy has had a titanic influence in many areas, even if one discounts the Renaissance era. Federico Fellini and Roberto...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 27, 2021 | Interviews
In the summer of 2021, we sat down to chat with fusion music pioneer Ashwin Batish to discuss his musical life in three continents, his academic legacy, as well as the key musical influences in and outside of his family… “The idea of getting better and learning...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 27, 2021 | Reviews
Soul Detergent is well-made indie rock, with psychedelic influences. Or is it something more?… Though rock music is a foundational genre for me – I wouldn’t be writing this if, on a bus journey on a school trip to Spain, a friend hadn’t played me The Beatles on...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 26, 2021 | Reviews
Indie, ambient, funk, electro, Kuwaiti band Galaxy Juice try to tie them all together in an ambitious album rich with interesting flourishes… Occasionally, one comes across a truly unclassifiable album. While it is nice to dig into a record that gives you more...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 17, 2021 | Reviews
Fondo Flamenco stand on the shoulders of giants as they try to take flamenco into a new era… In 1979, a revolution happened in the world of Spanish music, where the once staid and old-fashioned genre of flamenco was revitalised, causing controversy along the...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 16, 2021 | Reviews
The Polynesian pair perform palatable Pacific pop… Joel: Tuvalu, the 4th smallest country in the world, with a population of only around 10,000 people, we had imagined would prove to be a challenge in finding an album, though we were undeterred after having...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 15, 2021 | Reviews
Taking Greek-language pop music and adding interesting elements, Cypriot singer Konstantina’s voice shines through on a solid album… Cypriot musician and singer Konstantina released her album Tha Fygo Me Tous Filous Mou Gia Kairo (roughly translating into...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 11, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Looking across the Atlantic for inspiration, the Swiss musician raputures and entrances her listeners with soft instrumentation and her beguiling voice… Though she may not sound it, Danit is from Switzerland. In fact, the album, which is sung mostly in Spanish...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 3, 2021 | Reviews
Colombia’s psychedelic cumbia maestros Bomba Estéreo serve up an album that is as interesting as it is entertaining… When the Netflix series Break It All, a history of rock in Latin America was released in December 2020, I was astounded by what I saw and...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 2, 2021 | Reviews
Is Trigon’s music navel-gazing nonsense or experimental genius? You decide… Joel: Look. I have to get this out of the way. I hated this album. I truly, truly despised it from beginning to end. I’ll get into why later, but first, some background. We try not...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 1, 2021 | Reviews
The ambitious Ecuadorian violinist takes on some of the most popular folk, tango, and classical pieces in Electroclásica, adding a modern twist… When updating a classic piece of music to the modern day, one always runs the risk of it not living up to the...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 28, 2021 | Reviews
By isolating exactly what makes the music of his homeland unique, Souleyman takes dabke into the 21st Century… Nobody sounds quite like Omar Souleyman. As the album cover of Wenu Wenu suggests, Souleyman is an imposing, distinctive figure, with a thick handlebar...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 26, 2021 | Interviews
Poet and frontman of the Welsh-language folk rock band Bob Delyn a’r’ Ebillion Twm Morys sat down with us to talk about the music of Brittany and Wales, the inspiration he takes from Welsh poetry and verse, the revival of Welsh culture and language, as...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 23, 2021 | Reviews
Indie rock with a pop sensibility, Peha manage to make their mark on Slovakian music The small European nation of Slovakia is well-known in the UK, where I am from, for its pilsener style beers, its mountains, as well as its history of being joined up with the Czech...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 22, 2021 | Reviews
Rap rock all’Italiana? If anyone will convince you of the genre, it’s Caparezza… Before this process, I used to be rather rigid in my tastes. I more or less only listened to The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, and AC/DC, with a few forays...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 21, 2021 | Reviews
Soul and funk with a world music flavour, the debut album by KG Omulo impresses musically but falls short lyrically… Soul is one of those genres that seems quintessentially American. Much like how reggae could only have come from the particular political and...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 17, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Latin jazz with some infectious drumbeats, percussionist Cándido shows off his immense talent and flair for fusion music… When I first listened to the album Beautiful by Cuban percussionist Cándido, who passed away last year at the grand old age of 99, the...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 4, 2021 | Reviews
Taking inspiration from the indie rockers of the past, Nemra manage to place Yerevan on the world map of rock… Hailing from sunny Armenia, rock band Nemra, clearly like to have fun with words. The title of their debut album is Mubla, which is album backwards,...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 3, 2021 | Reviews
The Anjolok brothers stay to true to their roots while adding a modern flavour to their debut album… Danny: Having recently watched the superb one-man show A Thousand Sons written and performed by Jamie Sefton, the theme of nuclear test detonations in the...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 2, 2021 | Reviews
Cementerio De Elefantes provide alternative rock with a few fun twists – but does it impress?… Listening to Larutanatural when sitting down in front of a blank Word document was a lovely surprise, even though it should not have been. Even though I had...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 31, 2021 | Reviews
A Toast to Life features Jewish music that veers from sincere ballads to danceable pop songs, all the while revelling in its essential and unabashed yiddishkeit… Coming from a (more or less) Modern Orthodox Jewish background, the type of Jewish pop music that...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 21, 2021 | Reviews
Kick back, relax, and maybe even dance along to some disco funk from a time in Somalia’s history where briefly musical creativity was allowed to flourish… Occasionally the history of a band intertwines with the history of a country or the world, and other...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 20, 2021 | Interviews
Electronic music trio Owanj, formed of Isla Greenwood, Jemal Toussaint, and Isaac Westmore, spoke to us about the development of their debut album, embracing diverse music cultures and connecting to their precious natural surroundings… “You can spend a whole...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 19, 2021 | Reviews
Taking the mantle from her father, the Azerbaijani vocalist and pianist uses her immense talents to put her own mark on the unique genre of jazz mugham… Like many of the musicians we have reviewed on this site, the Azerbaijani singer and jazz pianist Aziza...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 16, 2021 | Reviews
Dobet Gnahoré’s unorthodox musical education and fiery natural talent make for an album that mixes a wide range of African styles within a modern sensibility… When thinking about what to write for this review, I kept thinking back to a question I have...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 6, 2021 | Reviews
American styles sung in Nepali by a powerhouse vocalist in the form of Arthur Gunn, this is a debut album that makes you pay attention… Born in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, Dibesh Pokharel, later known professionally as Arthur Gunn, moved to the...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 5, 2021 | Reviews
Stereossauro’s electronic beats meet the passion and saudade of fado in this entertaining melange of an album… We don’t often consider the artwork of an album as necessarily integral to the album itself, though it often is. It is always some kind of...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 2, 2021 | Reviews
Keeping it in the family, the aunt and niece duo of Las Hijas Del Sol remind us of the culture of the persecuted Bubi people, whilst honouring their obvious Hispanic influences… You may not know much about the small African nation of Equatorial Guinea, but you...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 24, 2021 | Reviews
While LUNA features experimentalism combined with a fearless attitude, this album by plucky indie band from the Abode of Peace leaves one of us cold, the other enthusiastic… Danny: In the interest in being straight-up and honest, I will admit from the outset...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 22, 2021 | Reviews
Blurring the boundaries between tradition and progression, the Uzbek diva shows us her country by combining old songs with a new sound… When it comes to the field of acting, it is said that no actor is more than six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. When...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 21, 2021 | Reviews
The first and only solo studio album from one of Nicaragua’s proudest sons, Salvador Cardenal Barquero’s skill for catchy tunes and bittersweet lyricism are on full display… Hailing from the world’s most triangular country, Nicaragua,...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 20, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
The beloved Sudanese icon gives a masterclass in musical expression with an album that combines soulful vocals and musical fusion… Known affectionately as the King of Sudanese Jazz, Sharhabil Ahmed’s profile in his homeland of Sudan has been high ever since the...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 11, 2021 | Interviews
Band members Ashade Pearce, Jahson Gbassay Bull, and Reuben M. Koroma, all formerly displaced by the Sierra Leonean Civil War of the nineties, joined us to reflect upon their inspirational journey… “Music is the language of the soul, it touches the minds of...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 8, 2021 | Reviews
A complex but flawed piece of work, does the Spanish rap star manage to bring flamenco into the 21st Century? Over the course of listening to so much music from around the world, I have surprised myself at how little music I have totally disliked. Even in genres that...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 6, 2021 | Reviews
The Ukrainian DJ takes us on a magical mystery tour of his own, calling at Athens, Bucharest, and Chisinau… The idea of taking the listener on a journey through music is probably as old as music itself, with many concertos, operas, and symphonies all taking that...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 26, 2021 | Reviews
The smooth Swede goes back to his roots and reflects on his career in this somewhat transcendental album… Atelje is the pseudonym of Swedish musician and producer Dan Lissvik, who was once part of the successful electronic music duo, Studio. Lissvik was a key...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 24, 2021 | Reviews
Eclectic electro from innovative individuals, this is an album not to be ignored… John Wizards is the self-titled debut (and to date, only) album from this particular South Africa-based electronic music group. However, to simply call them an electronic music...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 22, 2021 | Reviews
When in the company of Malinda Jackson Parker, throw away all your preconceptions of what music should be – where we’re going we don’t need rules… The music of Congress-woman Malinda Jackson Parker can easily be dismissed, laughed off, not...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 20, 2021 | Reviews
Subgenres of rock galore – Bohemia Suburbana demonstrate their supreme talent… It has become a cliché among myself and Danny that whenever I listen to a rock album that was released after 1990, I always end up comparing it to the works of iconic American...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 11, 2021 | Reviews
Challenging beats and rhythms are the hallmark of Nídia’s experimental electro album… The sound of Não Fales Nela Que A Mentes will not be for everyone. As electronic albums go, it’s certainly on the more experimental end, and that is what makes it...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 9, 2021 | Reviews
This Latin jazz rock fusion piece is not only entertaining, but provides a fascinating look into the Filipino-American community in 1970s California Few artists can truly be labelled ahead of their time. Hannah Gadsby famously riffs on this on her stand-up special...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 7, 2021 | Reviews
A folk album with a lovely sentiment, Hüsnü Şenlendirici and Trio Chios aim to showcase the shared musical heritage of their two nations… One of the great joys of music is its ability to bring people together, despite other factors that may otherwise divide...
by Joel Dwek | May 27, 2021 | Reviews
One of Ethiopia’s biggest stars, Mahmoud Ahmed takes us on a journey through the uniquely Ethiopian genre of tizita… Some musicians seem destined for their careers. Though it is not true, as luck and circumstance play a huge role in determining who makes...
by Joel Dwek | May 26, 2021 | Reviews
Rowdy party music with a cynical edge, Russian rockers Leningrad hide a nihilistic message within their upbeat tunes… Russian ska punk rockers Leningrad certainly know how to make some noise. The album title translates to minced meat, and even before you’ve...
by Joel Dwek | May 25, 2021 | Reviews
Daði Freyr creates retro pop with a funky disco beat – it’s fun, but is it enough?… The day before I sat down to write this, Icelandic musician and knitwear enthusiast Daði Freyr and his band Gagnamagnið have just lost the Eurovision song contest....
by Joel Dwek | May 24, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Mahsa Vahdat’s sensuous vocals and gentle jazz combine with Iranian traditional music in a beautiful confluence of sounds… Many, though not all, of the musicians we feature as ‘Album of the Week’ tend to be famous, either worldwide, in the...
by Joel Dwek | May 24, 2021 | Interviews
Indigenous musician and rights campaigner Pura Fé sat down to speak with us about her music, her days touring festivals, indigenous communities and the challenges they face, as well as the successes they have achieved… “When you have many lineages, all that...
by Joel Dwek | May 14, 2021 | Reviews
The gulf state’s finest gifts us with a great introduction to khaliji music… Hailing from the United Arab Emirates, singer Mehad Hamad’s 2014 album Matredny Hdood is a very enjoyable set of tunes in the modern Arab pop style, inasmuch as it combines...
by Joel Dwek | May 11, 2021 | Reviews
A perfect blend of post-rock and indie-rock, Días de Septiembre’s self-titled record differs greatly from much other Latin rock… The genre of post-rock is one that is associated with cold, industrial soundscapes that are harsh on the ear occasionally but...
by Joel Dwek | May 10, 2021 | Reviews
Taking pleasant party vibes and mixing them up a bit, Barbadian musician Rupee reveals his strengths and his flaws… In his review for the John Travolta-led sci-fi box office bomb and critical failure Battlefield Earth (which, if you haven’t seen, is genuinely...
by Joel Dwek | Apr 30, 2021 | Reviews
Taking afro-soul to a new level, Faith Mussa’s idiosyncratic style and innovative form allows this album to surprise as well as entertain… Known as Malawi’s one-man electronic band, Faith Mussa’s style of mixing traditional African rhythms and beats with...
by Joel Dwek | Apr 29, 2021 | Interviews
The Grammy and Golden Globe-nominated producer, musician, and composer sat down to speak with us about his career in the field of world music fusion, the value of musicians in different cultures, and a very special gig in Senegal… “If I am working with somebody...
by Joel Dwek | Apr 28, 2021 | Reviews
Singing in his balladeering style, Kosovan pop maestro Sabri Fejzullahu manages to mix in traditional folk music with extraneous elements in a charming style… Balkan music has, so far, not disappointed during this musical odyssey, and the well-regarded Kosovan...
by Joel Dwek | Apr 26, 2021 | Reviews
The Moranbong Band’s state-sanctioned propaganda power pop meant to entertain the North Korean masses is interesting as both a document of contemporary North Korean culture and a collection of pleasant songs, yet its provenance remains mysterious and...
