by Danny Wiser | Oct 16, 2020 | Reviews
Amazing mood music, but listen closely and This Is for the White in Your Eyes will soon reveal cracks… It is not often that I am left with such contrasting feelings about an album after returning to it for the first time in a while. Yet, This Is For The White In...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 15, 2020 | Reviews
Zorba The Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis collaborates with Grigoris Bithikotsis and Meri Lida, two singers of different styles to form a delightful Greek folk album… While the music of Grigoris Bithikotsis and Meri Lida might make one think of gyros, kleftiko,...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 2, 2020 | Reviews
Inventive electronic music that combines ambient, funk, rock, and so much more, beluga stone consistently surprise in this eclectic effort… Poland, as a country, is perhaps most famous in the music world for producing the famed pianist and composer Frédéric...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 1, 2020 | Reviews
Indie rockers with a French twist; look out for the track that features one of the British rock icons of our time… Illusion et Imparfait by the French indie rock band the Dandies is a pretty great album, but before we get into the nitty gritty of the album, I...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 27, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
If Golden Earring were from the UK or the US they would have reached legendary status and this album would be seen as one of the great rock albums of all time – here is why… I have always been someone who chooses to avoid labelling myself as a rock fan....
by Joel Dwek | Sep 18, 2020 | Reviews
We delve into the world of chanson music, with this strange yet compellingly mysterious and melancholic effort from Monegasque poet and musician Léo Ferré… Léo Ferré deserves one accolade despite anything else I might say about this album – this is hands...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 17, 2020 | Reviews
Jewish klezmer played by a Roma band, this musical confluence allows us a window into a lost world of Eastern European cultural symbiosis… Whilst I cannot claim to be a film buff like Joel can, whose film reviews you can check out here, I do of course enjoy...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 16, 2020 | Reviews
In this moody and contemplative album, Neapolitan singer-songwriter Enzo Gragnaniello cuts to the heart of what makes Italy tick… If you’ve been an active reader of NoiseNomad, you may have noticed the spectrum of Italian artists that we have reviewed so far,...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 13, 2020 | Interviews
We sat down with Slovenian electronic music producers JK Soul and Zoran Savin to discuss their career so far and their affinity for the soul genre… “It was a clear statement that JK Soul is getting back to the soul – in the soul of his soul, and the soul...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 11, 2020 | Reviews
Kick back and relax with this slow paced cover album that explores a wide range of genres all the way from blues to folk… When discussing records between the two of us that we review on NoiseNomad, we have on several occasions found ourselves discussing the...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 8, 2020 | Reviews
This album of vibrant jazz-pop fusion from the former Yugoslavia impresses with its gusto and energy… The jazz rock stylings of Croatian keyboardist Tihomir Asanovic are not necessarily what one would expect to come out of what was then communist Yugoslavia, but...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 30, 2020 | Reviews
This electronic album, whilst fun and upbeat, could also be enjoyed as Nicola Cruz’s ethnographic tour of the spiritual hotspots of planet Earth… The Andes as a region is famed for its indigenous people’s spiritual cosmology and their belief in the sacred...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 27, 2020 | Reviews
Whilst this Bavarian album doesn’t encourage Schuhplattler dancing, The Poets of Rhythm’s fabulous funky beats forces its listeners to get down and boogie… If I did not know that this band was German, I would never have guessed it. So completely have...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 25, 2020 | Reviews
Aggressive, punky beats and passionate lyrics are Karima 2G’s forte – but what can she tell us about the state of Italy today…? Italy is a country that I love. I’ve been lucky enough to spend time there both on holiday, as an exchange student with a...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 18, 2020 | Reviews
Ambient soundscapes mixed in alongside Indian and Arabic influences, Zahed Sultan’s album provides a chilled out and relaxed listening experience that draws from his cultural heritage… Zahed Sultan is a London-based multi-media artist of Kuwaiti and Indian...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 11, 2020 | Reviews
Moving on from his pop rock days, Cesare Cremonini’s sophomore effort is a sophisticated pop album with an arty and classical edge… Cesare Cremonini first came to prominence in Italy with the release of 1999’s …squérez?, the first and only album released...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 7, 2020 | Reviews
What novelty pop-rappers JVG lack in musical talent, they make up for high energy and a sense of humour… Joel Pop-rap isn’t a genre I usually get along well with. It’s not always terrible, but when I like rap it’s usually on the more serious and experimental...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 3, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
An album full of hits that celebrates the freedom of the post-dictatorship era… When I first listened to Nacha Pop’s El Momento, I thought it was middle-of-the-road cheesy 80s pop rock. To some extent I was right. However, amid our discussions of albums that...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 1, 2020 | Reviews
By merging classical music with pop, talented tenor Bocelli brings opera to the masses with his striking singing… Whether you are into rap or techno, it is unlikely that in your years on this planet you have not come across the incredible voice of Andrea...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 31, 2020 | Reviews
A truly timeless piece, famed electro synth-pop outfit Kraftwerk perfectly parody the doomed human dependence on materialism in the past, present and future… Never have I heard an album that is so of its time in some regards yet so ahead of its time in others....
by Joel Dwek | Jul 30, 2020 | Reviews
Aggressive and authentic, satirical and political themes are hidden under Dubioza Kolektiv’s mix of genres… It took me a bit of effort to attune to Dubioza Kolektiv’s eclectic, satirical and unusual style, but once I did, I found much to enjoy in this...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 28, 2020 | Reviews
It’s perfectly acceptable bubblegum pop, but can the success of Russian girl band Blestyashchiye tell us anything about the influence of Western culture in modern Russia?… Some of the artists we speak about on here contain multitudes, either in their music...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 25, 2020 | Reviews
The King of Apocalyptical Cabaret serves up an interesting and entertaining album where he mixes Balkan music with wider influences… During this process of finding music from all around the world, Danny and I have come across some alternately brilliant and...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 22, 2020 | Reviews
Simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic, Norwegian DJ Todd Terje harks back to sounds of the past and makes them relevant for a modern audience… Whilst watching Asif Kapadia’s stunning 2019 documentary film Diego Maradona, I was struck by a dance track that I...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 18, 2020 | Reviews
By turns haunting and evocative, Vangelis’ inspirational soundtrack is more iconic than the film in which it features, and rightly so… The soundtrack for Chariots of Fire was seen as such a masterpiece that it won Vangelis, Greece’s electronica...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 17, 2020 | Reviews
Far from being a rip-off of the soul greats, Ben L’Oncle Soul proves his worth as an authentic soul singer… Soul is a genre that I like a lot, but as an area of expertise, it’s more Danny’s area than mine. I love Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Aretha...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 14, 2020 | Reviews
Italian rock god Vasco Rossi proves that great rock music can be just as much down to its energy and style than virtuoso musical talent… When a voice paints a picture it can often be a beautiful thing. In previous albums that have been reviewed on this site,...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 10, 2020 | Reviews
Furiously fast-paced and fun, Iag Bari is a perfect showcase of the Romanian band’s excellent musical talents… The opening two songs of Iag Bari, the third album by the seminal Balkan brass band Fanfare Ciocărlia, are deceptively slow and melancholy. The...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 8, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
Lamomali, a Malian-French collaboration, shows that traditional music can be incorporated into modern pop in a manner that breathes new life into the genre of world music… I have started to come around to the notion that the term ‘world music’ is, for the most...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 7, 2020 | Reviews
La Pegatina showcase their musical talent on an album that is infectiously upbeat and fun… La Pegatina are a band based in Barcelona that combine ska with Catalan rumba, and it’s a surprisingly effective fusion of genres. Catalan rumba itself is a fusion genre,...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 6, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
Sigur Rós have crafted an artistic masterpiece that at moments transcends reality with its truly unique sound… Labelling something as ‘art’ does not bother me, so long as the subject in question demonstrates an element of creative expression and imagination by...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 3, 2020 | Reviews
Hugely listenable and emotionally genuine, Damien Rice offers up a satisfying set of songs about sadness and love… O, Damien Rice’s debut album from 2002, mines a very traditional idea for inspiration, that of heartbreak, sadness, melancholy. What he may lack in...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 2, 2020 | Reviews
Though created for use in the Werner Herzog film of the same name, Popol Vuh have managed to create an ambient soundtrack that works without knowledge of the film… Danny: Unlike many film soundtracks, Aguirre genuinely holds up to the test as a standalone album...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 29, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
Despite being an album in two parts with distinct styles, Parov Stelar’s The Princess is an exceptionally consistent, coherent and entertaining album with a lot to offer… We’re cheating a bit here – this is two albums for the price of one (review). That may be,...
by Danny Wiser | Jun 4, 2020 | Reviews
The Belgian jazz star proves that the harmonica is more than just a toy, it’s an instrument to be taken seriously… Where to begin when discussing the humble harmonica? Often seen as the butt of a joke within the world of musical instruments due to its...
