by Danny Wiser | Apr 23, 2022 | Reviews
Haunting, minimalist drone-folk may not sound like a barrel of laughs, but Katie Kim’s stunning voice and manipulation of sound makes the album worth pursuing… When reviewing music, it is important to recognise that we all have our musical predispositions...
by Danny Wiser | 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 Danny Wiser | Feb 14, 2022 | Reviews, Top Picks
This hope-infused record by Mgzavrebi is not to be ignored as it uses styles of the past whilst maintaining a current and modern feel… On the border of Asia and Europe lies Georgia. A nation with a rich culture that comes from both continents, as well as their...
by Danny Wiser | Feb 9, 2022 | Reviews
The Banban Bamboo Band demonstrate immense ingenuity on their beautiful bamboo-based bonanza… Plant life contributes to various parts of Vanuatuan culture, from the use of tree vines at Pentecost Island’s world-renowned land diving traditions, to the popularity...
by Danny Wiser | Jan 27, 2022 | Reviews
The brothers record centuries of inherited musical wisdom on this pleasant kora album… A trend one might expect to find when searching for the best albums from every country in the world is that it would be challenging to find many good ones recorded in the...
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 Danny Wiser | Jan 19, 2022 | Reviews
A preservation of Tonga’s beautiful music culture never felt so apt… There is nothing written about The Kingdom of Tonga Cultural Group online. No information about who they are or why this album was recorded. Attached to the album is only the year of...
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 Danny Wiser | Dec 30, 2021 | Reviews
An ancient tradition performed with panache, ladles of real human emotion, and historical rigour – the Rustavi Choir prove why its worth preserving… Some of the most enchanting music traditions are indeed some of the oldest. Those whose origin story lie...
by Danny Wiser | 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 Danny Wiser | Nov 11, 2021 | Reviews
True musical revolutionaries are few and far between, so put your headphones in, shut your eyes, and marvel in the beauty and tragedy of Víctor Jara’s struggle… In the 21st century, the 11th of September has great significance as a date across the Western...
by Danny Wiser | Oct 30, 2021 | Reviews
The Faruma Boduberu Group have made an important album that one day may sadly serve as a legacy of this great tradition from this noble nation… When this project started, there were fears about finding albums from various countries. On some level, we never truly...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 30, 2021 | Reviews
A master of his craft, Kong Nay’s work serves as a vital piece of cultural preservation that can hopefully inspire a next generation… Throughout this deep dive into the music culture of each nation on the planet, we realise that most countries’ music scene...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 22, 2021 | Reviews
The Junaro siblings come together and unite their talents in full force, combining the best of what they have to offer… Over the course of this musical odyssey we have seen various family units come together to produce some brilliant pieces of music. From...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 18, 2021 | Reviews
Icons in their own right, known primarily for their show-stopping live act, Les Maitres-Tambours du Burundi struggle to transfer their palpable stage presence to the album format… The Maitres-Tambours du Burundi (or the Master Drummers of Burundi in English,...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 7, 2021 | Reviews
The father and sons combo that form Trio Chemirani create a deeply spriritual sound, accessible for all humankind… When this project to listen to and review music from every country in the world begun, one driving force behind it was to test out whether the...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 27, 2021 | Reviews
Cecile Kayirebwa’s prophetic message of unity released during the genocide of 1994 includes sounds and rhythms that may remind you of another part of the globe… Despite music often being a source for good and for change, it is hard to quantify what impact,...
by Danny Wiser | 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 Danny Wiser | Jun 27, 2021 | Reviews
Feminist pop that pays tribute to some of Chile’s greatest figures, Pascuala Ilabaca’s work is thoughtful as well as entertaining… In Europe there exists a perception that it is the continent that has produced the most important and best masters of...
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 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 Danny Wiser | May 16, 2021 | Reviews
Stories of life’s everyday happenings are sung with amazing instrumentation behind them in a wonderful crossover of genres… One of the joys of this journey around the globe’s different music cultures is that we have of course discovered a myriad of musical...
by Danny Wiser | May 2, 2021 | Reviews
A message of cultural unity and care for the environment – can the Madagascar All Stars get it across?… The concept of the musical supergroup is one that, in the West, is fondly held in principle but is rarely met with much critical acclaim in practice....
by Danny Wiser | Apr 12, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Oryema tackles the difficult theme of being exiled from one’s homeland using the emotions from his personal hardship to guide him through this powerful masterpiece… When one ponders the term ‘exile’, it often evokes images of deposed leaders, such as...
by Joel Dwek | Apr 2, 2021 | Reviews
Breaking through boundaries in multiple senses, the Zimbabwean musician and singer shines a light on feminist issues in her native country Whatever else you may think about Hope Masike’s 2019 album, it is undeniable that it has a very mysterious and evocative title....
by Joel Dwek | Mar 7, 2021 | Reviews
Challenging the stereotypes of their nation, Staritsa have made a folk-electro album with a mission statement… Folk fusion can be a tricky genre to pull off. Folk music, depending on the country of course, can have an image as a stuffy and old-fashioned genre...
by Joel Dwek | Mar 4, 2021 | Reviews
A superb collaboration between Auli & Tautumeitas that elevates the bagpipes from an object of derision to showcase a stunning sounding instrument… The humble bagpipe is often mocked and maligned in the UK and the USA. It is popular in Scotland as its...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 19, 2021 | Reviews
Perfectly pleasant Pacific pop tunes are the order of the day with these Cook Island music specialists… Though their name may suggest to outsiders and people unfamiliar with the myriad of different nations, territories and islands that comprise the Oceanic...
by Danny Wiser | Jan 26, 2021 | Interviews
Stef Conner is a self-proclaimed dead language enthusiast, as well as a musician and singer whose passion had led her to some unique avenues of exploration; she sat down with us to speak about her latest Anglo-Saxon album and much more… “We’re dealing with...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 17, 2021 | Reviews
Machado’s powerful voice shines in this celebration of Afro-Venezuelan culture… Before we start reviewing the album properly, we must address the earworm in the room. The song Oh, Santa Rosa will be stuck in your head for hours and hours, possibly days and...
by Joel Dwek | Dec 25, 2020 | Reviews
A celebration of the kora and Gambian music in general, Jobarteh manages to keep true to tradition while also managing to adapt the music for the times… The Gambia is mainland Africa’s smallest nation. Shaped snake-like, as if acting as a buffer for the Gambia...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 23, 2020 | Advent Calendar
CHILE: Doña María Le Ruego – Víctor Jara… This Christmas song by Víctor Jara is, unusually for a communist, very religious in its tone. Yet, there are parallels between his communist ideology and his lapsed Catholicism that can be drawn from the lyrics of...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 21, 2020 | Reviews
Perhaps the very definition of a problematic favourite, Let The People Sing poses the difficult question of whether an album can be loved despite its complicated and often reprehensible politics… Ahead of writing this review I have been tossing and turning in my...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 20, 2020 | Advent Calendar
PANAMA: 20 De Diciembre – Rubén Blades… Panamanian salsa superstar Rubén Blades, tackled the difficult subject of the US invasion of his home nation that took place five days before Christmas in 1989. The song, unlike much of his more upbeat work, is a...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 16, 2020 | Advent Calendar
EGYPT: Eporro – George Sadak… Though this Coptic Christmas hymn might not sound so traditional to its Western listeners, the song is in fact a part of the festive celebrations in Egypt, where the majority of Copts live. Collaborating with Chicagoan Celtic...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 13, 2020 | Reviews
Andean prog-rock fusion with an interesting sound and an important message… Having not experienced an immediate visceral and emotional connection with this album when I had first listened to it, I was nevertheless intrigued by a style that I had never previously...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 12, 2020 | Reviews
Almost two decades after initially planned, stars link-up to show off their musical talent, reminding us of the evident connection Cuba has to its African roots Arguably the best and certainly one of the most renowned world music albums comes from Cuba. In fact, Buena...
by Joel Dwek | Dec 10, 2020 | Reviews
On the surface, famed Angolan musician Bonga’s latest album is just a set of pleasant, melancholy tunes, but dig deeper and you’ll find profound themes and resonances… Recados de Fora, meaning ‘Messages from Outside’ in English, is the...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 9, 2020 | Reviews
Thought of as a utopia of tolerance, Mari Boine’s anger at the treatment of the Sámi people serves to uncover Scandinavia’s darkest secret… Listening to the first 19 seconds of this album, to the uninitiated, it might appear that Boine is rather...
by Danny Wiser | Nov 29, 2020 | Reviews
Dubbed the ‘ambassadors of Paraguayan music’, Los Tres Paraguayos certainly succeed in showcasing Paraguay’s most special instrument Like most nations in Latin America in the 20th century, Paraguay shared a political history marked by the continuous shift between...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 21, 2020 | Reviews
Easy, relaxed vibes pulsate through this collection of upbeat, jazzy tunes… Two things set off warning signs within me when I was given this album to review. First off the bat was the fact that on the album cover of Infinite Rhythm, Abbos Kosimov himself is...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 18, 2020 | Reviews
An ambitious, if not entirely successful set of Latin-Balkan fusion tunes by Churupaca that alternately delights and frustrates… Most often here at NoiseNomad we review things we like, but occasionally I find myself having to review an album I don’t know if I...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 9, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
Gurrumul is a masterpiece of the highest order that evokes plenty of emotion and highlights the importance of preserving Aboriginal culture… About two weeks before I began writing the review for Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s debut solo album Gurrumul, I saw an...
by Danny Wiser | Oct 18, 2020 | Reviews
The cultural heritage of the Mongolian people is on display in Egschiglen’s album of traditional music of the steppe… Danny: I have never been more nervous about writing a review. Partially because, unlike with most albums one might not like because the...
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 4, 2020 | Reviews
Ghana’s very own Bizung talking drum chief Mohammed Alidu flexes his drum tapping fingers, as well as his songwriting chops in this fusion album… Mohammed Alidu’s music is particularly interesting because of his musical heritage, one I confess I knew...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 14, 2020 | Reviews
Gentle Nepali folk music sung very well by vocalist Navneet Aditya Waiba. But is there more behind the recording of this album…? When I first gave this a listen, I found the most striking thing about Ama Lai Shraddhanjali by Navneet Aditya Waiba is Waiba’s voice...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 8, 2020 | Reviews
A celebration of world music, Our World In Song takes inspiration from many sources and reinterprets it in a Chinese folk style… What is world music when you really think about it? In some ways it is undefinable and intangible, and it often finds itself used as...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 23, 2020 | Reviews
Fun and upbeat, Benin International Musical have made an album that brings Beninese culture to the forefront… Upon listening to BIM #1 for the first time with my uneducated Western ears, it seemed to me to be a straightforward Afrobeats (also known as Afro-Pop,...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 13, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
Joyous and melancholy, hopeful and cautious, Vusi Mahlasela’s masterful lyrical and musical ability make for an especially wonderful album… Music has an uncanny ability to evoke an emotion, and the emotion I associate with Vusi Mahlasela’s excellent 1992...
by Danny Wiser | Jul 5, 2020 | Reviews
One can understand why ex-Talking Heads front man David Byrne wanted to showcase Susana Baca’s work after listening to this painfully poetic album in which Africa meets the Andes… I recently heard a quote from American civil rights activist Maya Angelou...
