Perila’s Ambient Debut Is a Waking Dream in Constant Motion
Perila creates uncanny worlds crackling with both elemental force and human ingenuity. How Much Time is a glowing debut worth a full and dedicated listening.
Adriane Pontecorvo
Adriane Pontecorvo is a native San Franciscan with a penchant for global beats. She is a music programmer for community radio station WFHB and studies ethnomusicology at Indiana University.
Avant-Garde Tuvan Group Yat-Kha Return with Stripped-Down Folk-Rock on ‘We Will Never Die’
It is immensely satisfying to hear new music from the ever-innovative minds of Yat-Kha. Even better, though, is the sheer quality of We Will Never Die.
Angélique Kidjo Continues to Shine with Timely ‘Mother Nature’
The common thread on Mother Nature is Angélique Kidjo’s energy, shining through in a voice that never seems to lose strength or agility.
Sunny Jain Keeps Community Alive Through Music and Image on ‘Phoenix Rise’
Making music in quarantine, isolated from bandmates and audiences, feels like the antithesis of everything Sunny Jain has done so far.
Yndi’s ‘Noir Brésil’ Is a Melancholy Electropop Fantasy
Noir Brésil stands out as a dynamic and borderline spiritual work of pop music and signals great things ahead for Yndi. The music feels extravagant and huge.
Jay Som and Palehound Join Forces As Bachelor on the Inventive ‘Doomin’ Sun’
Bachelor is a collaboration between Palehound’s Ellen Kempner and Jay Som’s Melina Duterte. On Doomin’ Sun, they join seamlessly and skillfully.
CHAI Embrace Full-body Synthpop Bliss on ‘Wink’
Japan’s CHAI tend toward high energy and irrepressible positivity, all with a satisfying rock edge. Wink opens not with a bang but with full-body synthpop bliss.
Ya Tseen Makes Socially Vital Indie Pop on ‘Indian Yard’
Ya Tseen’s vision on Indian Yard is expansive and yet feels fully realized. It’s hard to imagine an album covering more ground and still striking such a precise balance of cohesion and variety.
Kasai Allstars Breathe New Life Into the Congotronics Series
Black Ants sees the Kasai Allstars tap into a new dimension of vitality and points to refreshing new possibilities for the Congotronics series.
Satomimagae’s ‘Hanazono’ Is Full of Organic, Melancholy Folk
Like nature itself, Satomimagae’s Hanazono is by turns stormy and serene indie folk, as meditative as it is simmering with dormant, primal power.
Toumani Diabaté and the London Symphony Orchestra Make Dreamlike Sounds on ‘Kôrôlén’
The appeal of Toumani Diabaté’s Kôrôlén is manifold. It features some of Mali’s finest musicians working with one of the world’s most versatile orchestras.