‘Belaya Polosa’ Expands Molchat Doma’s Industrial Palette
Belaya Polosa is full of Molchat Doma’s most complex and overtly human music, organically integrated into their melancholy post-punk atmosphere.
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.
Moira Smiley Calls for Peace and Community on ‘The Rhizome Project’
It would be unfair to put Moira Smiley’s work in a single box, but it seems fitting to note how fully she embodies the core ideals of contemporary folk music.
Nicole Mitchell and Ballaké Sissoko Explore Their Connections
Bamako is the truest kind of jazz, all about movement and communication, and Nicole Mitchell and Ballaké Sissoko make for an expert team at the helm.
Ugandan Master Storyteller Ekuka Morris Sirikiti Is Spellbinding
Ekuka Morris Sirikiti’s work reminds us that he and his traditions are very much still here, not artifacts of old media but flesh and blood, spirit and sound.
Rare África Negra Tracks Come to Light on ‘Antologia Vol. 2’
África Negra always were and still are a gem of a band and one deserving of a multi-volume set of reissues: the more of them, the better.
Nigeria’s Yemi Alade Is Dauntless on ‘Rebel Queen’
Yemi Alade takes the nebulous concept of Afropop from cheap copout to something far more powerful and interesting: a sonic indexing of widespread community.
Okaidja Afroso Nurtures Living Tradition on Acoustic ‘Àbòr Édín’
Okaidja Afroso’s Àbòr Édín delivers a genuinely seamless blend of different styles and unplugged sounds, with each track dense with color and meaning.
KOKOKO! Electrify on the Intensely Innovative ‘Butu’
KOKOKO!’s Butu is full of heat and movement, from the traffic sounds that start the opening track “Butu Ezo Ya” to the final claps of razor-sharp “Salaka Bien”.
Hermanos Gutiérrez Explore the Final Frontier on ‘Sonido Cósmico’
In Sonido Cósmico, Hermanos Gutiérrez take to the stars, evoking the open spaces of an imagined Wild West and the even greater mystique of the final frontier.
Forest Law Debut ‘Zero’ Has Worldly Finesse
At the center of Forest Law’s Zero is his versatile guitar work, through which he variously evokes bossa nova, classic funk, and psychedelic folk.
L’étrangleuse Find Artful Balance with ‘Ambiance Argile’
L’étrangleuse’s music draws from all sides of the Mediterranean and beyond, creating something new and categorically nebulous in a way that works well.
The Zawose Queens Shine on Their Triumphant Debut ‘Maisha’
The Zawose Queens’ Maisha is a triumph, an endlessly satisfying assemblage of textures and timbres embodying a bold sonic spectrum of traditions.