Ibibio Sound Machine Elevate Their Sound on ‘Pull the Rope’
Ibibio Sound Machine have gone from exciting transcontinental party upstarts to a soulful, sophisticated phenomenon. Pull the Rope is a refreshing new chapter.
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.
Jembaa Groove’s Jazzy Highlife Is Beautiful on ‘Ye Ankasa’
Berlin’s Jembaa Groove tap into the sonic palettes of African and diasporic forms like highlife and jazz to create a truly elevated work of art.
Arthur Melo’s ‘Mirantes Emocionais’ Is Much More Than Vintage Vibes
Even at this young age, Arthur Melo has a careful hand and a grasp on what’s timely as he crafts dreamy new música popular brasileira on his luscious new LP.
Emel Keeps Her Electropop Revolution Strong on ‘MRA’
Tunisian artist Emel’s MRA is what contemporary pop should be: a true and socially conscious mélange that makes its audiences want to listen, learn, and move.
Leyla McCalla Tends to Deep Roots on ‘Sun Without the Heat’
In this most recent work, folk artist Leyla McCalla continues cultivating an expansive and complex sense of roots and relative self. It’s a joy to witness.
Avalanche Kaito’s ‘Talitakum’ Is a Jagged, Electroacoustic Dream
Avalanche Kaito’s Talitakum is one of the most intriguing albums this year so far. It’s a work of futurist folk-rock and a mixed-media sculpture.
Bagus Shidqi Sounds a Full Digital Gamelan on ‘Njondhil Njondhal’
Bagus Shidqi’s Njondhil Njondhal is a work full of heart and belief in keeping gamelan vibrant and available to contemporary practitioners and audiences.
MIZU Creates an Experimental Masterwork with ‘Forest Scenes’
As a composer and performer, MIZU embraces uncharted territory with her cello not so much in hand but working fully as an extension of her body and voice.
Maya Shenfeld Works on a Cosmic Scale with ‘Under the Sun’
Under the Sun has a gravity that helps it stand out in the vast field of contemporary electronic music as Maya Shenfeld considers the magnitude of the cosmos.
Les Amazones d’Afrique Are Vital Voices for Women’s Empowerment
On Musow Dance, energy is as vital as ever as Les Amazones d’Afrique continue to celebrate womanhood over some of their most engaging beats to date.
Chelsea Wolfe Takes Unpredictable Turns on Her New LP
Chelsea Wolfe is as uncompromising a poet as she has ever been on She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She. The purpose is not to be more of the same.
Kultur Shock Excite with Punk and Sevdah Stylings on ‘Acoustic Live’
Even unplugged, Kultur Shock are an unstoppable group, and Acoustic Live offers an unencumbered sense of how sharp they are almost 30 years into this project.