Thursday, July 21, 2022
The 10 Best New Albums from Around the World (August/September 2022)
Featuring outstanding new albums from BKO, Balungan, Babra & Megitza, Daniel Sherrill, Sessa and more
Read the reviews of the month's best new albums – and many more – in the August 2022 issue of Songlines magazine. Never miss an issue – subscribe today
BKO
Djine Bora Bongo Joe Records
On their third album this five-piece band from Bamako in Mali have completely mastered their astonishing fusion of traditional and contemporary Mande music. Martin Sinnock
Babra & Megitza
Razem FolkEuropa/Music Hungary
This album is a meeting of two bands: Babra from Hungary and Megitza (aka Małgorzata Babiarz) from Poland. Babra specialise in the fizzing south Slav folk music of Hungary played on various sizes of plucked tambura. Megitza sings both traditional songs from the Polish highlands and composes her own music. Simon Broughton
Sessa
Estrela Acesa Mexican Summer
The São Paulo-born singer explores sounds of tropicália, samba, and bossa with hints of spiritual jazz across 12 tracks of dreamlike, echoing grooves that recall parts of Devendra Banhart’s Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon in mood and palette of timbres. Charlotte Algar
Avalanche Kaito
Avalanche Kaito Glitterbeat Records
Avalanche Kaito is the meeting of Burkinabé singer and multi-instrumentalist Kaito Winse and Belgian noise punk duo Le Jour du Seigneur. This is an intimate collaboration with a focused sound – it feels as if you’re sharing a tiny, loud room with the trio. Jim Hickson
KG Westman & Zaعfaran
KG Westman & Zaعfaran Root Rock Records
This unlikely mash-up of music and musicians from India, Egypt and Sweden is, perhaps against the odds, a resounding success. Driven in large part by the excellent sitar of KG Westman, who is also the guitarist for the Swedish rock band Siena Root, this album brings together a wide array of instrumentalists for what seem to have been highly enjoyable sessions. Maria Lord
Balungan
Kudu Bisa Kudu Cuneiform
Balungan is the Javanese word for ‘Skeleton,’ but this is a fully-muscled ensemble, with deranged fuzz guitar solos, chunky electric basslines, rippling metallophone action and sensuous wooden flute interludes. Martin Longley
Daniel Sherrill
From a Heritage Tree American Standard Time Records
The distinctively warm yet crisp tone of Sherrill’s banjo, which imbues age-old material, such as ‘Frosty Morning’, ‘Cumberland Gap’ and ‘Billy in the Lowground’, with reconstituted vigour and emotive power, stems from the instrument’s design and materials. Doug DeLoach
Lewis Wood
Footwork Grimdon Records
The debut album from English fiddler Lewis Wood is something of a concept album – and it’s a nice concept. Footwork takes as its neat premise step and clog dancing traditions from across the country. Each original tune has been penned in a style that suits each dance form, creating a richly varied instrumental album. Nathaniel Handy
Shadi Fathi & Bijan Chemirani
Âwât Buda Musique
Between Fathi’s hypnotic spoken delivery, Chemirani’s engaging compositions, and the stunning instrumental sensitivity of all five musicians, Âwât is a deeply introspective work that flawlessly captures the mysticism of Persian art forms. Charlie Cawood
Orchestre Massako
Orchestre Massako Analog Africa
The latest release in Analog Africa’s Limited Dance Edition series throws the spotlight on Gabon’s Orchestre Massako, founded by Jean-Christian Mboumba Makaya – aka Mack-Joss – after he was drafted into the Gabonese armed forces in 1971. Nigel Williamson
