Nihiloxica - Biiri

8.2

The second EP from the Ugandan ensemble once again defies what "traditional music" actually means by blending Bugandan rhythms with industrial techno, schizophrenic ambient and a perpetuating feeling of danger and disdain.

Highlights

- The music is absorbing and heavy-loaded.

- The musicians are at the peak of their revolutions and moods.

- The record is dark, menacing and relentlessly savage.

Lowlights

- The technique of speeding up the pace in the last minute gets repetitive after the first half.

Standouts

- Baksimba

- Ding Ding

- Digga Dagga

Country: Uganda

Released: February 13, 2019

Length: 19:17

Ustad Saami - God Is Not A Terrorist

8.0

The much respected khyal singer Naseeruddin Saami presents a record that mesmerises with its microtonalities, profound drones and sensational vocals. It's raga, ambient, hypnotic music that transports you to another era.

Highlights

- Saami's magnificent voice, prolifically trained and utterly touching.

- The production is loud and piercing, itching monotones and long passages with bravura and gut.

- The record doesn't abuse from time or over-repetition.

Lowlights

- At this point, it might be absurd to ask for more variety in the album, right?

Standouts

- Twilight

- God Is

- War Song

Country: Pakistan

Released: January 18, 2019

Length: 46:50

Nicola Cruz - Siku

7.6

On his sophomore release, Nicola furthers down his approach at Andean, jungly electronic to create another immersive trip to an immortal forest full of crispy voices, languid instruments and a restlessly joyful joie de vivre.

Highlights

- Awesome use of sounds from all over the world and all over the times.

- The guest vocalists add fantastic layers to the tunes.

- Cruz's essential need for music and rhythm philanthropy.

Lowlights

- Some tracks are a bit too ambient-like to hold strong meanings.

- I would have roughed it up to just 40 minutes.

Standouts

- Hacia Adelante

- Criançada

- Siku

Country: France/Ecuador

Released: January 25, 2019

Length: 48:00

Jay Mitta - Tatizo Pesa

7.4

This debut studio album from a Tanzanian DJ and producer redefines what Singeli music means and should be perceived as, morphing into hyper-kinetic takes that feel bassy, menacing and utterly uplifting in equal ways.

Highlights

- The relentless energy that the album possesses.

- MC guest Dogo Janja plays an interesting, refreshing role.

- The attention to detail, repetition and hypnosis.

Lowlights

- Some cuts don't deliver enough great tunes before they abruptly finish.

- I would have prefered more vocals in some tracks instead of pure looped rhythms.

Standouts

- Don Bet

- Sapienz

- Tatizo Pesa

Country: Tanzania

Released: January 11, 2019

Length: 40:50

Beirut - Gallipoli

7.6

Beirut's fifth release sees them coming back to their original formula and staying for most of its running time in their comfort zone, blending Balkan, African and Middle-Eastern instrumentals with longing lyrics in ways that might never get exctinted after all.

Highlights

- There's urgency in the tracks, each of them fulfilling a purposeful role in the record.

- Zach Condon's melancholic tune will always be something to aspire at.

- Once again, the guys make you fly through different geographies with their musical decisions.

Lowlights

- In some ways, it seems like their most experimental album and, as with every experiment, there's a certain amount of error in the trial process.

- While the instrumentals play a heavy part in the record, one wishes they would explode more easily or substantially.

Standouts

- Landslide

- Gallipoli

- Varieties Of Exile

Country: USA

Released: February 1, 2019

Length: 44:36

Juan Wauters - La Onda de Juan Pablo

6.2

Inoffensive, insignificant blend of Latin American pinches and samples curated into a somewhat naïve, somewhat tenderly elusive portrait for and of reality. Sometimes though, less is less.

Highlights

- Its liberating execution and choice of instruments and harmonies.

- Juan's breathy, airy vocals and nihilistic lyrics.

- A true respect for traditional rhythms.

Lowlights

- Most of the songs exist just to fulfil space, without much topic or function to the record.

- Repetition sometimes gets overtiring in the tracks.

Standouts

- Blues Chilango

- Guapa

- A Volar

Country: Uruguay

Released: January 25, 2019

Length: 29:28

คณะ เบียร์บูด/Khana Bierbood - คนแปลกหน้าจากดินแดนบูรพา​/​Strangers From The Far East​

7.2

Far from the East this band comes to mix up surf, garage, noise, psychedelia and traditional Thai music (molam) to expand proof that there's more to the eye than Anglo-Saxon anger turned into musical blast.

Highlights

- The record feels raw and rusty, just as garage rock should sound like and more.

- Despite its unabashed turmoil, the guys leave room for playfulness and colour.

- There's a solid story running throughout the tracks that packs it all together really tightly.

Lowlights

- It's excessively short for an LP, and it still has holes and glitches.

- It sometimes gets too inconvenient to discriminate the individual sounds and voices.

Standouts

- แสงดาว/Starshine

- อัตคัด/Bad Trip

- ลูกรัง/Dusty Lane

Country: Thailand

Released: January 10, 2019

Length: 23:26