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Our favourite music, country-by-country
Peter Margasak hopes the music covered here doesn’t just suggest a high bar qualitatively for the year ahead, but that it also signals the worst is behind us, as many of these recordings are imbued with the sort of driving, triumphant spirit that we need to help us get back on our feet
Jakub Knera looks at contemporary electronic sounds, alternative rock and improvised music from Poland in this new column focusing on central and eastern Europe, including the weird electronica of Piotr Kurek and Wojciech Rusin, the new guitar perspectives of Kurws and Trupa Trupa and analyses how the pandemic inspired Resina and Martyna Basta’s latest albums
In the final look at the French scene in 2021, David McKenna reviews releases from L’Ocelle Mare, Aquaserge and the new star of French drill Ziak, and rounds up a few overlooked gems. Home page photograph: Soporific
Peter Margasak reviews this month's most notable jazz releases while noting that many of this music's finest practitioners are increasingly rejecting this genre tag as a racist mechanism designed to keep them in a fixed place
In his latest look at French releases, David McKenna surveys the effervescent rap scene and reviews a terror-stricken but cathartic album by Rien Virgule, Stranded Horse’s kora-laced folk and a couple of tasty tapes. Home page photo: Ateyaba
In the first of our reports from the Ukrainian underground, journalist Yaryna Denysyuk reports on punk and post-industrial scenes while drawing attention to feminist and LGTBQI issues as well as drawing some links between smoky bacon and gabber
Virginal Korean R&B from pH-1 & Jamie, a Jamaican paypig anthem from Konshens and Spice, hyperpop from Spain and Russia, and more of 2021’s vital international pop music thus far, according to new columnist Joshua Minsoo Kim
While there are great 'pandemic albums' being released now, it’s hard not to gravitate toward records where the charged, spontaneous interplay of musicians feels palpable. Complete Communion has both polarities covered, says Peter Margasak, with some gripping stops in between
In his latest French music column, David McKenna gets reacquainted with nouvelle nouvelle chanson singer Mathieu Boogaerts, visits producer NSDOS’s Micro Club and finds energy in the young French jazz scene to rival that in the UK. Home page photograph: Edredon Sensible
Jazz may just be returning to the live stage, says Peter Margasak, but the musicians never stopped producing great music, and this month we cover new work from Maria Grand, Milford Graves & Jason Moran, and the new quartet Hearth
In the eighth edition of our column on the sounds of Irish undergrowth, Eoin Murray finds feverish noise rock, “intelligent frog music”, fictional audio tours, field recordings, folk songs and much more
Strong new albums from Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl, Nate Wooley’s Seven Storey Mountain, and New Hermitage nonchalantly reach beyond the language of jazz without abandoning its fundamental improvisational core, says Peter Margasak
David McKenna rounds up the cream of the latest electronic, jazz and indie rock releases from France, taking in Maghrebi sounds from Lyon, farty drum machines and oceanic musique concrete. Homepage image of TripleGo
In this month’s Genre is Obsolete, Adam Lehrer dives into new records by artists like GRIM, Crazy Doberman, Dial and more, while discussing noise music’s enduring status as an unusually independent and DIY economy and culture
David McKenna flags up some French compilations released in response to the Covid-19 crisis and reviews new music from Felicia Atkinson, Franco-Senegalese rapper Zuukou Mayzie and the final album from Black Devil Disco Club
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