INDISPENSABLE NEW MUSIC PICKS
March 2022
Kristine England
March 29, 2022 at 4:00:00 AM
Alai K
Kila Mara
Even though he’s settled in Berlin now, Alai K hasn’t forgotten his Kenyan roots. Creating music that is most assuredly techno but with rich, East-African percussion, his fusion of the two styles is seamless. “Kila Mara...celebrates cultural exchange in vibrant colour…” (Crack Magazine)
FEATURED TRACK: “Watu”
Ilhan Ersahin, Dave Harrington & Kenny Wollesen
Invite Your Eye
"Invite Your Eye" begins with a layered saxophone blast. After a minute, the drums kick in, and the track starts the journey to a hypnotic groove. All three members have worked togetherbefoer, but this is their first recording as a trio, creating what JazzTimes calls, “spacy stoner-jazz.”
FEATURED TRACK: "Invite Your Eye"
Messa
Close
"Pilgrim" begins with beguiling vocals amid middle eastern folk. Two and half minutes later, the song transforms into a doom-metal opus, with singer Sara Bianchin presiding over Sabbath-esque riffs. Kerrang raves the group is “breathing new life into [the genre]..."
FEATURED TRACK: “Pilgrim”
Stromae
Multitude
Belgian singer/songwriter Paul Van Haver a.k.a Stromae's recent single “L’enfer” (translation: “hell”) is a highly personal song about his battle with depression and suicidal thoughts, powerful track from an “adventurous third album [that] examines how we humans care for one another — or don’t.” (Pitchfork)
FEATURED TRACK: “L’Enfer”
Mary Simich
How Does One Begin
Listening to this it’s hard to believe it’s not a long-forgotten gem from a bygone era. Her songs sound like a cross between folk, country and girl groups of the 60s. Or, as Rough Trade puts it, her work is “Patsy Cline meets Lana Del Ray with King Khan in the passenger seat.”
FEATURED TRACK: "How Does One Begin"