Best New Albums
The Best New Albums from Around the World (May 2024)
Our Top of the World – the best new albums reviewed in the May 2024 issue of Songlines
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Divanhana’s Radio Sevdah: Sarajevo band reimagines Bosnia’s soulful tradition for a new generation
Simon Broughton tunes into Radio Sevdah with Balkan sound revivalists Divanhana. Photos by Simon Broughton
Features
Amazigh Renaissance: The Free People
Bianca Carrera meets a new generation of musicians in the Amazigh diaspora who challenge prejudice through their heritage and language
Features
Sarathy Korwar interview: “It takes guts and vulnerability to cut through the noise and find your own voice”
Sarathy Korwar is becoming an influential figure within London’s vibrant and eclectic music scene. He talks to Jane Cornwell about his latest project, inspired by Brexit Britain and the importance of changing the East-West narrative. Photographs by Rishabah Sood
Features
Exploring Malta's Resurgent Local Music Scene
In the centre of the Mediterranean, Malta sits between the European and Islamic worlds. That dual heritage is reflected in its Indigenous music, reports Simon Broughton, and it deserves to be better known
Features
The Baltic Sisters: breathing new life into Lithuanian sutartinės
The Baltic Sisters, singers from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, open a gate into sutartinės, a beguiling regional treasure
Features
Zoë Modiga interview: South Africa’s new voice on language, identity and #BLM
A deft exploration of identity, Zoë Modiga’s latest album proves the South African is on the up. She speaks with Jane Cornwell about topics ranging from Black Lives Matter to the cultural importance of cattle in African society
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Sona Jobarteh interview: “It’s either education or your culture, and that was a big problem for me”
Gambian kora player Sona Jobarteh speaks to Lucy Hallam about how she is shaking up the continent’s antiquated education system and dragging the griot tradition into the 21st century
Features
Simon Broughton gets to grips with Colombia's marimba music: “absolutely exhilarating and liberating for the soul”
The marimba music of Colombia’s Pacific coast is enjoying a something of a revival. Simon Broughton grabs a couple of mallets and takes a swing at a workshop
Features
Svetlana Spajić: “I learned my ancestors’ sung aspect of language as my ‘second language’. But now I feel more like it’s really mine”
Serbian singer, folklorist and cultural activist Svetlana Spajić has dedicated her career to the passing down of oral traditions, and it’s taken her to some surprising places, including collaborations with Marina Abramović and Robert Wilson. Celeste Cantor-Stephens takes a journey through her career
The Rough Guide to World Music
The Music of Chile: A Rough Guide
Jan Fairley looks at the history and legacy of nueva canción – a music rooted in the guitar traditions of the troubadour that have played a part in Latin America’s political and cultural struggles
Features
The Rough Guide to World Music: Chile
Jan Fairley looks at the history and legacy of nueva canción – a music rooted in the guitar traditions of the troubadour that have played a part in Latin America’s political and cultural struggles
Features
Songs of the Syrian refugees
In a place where freedom of speech easily gets you arrested, refugees have daringly turned to music and poetry in order to express their feelings. Alexandra Petropoulos reports
A Beginner's Guide
Amália Rodrigues: A Beginner's Guide
Pleasure, pain and poetry – the ‘Queen of Fado’ gave Portugal its soundtrack during a turbulent 20th century. Chris Moss looks back over Amália’s career
Features
“All my music still comes from my subconscious, without any intention” | Joachim Cooder interview
Joachim Cooder’s most recent album recasts cuts from banjo player Uncle Dave Macon for a new generation. Jane Cornwell follows the lauded multi-instrumentalist along the path to archival reinvention
