El Efecto

El Efecto - Memórias do Fogo (2018, Brazil) - bandcamp name your price
prog / samba / post-hardcore

The best contemporary Brazilian band.

Best of 2017 part 3

5. Mateus Aleluia - Fogueira doce (Brazil)
afoxe / MPB

4. Various Artists - Pop Makossa: The Invasive Dance Beat of Cameroon 1976-1984 
makossa / funk

3. Pierre Lapointe - La science du cœur (Quebec)
chamber pop / singer-songwriter

2. Richard Dawson - Peasant (UK) -- no link
avant-folk

1. Danyel Waro - monmon (Reunion)
maloya

Best of 2017 part 2

15. مريم صالح [Maryam Saleh], تامر أبو غزالة [Tamer Abu Ghazaleh] & موريس لوقا (Maurice Louca) - Lekhfa (Egypt)
Arabic music / avant-folk

14. Rosalia - Los angeles (Spain) -- no link
flamenco nuevo

13. Hańba - Będą bić! (Poland) -- no link
folk punk

12. Arca - Arca (Venezuela) -- no link
art pop / glitch pop

11. Sampha - Process (UK) -- no link
alternative r&b

10. Planning for Burial - Below the House (USA) -- no link
shoegaze / atmospheric sludge metal

9. Boubacar Traoré - Dounia Tabolo (Mali)
Mande music / blues

8. Omiri - Baile Electrónico (Portugal)
fado / folktronica

7. Duo PuechGourdon - Duo PuechGourdon (France)
French folk

6. Slowdive - Slowdive (UK) -- no link
shoegaze

Best of 2017 part 1

30. Colter Wall - Colter Wall (Canada)
americana / folk / country

29. Milo - Who Told You to Think !? (USA) -- no link
abstract hip hop

28. Idles - Brutalism (UK) -- no link
post-punk / post-hardcore

27. House and Land - House and Land (USA)
Appalachian folk

26. Afous d'Afous - Tenere (Algeria)
tishoumaren

25. Tinariwen - Elwan (Mali) -- no link
tishoumaren

24. Mappe Of - A Northern Star, A Perfect Stone (Canada)
indie folk / avant-folk

23. William Ryan Fritch - Birkitshi - Eagle Hunters in a New World (USA)
Mongolian music / ambient

22. Exquirla - Para quienes aun viven (Spain) -- no link
post-rock / flamenco nuevo

21. Xiu Xiu - FORGET (USA) -- no link
art pop / noise pop / experimental rock

20. Circuit des Yeux - Reaching for Indigo (USA)
avant-folk / art pop

19. Yorkston, Thorne & Khan - Neuk Wight Delhi All-Stars (UK / India)
folk / carnatic classical

18. Frank London Glass House Orchestra - Austro-Hungarian Jewish Music (USA)
klezmer

17. Thåström - Centralmassivet (Sweden)
singer-songwriter

16. Meïkhâneh - La Silencieuse (France)
French folk / Mongolian throat singing

Danyel Waro

Danyel Waro - Foutan Fonnker (1999, Reunion)
maloya

Danyel Waro - Aou amwin (2010)
maloya

Danyel Waro - monmon (2017)
maloya

From a remote island east of Madagascar comes this perfect combination of gorgeous melancholy and awesome rhythms. Best music I've heard in ages.

Para Lele

Para Lele - Para Lele (2017, Croatia) - bandcamp name your price
neo-psychedelia

Satwa

Satwa - Satwa (1973, Brazil)
psych folk

José Mauro

José Mauro - Obnoxious (1970, Brazil)
MPB

José Mauro - A viagem das horas (1976)
MPB

youtube

Youtube channel

I decided to start posting stuff on Youtube. Will try to post regularly, i.e. (almost) every day, so if you liked what you found on this blog so far, you're gonna love the youtube channel as well. Feel free to subscribe etc. The rough plan is to use youtube for songs and this blog for albums. Here's the link to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPoLtly-iS2VK0ZfiAduT4Q

Quilapayun

Quilapayun - Cantata de Santa Maria de Iquique (1970, Chile)
Nueva Cancion Latinoamericana / Andean folk

Nass El Ghiwane

Nass El Ghiwane - Chants gnawa du maroc (2000, Morocco)
gnawa / berber music

Best of 2016 part 3

10. Lajkó Félix - Most jöttem (Hungary / Serbia)
hungarian folk

9. Ukandanz - Awo (Ethiopia)
jazz-rock / ethio-jazz / math rock

8. Heimat - Heimat (France)
minimal wave / art pop

7. Jambinai - A Hermitage (South Korea)
post rock / atmospheric sludge metal

6. Alcest - Kodama (France)
blackgaze

5. Damir Imamović's Sevdah Takht - Dvojka (Bosnia)
sevdah

4. Wardruna - Runaljod – Ragnarok (Norway)
dark folk / nordic folk

3. Various Artists - Space Echo: The Mystery Behind the Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde Finally Revealed! (Cabo Verde)
morna / funana

2. Özge Çam - İlk Nefes (Turkey)
turkish folk

1. Eluvium - False Readings On
ambient

Best song of the year - Wardruna - Odal (youtube)

Best of 2016 part 2

20. Dalek - Asphalt for Eden (USA) - no link
abstract hip hop

19. Kel Assouf - Tikounen (Belgium/Niger/Tunisia/France)
tishoumaren

18. Jakub Šimansky - Face to Face against American Primitivism in Eastern Europe vol. 1 (Czechia) 
american primitivism

17. Lakou Mizik - Wa Di Yo (Haiti) 
caribbean folk

16. Помни имя свое [Pomni Imya Svoyo] - Небо и Камень (Russia) 
dark folk
youtube 

15. Lost Salt Blood Purges - Only the Youngest Grave (Australia)
drone / neofolk 

14. Laurent Jenneau / Shi Tanding - Music of Xinjiang (China / France) 
uyghur folk

13. Matt Elliott - The Calm Before (UK) - no link
progressive folk / singer-songwriter

12. Forndom - Dauðra Dura (Sweden) 
ritual ambient / nordic folk / dark folk

11. Wöljager - Van't Liëwen Un Stiäwen (Germany) - no link
dark folk

Best of 2016 part 1

32. Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra - Del Ebro al Danubio (Spain) - no link
romani folk / balkan folk

31. Esben and the Witch - Older Terrors  (UK)
post-rock / ethereal wave / shoegaze

30. Douglas Germano - Golpe de Vista  (Brazil)
samba

29. ГШ - ОЭЩ МАГЗИУ  (Russia)
post-punk / art punk / noise rock / avant-prog

28. Trna - Lose Yourself to Find Peace  (Russia)
blackgaze / post-rock

27. Faun Fables - Born of the Sun  (USA)
psych folk

26. Auktyon - На солнце  (Russia)
art rock / avant-folk

25. Shabaka and the Ancestors - Wisdom of Elders  (South Africa)
spiritual jazz / afro-jazz

24. Tamer Abu Ghazaleh - Thulth  (Egypt)
arabic music / avant-folk

23. Wolvserpent - Aporia:Kāla:Ananta (USA)
drone metal / dark ambient / atmospheric black metal

22. Myrkur - Mausoleum EP (Denmark) - no link
dark folk / nordic folk / choral

21. Cyro Baptista - Bluefly (Brazil)
samba-jazz 

Alash

Alash - Alash (2007, Tuva, Russia)
tuvan throat singing

Sanjah

Sanjah - 無線 / 伊豆 (2006, Japan)
avant-folk / free improvisation

Master Musicians of Ikuta-Ryu

Master Musicians of Ikuta-Ryu - Japanese Koto Orchestra (1967, Japan)
japanese classical music / soukyoku
youtube

Mehmet Koç

Mehmet Koç - Ses Verin Sesime Dağlar (2002, Turkey)
turkish folk
youtube 1

Kazuki Tomokawa

Kazuki Tomokawa - Muzan no Bi / Beauty Without Mercy (1986, Japan)
folk / singer-songwriter

Kazuki Tomokawa - Nikusei (1976)
avant folk

youtube 1
youtube 2

Probably my favourite singer-songwriter ever. Has been making consistently great music for 40+ years (!).

Musique Persane

Various Artists - Musique Persane (1971, Iran)
Persian classical music
youtube

Extra Life

Extra Life - Secular Works (USA, 2008)
math rock / experimental / medieval music
youtube
buy

Best album I've heard in ages. The medieval influence makes it really special and unique.

Monâjât Yulchieva

Monâjât Yulchieva - Ferghana Maqam (1994, Uzbekistan)
shashmaqam / uzbek music
youtube

Salamat Sadikova

Salamat Sadikova - The Voice of Kyrgyzstan (2002, Kyrgyzstan)
kyrgyz music
youtube

Valentin Clastrier

Valentin Clastrier - Heresie (1991, France)
avant-folk / french folk / avant-jazz

Jana Kirschner

Jana Kirschner - Moruša: Čierna (2014, Slovakia)
art pop / chamber folk
youtube

Function

Function - The Secret Miracle Fountain (2006, Australia)
ambient pop / experimental
youtube

Urna Chahar-Tugchi

Urna Chahar-Tugchi - Tal Nutag (1995, China)
Mongolian music

Jamar (2000)

Amilal (2005)

youtube

The Ex & Brass Unbound

The Ex & Brass Unbound - Enormous Door (2013, The Netherlands)
post-punk / jazz-rock
youtube 1
youtube 2

I'd normally consider The Ex to be too big to be featured in this blog, but this album is so fantastic and so vastly underrated I just had to post it. Beautiful fusion of (post) punk, jazz and Ethiopian music.

Sergey Kuryokhin

Sergey Kuryokhin - Sparrow Oratorium (1993, Russia)
avant-prog / modern classical
youtube

Ihor Cymbrows'kyj

Ihor Cymbrows'kyj - Przyjdź aniele (1996, Ukraine)
avant-folk / singer-songwriter / poetry
youtube