As usual, ALARM leaves no genre unexplored in our list of this year's overlooked gems.

Sigh: Scenes from Hell (The End, 1/19/10)

Sigh: "The Summer Funeral"

With a history of fusing other revered genres to a doomy combination of black metal and thrash, Japan's Sigh used its eighth studio album to deliver symphonic, epic metal that calls upon classical instrumentation to top its rock foundation.

Brass, woodwind, and string instruments — as well as organ and piano — accent as well as lead sinister melodies that take surprising turns through fanciful themes. Raspy, menacing vocals coat each track, resulting in a dramatic presentation that isn't much at odds with its complex backdrop.

RJD2: The Colossus (RJ’s Electrical Connections, 1/19/10)

RJD2: "Games You Can Win"

Following a divisive album that saw the introduction of poppy, soulful vocals, producer RJD2 returned with something of a split release — an album that leaves no shortage of accessible, vocal-driven tunes but that emphasizes some inventive instrumentals.  Whether or not you dig the soulful RJ, there's no doubt that the music on The Colossus is some of his best to date.

Chicago Underground Duo: Boca Negra (Thrill Jockey, 1/26/10)

Chicago Underground Duo: "Spy on the Floor"

For 15 years, the Chicago Underground Duo (and Trio, Quartet, and Orchestra) has been an avant-garde jazz outlet for prolific Chicago musicians Rob Mazurek (Exploding Star Orchestra, Isotope 217) and Chad Taylor.  Boca Negra is an interesting dichotomy, as spiraling vociferation leads to upbeat grooves, shifting piano chords, harmonic electronics, and ambient samples.

Algernon: Ghost Surveillance (Cuneiform, 1/26/10)

Algernon: "Broken Lady"

The brainchild of guitarist Dave Miller, Algernon walks a thin line between melodically driven post-rock and instrumental unconventionality.  Ghost Surveillance places greater emphasis on synthesizers and sprawling song structures, but at its core is the combination of accessibility and technicality that has defined Miller's style. Noisy, circular rock riffs transform to tranquil, wandering passages. "Timekiller," the album's fourth track, is a beautiful, buoyant number — and one of the band's best creations to date.

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: Into the Wind (Ubiquity, 1/26/10)

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: "East"

In the hands of a marvel, the guzheng — a gorgeous Chinese zither — resonates with tactile beauty as its many strings are plucked with precision.

Bei Bei, a native of Chengdu, China, is one such musical technician. And this collaboration with Shawn Lee, a prolific producer who can man as many genres as he sees fit, is undoubtedly one of the year's finest albums.  Together, the two use Into the Wind to navigate through funky down-tempo jams, Kung-Fu flavor, hip hop, soul, and driving grooves.

Daníel Bjarnason: Processions (Bedroom Community, 2/1/10)

Daníel Bjarnason: "Bow to String I: Sorrow Conquers Happiness"

Best known as a conductor and arranger for indie groups such as Sigur Rós, composer Daníel Bjarnason also holds a lofty classical résumé. Processions, his proper debut, is, at many points, a challenging classical work.  Powerful cellos scale and race with crackling percussions before settling into gently bowed and pizzicato string accompaniments; easily half a dozen strings battle for dominance in a sorrowful, harmonic piece that resonates long after hearing it.  Undoubtedly, Processions is a daring and original debut.

Shining: Blackjazz (Indie Recordings / Distribution, 2/2/10)

Shining: "Fisheye"

Beginning as an experimental acoustic jazz ensemble, Norway's Shining — the brainchild of saxophonist Jørgen Munkeby — transformed to a progressive jazz-fusion outfit before delving into its darker side for a collaboration with black-metallists Enslaved.

Blackjazz pushes deeper into the band's dark recesses, forging a progressive industrial sound for the young century.  Big, complex rock riffs, twisted through gnarly distortion, form the foundation and support a mass of frantic, whirring synth lines and gut-wrenching black-metal screams.  In all, Blackjazz is a new epic — and perhaps the best metal album of 2010.

Pillars and Tongues: Lay of Pilgrim Park, LP + download (Endless Nest, 2/9/10)

Pillars and Tongues: "The Center of"

With just three members, Pillars and Tongues manages to craft powerful folk abstractions and interwoven, trance-inducing vocal dynamics. Both composed and improvisational, these shifting forms evoke spiritual vibes in their soulful essence, heavenly harmonies, and repeated patterns.

Dessa: A Badly Broken Code (Doomtree, 2/9/10)

Dessa: "Dixon's Girl"

The only female member of Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree, Dessa is a spoken-word vocalist, singer, and MC whose awaited full-length was finally released earlier this year.

On A Badly Broken Code, her true solo debut, Dessa's vocal diversity is matched by its underlying music, ranging from hard-hitting beats and rhymes to lilting harmonic overdubs.

The Bastard Noise / The Endless Blockade: The Red List (20 Buck Spin, 2/16/10)

The Bastard Noise: "Mutant World of Shame / Underworld"

A spinoff of treasured "power-violence" hardcore group Man is the Bastard, The Bastard Noise is approaching its 20th anniversary of creating noisy electro-doom brutality.  For this split release with hardcore/punk experimentalists The Endless Blockade, the group utilizes the trademark drum-and-bass style of Man is the Bastard in combination with its far-out sounds.  The Endless Blockade contributes three tracks to the release — one 14-minute epic and two avant-garde remixes.

Freeway & Jake One: The Stimulus Package (Rhymesayers, 2/16/10)

Freeway & Jake One: "Know What I Mean"

Continuing his life after Roc-A-Fella Records, former freestyle star Freeway now makes his debut on Rhymesayers, a fitting new home — if only temporary before a move to Cash Money.  Fellow Rhymesayers standout Jake One provides a funky, malleable backdrop for Freeway's fiery delivery and lyrics that are alternately personal and light in content. And though Freeway deserves his accolades, Jake One's production is the MVP of this collaboration.

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Genuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch, 2/16/10)

Carolina Chocolate Drops: "Hit 'Em Up Style" (Blu Cantrell)

Beholden to the traditions of Americana and early African-American folk, the string trio Carolina Chocolate Drops continues blurring the lines of old and new. On Genuine Negro Jig, the group's fifth album, a few original numbers and a trove of traditionals take root in banjo, fiddle, and percussion. Three-part harmonies shimmer on the famous folk tune "Trouble in Your Mind," and simplicity shines on gripping renditions of "Why Don't You Do Right?" by Kansas Joe McCoy and "Trampled Rose" by Tom Waits.  Most surprisingly, Genuine Negro Jig includes an enjoyable rendition of "Hit 'Em Up Style," an unintentionally farcical pop hit by Blu Cantrell.

Mako Sica: Dual Horizon LP (La Société Expéditionnaire, 2/16/10)

Mako Sica: "I'Itoi"

A translation of the phrase "land bad," Mako Sica has more than a nominal Native American influence; the trio's distant vocal reverberations and dirge-inspired tunes recall the spirituality of America's original inhabitants.

Between the vocalizations of Brent Fuscaldo, the melodies of guitarist Przemyslaw Krys Drazek, and the rhythms of drummer Michael J. Kendrick, Mako Sica maintains a strong balance of abilities — with a brooding combination of jangly guitars, reverberated vociferation, and instrumental dynamics.

High on Fire: Snakes for the Divine (E1 Music, 2/23/10)

High on Fire: "Snakes for the Divine"

Stoner-metal trio High on Fire has built a devoted following over the past dozen years as fans fell in love with Matt Pike's gruff vocals and thunderous guitar riffs. On Snakes for the Divine, Pike uses his throat to channel Lemmy Kilmister; meanwhile, the band has picked up its pace and crafted an album that isn’t as outstretched. Hard-hitting riffery leads an effort that, though diverse at times, may be the band’s most driving release.

Jaga Jazzist: One-Armed Bandit (Ninja Tune, 2/23/10)

Jaga Jazzist: "One-Armed Bandit"

Five years have passed since we've heard the powerhouse melodies of Norway's Jaga Jazzist, the post-rock/"nü-jazz" conception of brothers Lars and Martin Horntveth.

One-Armed Bandit, immediately the group's best album, resembles symphonic prog rock, arguably a few steps removed from parts of Frank Zappa's expansive catalog and closer to countryman Jono El Grande's diverse and theatrical style.  This album, however, is much more cohesive than either of those comparisons suggest, and at times it is nearly overwhelming with grooves and harmonious refrains.

Rob Swift: The Architect (Ipecac, 2/23/10)

Rob Swift: "The Architect"

Turntablist/DJ Robert Aguilar, formerly of the X-ecutioners, has long utilized his love of jazz, R&B, and other musical movements to create compelling hip-hop instrumentals while displaying his tight beat-juggling skills.

The Architect is Swift’s foray into the classical world. In addition to a multitude of sampled styles and sounds, classical cuts comprise a substantial chunk of this Ipecac debut. Rearranged strings, organ, and horns often make the foundation of a given track, occasionally evoking high-tension Italian Westerns, as Swift’s scratches dance atop banging beats.

Rotting Christ: Aealo (Season of Mist, 2/23/10)

Rotting Christ: "Aealo"

For more than 20 years, Athens' Rotting Christ has traversed different directions on the metal path.  With its previous release, Theogonia, the group released a striking, original album that fused its dark sound to the ethnic sounds of its ancestors.

Like its predecessor, Aealo features female Benedictine chants, lingual pipes, and a medieval feel. Combined with dueling high-pitched harmonies and powerful guitar work, these new elements highlight an album that should be among the most original metal releases of the year.

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: Ali and Toumani (Nonesuch, 2/23/10)

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: "Ruby"

As two of Africa's most internationally renowned musicians, guitar legend Ali Farka Touré and kora phenom Toumani Diabaté have displayed impeccable abilities while integrating the styles of other cultures into their ethnic sounds.

Each Malian, the two collaborated for the acclaimed In the Heart of the Moon in 2005, shortly before Farka Touré's passing in 2006. Fortunately, the two set aside time to record new material before touring for In the Heart of the Moon, and the result is another beautiful set of duets that sees a posthumous release.

Throughout Ali and Toumani, Farka Touré roots each creation in melodious African-blues pieces. Diabaté's virtuosity accents each track in the form of fanciful scales, which at times evoke classical harpsichord passages, perhaps most notably on "Sabu Yerkoy."

Fang Island: s/t (Sargent House, 2/23/10)

Fang Island: "Sideswiper"

Mostly comprised of ex-Daughters, the good-time rock quintet Fang Island was one of the most quickly ascending bands of 2010, jumping onto tours with The Flaming Lips and Stone Temple Pilots following the release of its first full-length album.

The self-titled release is chock full of palm-muted and speed-infused indie-prog anthems, with über-layered vocal harmonies to go with a triple-thick guitar assault and distorted-bass bludgeoning.  It's one of those rare releases that feels absolutely radiant and thrashing at the same time.

B. Dolan: Fallen House, Sunken City (Strange Famous, 3/2/10)

B. Dolan: "The Reptilian Agenda"

Going way back with Sage Francis, rapper B. Dolan is a like-minded MC and slam poet whose style isn't terribly dissimilar to that of his long-time friend. Fallen House, Sunken City is Dolan's second full-length for Strange Famous, and it's full of the sociopolitical themes (if often in quick blasts or asides) and contentious delivery for which he's known.

In addition to some seemingly personal lyrics, Dolan takes passing shots at big business, taxation, the pharmaceutical industry, the concept of ownership of natural resources, the Israeli razing of Palestinian developments, and, among many other things, the so-called New World Order — dropping clips of Dick Cheney and George H.W. Bush in "The Reptilian Agenda."  On top of Dolan's socially conscious rhymes, A-list production by Alias makes this one of the year's top hip-hop releases.

Archie Bronson Outfit: Coconut (Domino, 3/2/10)

Archie Bronson Outfit: "Shark's Tooth"
Archie Bronson Outfit: "Shark's Tooth"

With its warbled vocals and driving percussion, British psych-rock trio Archie Bronson Outfit is like a more adventurous Wolf Parade — as comfortable burning up the dance floor with clean, bouncy riffs as it is turning up the reverb and rocking in a garage.

Coconut is the band's first LP in nearly four years, and it kicks off with a crunchy, swirling guitar line and a hypnotic bongo-laden beat. Produced by DFA's Tim Goldsworthy, Coconut gets spaced-out and drone-like at times, but it always offers a hint of pop accessibility amidst the static and haze.

AfroCubism: s/t (World Circuit / Nonesuch, 11/2/2010)

AfroCubism: "Jarabi"

It was 1996 when British producer Nick Gold and American guitarist Ry Cooder arrived in Havana, intending to make a certain record that placed Malian and Cuban musicians together to explore the roots of Afro-Cuban music.  But as passport and visa problems stranded the West African musicians in Paris, Gold and Cooder made the decision to move on and revamp the project because the studio in Havana was already booked.

What transpired was a completely different recording that paid homage to a music popularized by the elitist Buena Vista Social Club notorious to Havana in the early half of the 20^th Century.  The alternate sessions, recorded with a collective that would be known as the Afro-Cuban All Stars, single-handedly revived the Cuban musical styles of this bygone era.  Buena Vista Social Club became one of the most definitive “world music” albums of all time, spawning Wim Winder’s documentary film of the same name, selling over six million copies worldwide, and forever changing the world-music market.

But now, nearly 15 years later, Gold has revisited the Afro-Cuban project never made, bringing together the original line-up to record AfroCubism.

At the core of the project are lead guitarist and vocalist Eliades Ochoa, whose voice is remembered on the celebrated Buena Vista theme “Chan Chan,” and the two original Malian invitees, ngoni lute master Bassekou Kouyate and legendary Rail Band guitarist Djelimady Tounkara.

Recording the Buena Vista sessions at age 50, Ochoa was the younger of the older veteran Cuban musicians who were brought back from obscurity. As many of the key players have passed, most notably Compay Segundo in 2003, Ibrahim Ferrer in 2005, and most recently Orlando Lopez last year, Ochoa still carries the torch for the elder-statesmen generation.  Though he may be getting older, the work done with the AfroCubism collective brings a fresh, new perspective to his native music.

Recorded in Madrid over the course of four days, the album has an electrifying liveliness that stems not only from 15 years of pent-up collaborative energy but more than 100 years of crisscrossing cultural histories.  Like the rest of the Caribbean, Cuba’s island music takes cue from a mixture of African and Spanish origins.  African slaves were highly influenced by the baroque music forms that made their way to Cuba via Spain in the late 1500s.

As the African slave population was assimilated into Cuban culture, learning the language and practicing the religion of their masters, their musical heritage followed suit.  Over a slow and steady course that took several hundred years to evolve, the intersection between Spanish and African cultures created the wealth of rhythms found in the distinct music of Cuba.

The record’s opening track, “Mali Cuba,” composed by kora master Toumani Diabaté, pays respect to the musicians’ interwoven history.  Capturing the “Latin rhythm” so closely associated with Cuban music, the track is a celebratory conversation between Ochoa’s guitar and Toumani’s 21-string harp lute.  The musicians go back and forth, trading melodic phrases, complementing each other’s distinct but similarly rooted styles.

Working between several language barriers, the beauty of this particular collective is how individual skills speak to a larger whole in a natural and impulsive collaboration that transcends language. Culminating with an improvised version of the Cuban classic “Guantanamera,” Kouyate, Ochoa, and Diabaté demonstrate how the two cultures are very much closely tied to one another.

Afrocubism’s artistic vision is fully realized when listeners are able to hear the two cultures fuse.  Kouyate’s ngoni (Malian ancestor of the banjo) takes on a peculiar vibrancy on tracks like “Karamo” as he adopts a Cuban motif with his ancestral instrument.  The vocals of Kasse Mady Diabaté stem from the oral tradition of the griot.  In essence, Diabaté is the West African historian, sharing his knowledge of history through song.  It is a seamless integration of quite diverse elements: Diabeté sings about the importance of hunters in Western Mali, the back-up vocals evoke an island harmony, and the percussion and rhythm from Ochoa’s Grupo Patria maintain a pace that entices involuntary dancing.

The project, after all, is called AfroCubism, a play on Cubism, the 20th Century avant-garde art movement whose artists deconstructed and analyzed objects only to reassemble them back in abstract forms.  If looking at a work by Pablo Picasso or George Braque, the viewer is looking at a subject from a multitude of angles.  As surfaces intersect at strange angles and the sense of depth is lost, the work comes to represent the subject in multitudes, or in its greater context.

In a similar sentiment, this is what the AfroCubism musicians are doing with music.  The project deconstructs West African and Cuban music in various ways — language, rhythms, intonations, and instrumentations — and pushes them all into one musical plane.  Although the outcome may not be as jarring as a Cubist painting, the result still represents the two genres in their greater context.  In the end, music lovers will appreciate AfroCubism for its nuances and ability to reflect two musical styles meeting and fusing at once.

Five years have passed since we've heard the powerhouse melodies of Norway's Jaga Jazzist, the conception of brothers Lars and Martin Horntveth. Though the band is much closer to elaborate post-rock or "nü-jazz," a few of the group's winding passages and pieces of its instrumental setup reflect the genre for which it is named.

One-Armed Bandit, immediately the group's best album, resembles symphonic prog rock, arguably a few steps removed from parts of Frank Zappa's expansive catalog and closer to countryman Jono El Grande's diverse and theatrical style.

This album, however, is much more cohesive than either of those comparisons suggest, and at times it is nearly overwhelming with grooves and harmonious refrains. Though there is no shortage of talent, there also is no shortage of accessibility.

After an instantly hummable call-and-answer melody, the album's title track shifts to a trio of passages that sound as though they were designed for the slot-machine artwork that accompanies the album. Marimba, harpsichord, fuzzy bass, and slide guitar steal much of the show on this first standout on a disc of standouts, and the group's noted assortment expands from there.

If you're already a fan or have never heard Jaga Jazzist, One-Armed Bandit is not to be missed.

Jaga Jazzist: "One-Armed Bandit" (edit)
Jaga Jazzist: \"One-Armed Bandit\" (edit)

Rob Swift: The Architect (Ipecac)

Turntablist/DJ Robert Aguilar, formerly of the X-ecutioners, has long utilized his love of jazz, R&B, and other musical movements to create compelling hip-hop instrumentals while displaying his tight beat-juggling skills.

The Architect is Swift’s foray into the classical world. In addition to a multitude of sampled styles and sounds, classical cuts comprise a substantial chunk of this Ipecac debut. Rearranged strings, organ, and horns often make the foundation of a given track, occasionally evoking high-tension Italian Westerns, as Swift’s scratches dance atop banging beats.

A few pieces are separated into movements as certain sounds act as themes, and guest MC Breez Evahflowin (the album’s only vocalist) continues the homage while rapping about the album’s concept on tracks “Principio” and “Ultimo.”

Though some may pigeonhole The Architect because of its direction, the truth is that it's an eclectic instrumental album — a dynamic DJ disc that certainly should be experienced live. Pick this up.

Rob Swift: "The Architect"
Rob Swift: \"The Architect\"

High on Fire: Snakes for the Divine (E1 Music)

Stoner-metal trio High on Fire has built a devoted following over the past dozen years as fans fell in love with Matt Pike's gruff vocals and thunderous guitar riffs.

On Snakes for the Divine, Pike uses his throat to channel Lemmy Kilmister; meanwhile, the band has picked up its pace and crafted an album that isn’t as outstretched. Hard-hitting riffery leads an effort that, though diverse at times, may be the band’s most driving release.

The production by Greg Fidelman (Metallica’s Death Magnetic) is getting a lot of attention, and rightfully so — the kick drum often sounds like a popping thud, and the vocals are too high in the mix. But overall, the mix is beefier and conveys a sense of urgency; High on Fire hasn't sounded quite like this before.

High on Fire: "Snakes for the Divine"
High on Fire: \"Snakes for the Divine\"

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: Ali and Toumani (Nonesuch)

As two of Africa's most internationally renowned musicians, guitar legend Ali Farka Touré and kora phenom Toumani Diabaté have displayed impeccable abilities while integrating the styles of other cultures into their ethnic sounds.

Each Malian, the two collaborated for the acclaimed In the Heart of the Moon in 2005, shortly before Farka Touré's passing in 2006. Fortunately, the two set aside time to record new material before touring for In the Heart of the Moon, and the result is another beautiful set of duets that sees a posthumous release.

Throughout Ali and Toumani, Farka Touré roots each creation in melodious African-blues pieces. Diabaté's virtuosity accents each track in the form of fanciful scales, which at times evoke classical harpsichord passages, perhaps most notably on "Sabu Yerkoy."

The album most certainly will garner major accolades in world-music circles. More importantly, it will stand as a final remembrance for Farka Touré.

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: "Ruby" (excerpt)
Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: \"Ruby\" (excerpt)

Valgeir Sigurðsson: Draumalandið (Dreamland) soundtrack (Bedroom Community)

Icelandic producer Valgeir Sigurðsson has worked with a host of high-profile artists: Björk, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Nico Muhly, Múm, and many more. But despite nearly a decade of noteworthy production work, it wasn't until 2007 that he released his first official solo album, Ekvílibríum, a dreamy electro-acoustic work.

Now Sigurðsson has released the soundtrack to Draumalandið (Dreamland), a documentary about the exploitation of Iceland's natural resources. The score, a gentle and mini-orchestral work, is a much more elaborate affair — but one that manages, despite its layers, to feel as sparse as much of the Icelandic landscape.

Swelling and crackling electro-folk turns into uneasy chamber pieces. Often, the score is circular and dramatic, as in the title track, based on a simple up-scaling piano progression that is complemented by a glockenspiel or xylophone. The tempo of "Dreamland" picks up and slows at key spots, capturing an important dynamic.

Muhly and countrymen Sam Amidon, Ben Frost, Daníel Bjarnason, and a host of others lend their talents to Dreamland, a score that proves Sigurðsson capable of much more than augmenting the work of others.

Valgeir Sigurðsson : "Dreamland"
Valgeir Sigurdsson: \"Dreamland\"

Rotting Christ: Aealo (Season of Mist)

Despite the shock-value name, Greek black-metal quartet Rotting Christ is much more than a sacrilegious aggro band.

For more than 20 years, the Athens band traversed different directions on the metal path. However, with its last release, Theogonia, the group released a striking, original album that fused its dark sound to the ethnic sounds of its ancestors.

Like its predecessor, Aealo features female Benedictine chants, lingual pipes, and a medieval feel. Combined with dueling high-pitched harmonies and powerful guitar work, these new elements highlight an album that should be among the most original metal releases of the year.

Rotting Christ: "Aealo"
Rotting Christ: \"Aealo\"

Honorable Mentions

Cindy Blackman: Another Lifetime (tribute to Tony Williams) (Four Quarters Entertainment)

Johnny Cash: American VI: Ain't No Grave (American)

Eluvium: Similes (Temporary Residence)

Quasi: American Gong (Kill Rock Stars)

Terry Riley: Autodreamographical Tales (Tzadik)

Jack Rose: Luck in the Valley (Thrill Jockey)

Perhaps the poster group for its genre, Sunn has spent the past 10 years experimenting in epic, doomy sound and noise.

Now, with Monoliths & Dimensions, the core duo of Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson teams with guests galore to create, in the words of the group, "the most musical piece we've done."  Guest musicians Eyvind Kang (John Zorn, Bill Frisell), Jessika Kenney (Eyvind Kang, Asva), Oren Ambarchi (Burial Chamber Trio), Dylan Carlson (Earth), Julian Priester (Sun Ra, John Coltrane) and others help make that so, while retaining the creeping, end-of-the-world vibe that persists thoughout Sunn's work.

Khanate: Clean Hands Go Foul (Hydra Head)

As the belated swan song for the super-group collaboration between Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O)))), James Plotkin (Phantomsmasher), Alan Dubin (OLD), and Tim Wyskida (Blind Idiot God), Clean Hands Go Foul is a fitting endgame for Khanate's aural presentation of desolation and despair.  Evil ambience crests and falls, working with ominous chords and soul-shredding screams; naturally, fans of O'Malley's other work will love this.

Khanate: "Wings from Spine" (excerpt)
Khanate: \"Wings from Spine\" (excerpt)

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest (Warp)

Unconventional indie darlings Grizzly Bear have pushed three years since their last full-length release, and the passage of time hasn't diminished the band's creative stroke.

On Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear's trademark vocal harmonies and layered orchestrations are still present, but the album features a slightly heavier touch of electronics and chamber elements.  By and large, however, this is the same Grizzly Bear, and preexisting fans won't feel alienated by this disc.

Sir Richard Bishop: The Freak of Araby (Drag City)

In his solo creations and many collaborative endeavors, ex-Sun City Girls guitarist Richard Bishop weaves through Arabic, Indian, flamenco, African, and Gypsy influences in both composed and improvised settings.

With his new album, he employs a clean, reverberated electric guitar in place of his usual acoustic sound, and he adds a bit of percussive assistance. For spring and summer tour dates, Bishop will perform with a full ensemble, which should make his ethnic creations even more compelling.

Master Musicians of Bukkake: Totem One (Conspiracy)

Milky and Don McGreevy of Earth, producer extraordinaire Randall Dunn (Secret Chiefs 3, Sunn O)))), Bill Horist of Ghidra, and other noted Northwest musicians comprise this collective that designs psychedelic, ethnically inspired folk freak-outs.

With Totem One, the group begins a musical trilogy while expanding and maturing its expansive sound.  The album's guests include Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls and Timb Harris of Estradasphere and Secret Chiefs 3.

Vieux Farka Touré: Fondo (Six Degrees)

The son of musical Malian icon Ali Farka Touré, guitarist/singer Vieux Farka Touré has garnered international distinction since the release of his self-titled debut album, issued the year after his famous father’s death.

That disc, which was remixed later in the same year, featured kora virtuoso Toumani Diabate on a pair of tracks and combined Mande and Sonrai folk styles with pop and a touch of reggae.  Diabate is back to help with Fondo, which finds Vieux taking more of a distinctive direction while improving his songwriting chops.