I recently stumbled over an old classic where Jamel Debbouze teaches Stromae how to compose the song Alors on Danse – so funny, it never gets old! Next, I found out that his song Papaoutai recently hit one billion (yes, 1.000.000.000!) streams on YouTube. It would have been easy to write him off as a mainstream pop wonder, but I was intrigued and discovered that his art is surprisingly deep and stretches from music to the persona he created around himself, and from music performances like truly original Tiny Desk sets to a full-length movie for Multitudes, his last album.

Pino Palladino & Blake Mills take us to a pumping, gnarled, wooden soundscape that is always grooving, but never predictable – round, but not quite round, etheral and grounded, cerebral and handmade at the same time, breathing life in what wasn't a dream.

This album popped up on my Tidal home screen – I rarely like the generic recommendations, but I have been listening to this album a couple of times over the last few days, and I have to say the mildly melancholic folk-pop of Billie Marten helped me to cope with Berlin's endless rainy summer days.

I don't listen to progressive rock much and did not have Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) on the radar, but this conceptual album is strong. Part one of the double album consists of two songs only, with the first one just over 23 minutes—certainly no easy listening here, but a rewarding deep-dive into perfectly produced proggospheres.

This one seems old school and new school at the same time … Drum and Bass vibes teleport me back the 90ies, but the album as a whole is vibrant and fresh.

My bandmate Laura Winkler had been raving about Samora Pinderhughes for a while. I discovered this album a little later and never tire of listening to it again and again. Magnificent, unconventional, and extremely diverse songwriting, combined with an exceptional voice and superb production.

"Afrikan Culture" by Shabaka Hutchings (Sons of Kemet) is a meditative, contemplative piece of work: The acoustic woodwind- and Shakuhachi textures instantly take me to another Kosmos.

I had saved this album when it first dropped last year, but only recently gave it the attention it deserved – and wow, what a revelation! The richness of its sound is stunning, with songs that build and evolve beautifully. The musical diversity keeps things fresh throughout, backed by impeccable production. It's simply a joy to listen to from start to finish.

Keep coming back to this album that’s somewhere between intimate and grandiose, simple and sophisticated, silent and pop.

Discovered this gem of an album on the day of the release. It’s not ‘all good’ right now, but this album strikes a chord with me. Acoustic, handmade, down to earth, subtle and complex at the same time, giving comfort and calm confidence.