The "exile" in the album title really rings true in this case. The band came together when a bunch of Songhoy youngsters, who had been driven out of northern Mali by Islamist hardliners, met up in the country's capital, Bambako, and decided to make music. Their debut album is a thriller, a colourful swirl of ancient and modern sounds that coalesce into something fascinating and other-wordly. We're used to the dusty desert blues coming from that neck of the woods by now, but Songhoy Blues add new hypnotic grooves and punky, punchy pizzazz. Produced by Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner, Music in Exile full of exciting twists and turns, from the sinewy new-world funk of Irgana to the greasy, unfettered blues of Nick. A band coming to terms with new worlds and situations with much aplomb. facebook.com/songhoyblues