Friday Favorites: J. Stalin, THEESatisfaction, Bassekou Kouyate

In an unconventional move, Seattle label Sub Pop teamed with Jon Kertzer from KEXP and put out an African album earlier this month, "Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba." Normally, we get hip-person's American guitar music from the label. This time it's ngoni jams from an acknowledged Malian master and his family band.

The ngoni is an instrument that sounds an extra-bright banjo/dulcimer. With several fingerpicked continuously throughout "Musow," the effect is rainy pins and needles. Brief wah-wah slashes and a long solo toward the end (I'm assuming from Kouyate) give it a hypno vibe, busy and shimmering. "Musow" owes its memorability to Amy Sacko's vocal hook. Her sandpapery voice floats over the action, punctuated by group-strums.