Various Artists – The Rough Guide to North African Café (World Music Central)

What are there now, at least 100 Rough Guide compilations? My favourites tend to be the ones that have to struggle a little to describe themselves. I've found – with the notable exception of the Rough Guide to South African Gospel – that I prefer the less genre specific, nationally defined compilations in the catalog. In this case compiler John Armstrong dedicates some time in the liner notes riffing on colonial cross-pollinations between French café / cabaret music and North African culture, but ultimately resigns himself to a friend's judgment, that it's a CD of 'great North African tunes that you don't necessarily have to dance to'. It's a pretty fair assessment. Worth the trip.

Fiamma Fumana – Onda (Omnium)

This record is infused with the creative spirit of Scottish Celtic Fusion pioneer Martyn Bennett. Bennett, the extraordinary Newfoundland-born piper who died of cancer in 2005 at age 33, championed the combining of traditional Scottish folk music with techno beats. Bennett is invoked on two occasions – through recorded samples of his voice – both of which are worth quoting: "it's important for people to push boundaries, otherwise things become stagnant"; and "I'm not trying to change the face of Scottish music, it will change on its own in ways I don't even know how, in the future… and I think that's what I was trying to do… is to try and get a way into popular culture without diluting the origins of it." The CD features 8 original compositions, including the mildly didactic opener Prendi l'onda ("ride the wave dj!") and 4 trad arranged,throughout which Fiamma Fumana resolutely apply Bennett's method to traditional Northern Italian folk music – BPM's ranging from 76 to127. There are some lovely moments – especially the trad songs featuring the women's choir Coro delle Mondine di Novi. I have only one complaint, and it's not inconsequential given the nature of the project. The beats are totally banal, dated, and easily the least interesting, yet most pervasive aspect of the recording. Given the innovation, variety and growing sophistication in electronic and dance music, it's a bitter irony that Onda's programmed beats – and not the pipes, accordion or folk songs – end up sounding anachronistic.

Army of Briars – Army of Briars (Discus)

On their MySpace page 'British folk prog' ensemble Army of Briars citetheir influences as "Pentangle, Incredible String Band, John Martyn,Nick Drake, Stockhausen." If that list seemed to take a somewhat incongruous left turn at the end, then I suspect you might not be quite ready for Army of Briars. Equally, if the lyric "who can bear the terror and grace of the beech tree but a fallen seed?" seems to struggle somewhat under its own weight, and if you have a limited affection for the mellotron or, above all, Vashti-esque 'naïve' vocals you should give this a miss. Army of Briars have cultivated a rather dense thicket of musical pretensions that make this a difficult recording for all but the tenaciously, capital P, Prog folkies amongst us to penetrate.