This is Around the World in 200 Albums, a self-imposed challenge by two music fans to listen to and review albums from 200 countries/territories across the planet.

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Whilst cooped up at home during the first Coronavirus lockdown in 2020, we decided, as a way to keep our mental health in check, that twice a week we would recommend each other albums the other had not heard, the idea being to plug the gaps in our collective music knowledge, as well as staying connected during a time of isolation. After a while, we noticed the British and American dominance of the albums to which we were listening. We then decided to begin listening to albums from a broader selection of countries, as an attempt to test Stevie Wonder's statement that 'music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand'. It quickly spiralled wildly out of control, and this blog is the result. After a while, we began to get more engrossed in our findings, and we came up with the idea of going on a quest to find our favourite albums from each country.

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Through this process we are learning about the nuances in music between cultures, and also about the context in which some magnificent traditions have grown and developed around the world. Each album regardless of quality paints a vivid and often beautiful picture about a society and its people. We have come to the conclusion those of us who are accustomed to music from the UK and USA do, in fact, have the capacity to take off our ‘Western-tinted spectacles’ and still get fulfilment out of music from every corner of the world. Thanks to the internet we are connected to an endless library of global music that can be profoundly enjoyable, provocative and inspiring, even when we are unable to understand the lyrics of an album.

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We started this process as music novices, and in no way do we expect to complete this experiment as aficionados of every genre; instead, the aim is to appreciate music from across all genres and places. We will be listening to at least one album from every country, and at the end of the process we'll be choosing our favourite album from each country and territory. We want to share our most interesting findings and take you on a journey as we explore every genre we possibly can. From Bolivian blues to Fijian folk, Hungarian hip-hop to Japanese jazz, we promise we’ve got you covered.

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If this has piqued your curiosity, please join us on our musical odyssey as we go Around the World in 200 Albums!

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