Sofia Jernberg and Alexander Hawkins first performed together at Amsterdam’s Bimhuis in 2016, under the name Musho – an Amharic word meaning ‘sad song’. Jernberg’s work frequently takes her to the outer edges of vocal technique, while Hawkins does much the same on his chosen instrument. The pair are thus extremely well suited to each other.

On the thrillingly unusual Musho, they draw on their shared affinity for the music of Ethiopia, having both honed their musical languages in the company of elder statesmen from that country: Jernberg with Hailu Mergia, and Hawkins with the great Mulatu Astatke. But don't expect an overtly 'Ethiopian-sounding' record; or indeed a record that sounds like anything you've heard before.

Using traditional Ethiopian (but also Armenian and Swedish) song as a starting point, Musho moves between exploratory abstract improv and 'Afro-European' folk. There's a profound, almost searing, spirituality about the music here, as evidenced by the opening ’Adwa’; the sounds are also primal (on an interpretation of the old Swedish folk song 'Mannelig'.) Elsewhere, there's brilliant use of space in 'Willow, Willow'.

Sometimes Musho soars, sometimes it's contemplative; by turns crystalline and dense, it feels like a very personal project for the outrageously prolific Hawkins, one of the best things he's ever involved himself with. More than most albums you'll hear this year, it gets better and better, revealing new textures and layers of meaning with every listen.