World music – Page 3 – 7th Level Music

Tinariwen announce new album and tour.

Tinariwen—the Grammy-winning Tuareg band composed of founding members Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Touhami Ag Alhassane and Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, plus bassist Eyadou Ag Leche, percussionist Said Ag Ayad and guitarist Elaga Ag Hamid—announce their new album, Amatssou, out May 19th on Wedge, and a US tour, marking the first time they will play stateside since 2019. In conjunction, Tinariwen share Amatssou’s lead single, “Tenere Den,” which pays homage to the Tuareg revolution in the Kel Adagh region of Mali. It’s accompanying video, directed by Alexis Jamet, features bright, textured animation to articulate the poignant lyrics.

Throughout Amatssou, the legendary collective’s ninth studio album, Tinariwen set out to explore the shared sensibilities between their trademark desert blues and the vibrant country music of rural America. Amatssou is Tamashek for “Beyond The Fear,” and it fits. Tinariwen have always been characterized by their fearlessness, single-handedly inventing a guitar style that has captured the world’s imagination. They call it ishumar or assouf (“nostalgia” in Tamashek). The rest of the world has come to know it as the Tuareg blues. It is music that is imbued with sorrow and longing but it’s also music to dance to, to forget our cares.

Including additional production by Daniel Lanois (Brian Eno, U2, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson), Amatssou finds the band’s signature snaking guitar lines and hypnotic grooves seamlessly co-existing alongside banjos, fiddles and pedal steel. Thousands of miles of ocean may divide these two landscapes, but the links are as palpable as they are romantic. Lead single “Tenere Den” is a thrilling expansion on the classic sound Tinariwen invented.

Watch Tinariwen’s “Tenere Den” Video

The story of Amatssou began in 2021 when Jack White, a long-time fan of the group, invited Tinariwen to record at his private recording studio in Nashville. The band had initially planned to record with Lanois alongside a group of local country musicians, including Wes Corbett and Fats Kaplin, a regular collaborator of White’s. However, following a series of COVID and travel-related delays, Tinariwen found themselves unable to make the trip from Mali to the States. New plans were hastily drawn for Lanois to travel to Africa, but after further delays dealt by the pandemic, Tinariwen, Lanois, Corbett, and Kaplin were ultimately forced to work remotely.

With final plans eventually in place, Tinariwen made the decision to lay the groundwork for Amatssou in Djanet, an oasis in the desert of southern Algeria located in Tassili N’Ajjer National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its prehistoric cave art. Among the jagged rock outcrops and dramatic sandstone vistas, Tinariwen set up a makeshift studio inside a tent using borrowed equipment from the fellow Tuareg band, Imarhan.

Fortunately for Tinariwen, the integrity of Amatssou remained completely intact through its remote recording processes, with Lanois adding deft touches from his studio in Los Angeles, Corbett and Kaplin recording their parts from Nashville, and Kabyle percussionist Amar Chaoui recording his parts in Paris. Lanois’ haunting pedal steel and crystalline production add a soaring ambience to Tinariwen’s trance-like desert blues, with Kalpin contributing pedal steel, violin and banjo to six of the ten tracks.

For decades, Tinariwen have remained ambassadors for their people, a way of life in tune with the natural world that is under threat as never before. Though Tuareg culture is as old as that of ancient Greece or Rome, the songs of Amatssou speak to the current and often tough reality of Tuareg life today. Unsurprisingly, there are impassioned references to Mali’s ongoing political and social turmoil. Full of poetic allegory, the lyrics call for unity and freedom. There are songs of struggle and resistance with oblique references to the recent desperate political upheavals in Mali and the increasing power of the Salafists. Tinariwen’s message has never sounded more urgent and compelling than it does on Amatssou.

Beginning May 27th at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music, Tinariwen’s US tour will see them bringing their cherished songs to cities including New York, Los Angeles, and more before they head overseas for a run of EU/UK dates. All shows are on-sale now with tickets available here.

Pre-order Amatssou by Tinariwen

Amatssou Tracklist:
1. Kek Algham
2. Tenere Den
3. Arajghiyine
4. Imzad (Interlude)
5. Tidjit
6. Jayche Atarak
7. Imidiwan Mahitinam
8. Ezlan
9. Anemouhagh
10. Iket Adjen
11. Nak Idnizdjam
12. Tinde (Outro)

Tinariwen Tour Dates
Sat. May 27 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music
Tue. May 30 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Wed. May 31 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox
Fri. June 2 – Berkeley, CA @ UC Theater
Sat. June 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theater
Mon. June 5 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Tue. June 6 – Boston, MA @ Sinclair
Wed. June 7 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre
Sat. June 10 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
Mon. June 12 – Rubigen, CH @ Muhle Hunziken
Wed. June 14 – Florence, IT @Ultravox
Thu. June 15 – Milan, IT @ Triennale Garden
Fri. June 16 – Turin, IT @ Hiroshima Mon Amour
Sun. June 18 – Dublin, IE @ Body & Soul Festival
Thu. June 22 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Sat. June 24 – Glastonbury, UK @ Glastonbury Festival
Mon. 26 – Lille, FR @ Splendid
Wed. June 28 – Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel
Thu. June 29 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
Sat. July 1 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival
Sun. July 2 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyran
Tue. July 4 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
Fri. July 7 – Bilbao, ES @ BBK Live Festival
Tue. July 11 – Arles, FR @ Les Suds Arles
Sat. July 15 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Mon. July 17 – Glasgow, UK @ St Lukes
Wed. July 19 – Bermingham, UK @ Institute 2
Sat. July 22 – Cheshire, UK @ Bluedot Festival
Tue. 25 – Vigo, SP @ Terraceo Festival
Sat. July 29 – Luxey, FR @ Musicalarue Festival

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rewind Review: Tinariwen – Emmaar (2014)

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been on a Tinariwen kick this month.

Emmaar is an album they released in 2014 and was recorded in a different desert than they one in which they live and sing about in Algeria. Emmaar was recorded in Joshua Tree, California in the spring of 2013. They were amid cacti, mountain flowers, horses, a different kind of heat, cowboy culture, and probably a bunch of hippy Californians. They were far from their homeland, which might’ve fueled the songs on Emmaar (The Heat on the Breeze) – as they are about the Tuareg people and their struggles and the peace of their home desert. One can’t help but wonder if Tinariwen saw Southwestern Native Americans as their own desert nomads and felt kinship with them.

After all, the opening track is “Toumast Tincha” (“The People Have Been Sold Out”), and the album’s first lyrics translate to “The ideals of the people have been sold out, my friends. Any peace imposed by force is bound to fail and give way to hatred.” Add sizzling guitars to that kind of piercing imagery and you get a powerful track. “Chaghaybou” is a song about a man who reflects the proud spirit of the Tuareg people.

“Arhegh Danagh” (“I Want to Tell”) is a great example of the “desert blues” Tinariwen play so well. It blends haunting guitar sounds and hand percussion with deep Delta blues lyrics like “Today’s love is like a mirage. The closer you get, the further away it goes. It’s been ten years since love left me, since it deserted my soul and no longer crosses my path…” I mean, Howlin’ Wolf sang stuff like that every night. “Timadrit in Sahara” (“Youth in Sahara”) is a call to action of the Tuareg kids to challenge the world. In reverse, “Imidiwan Ahi Sigdim” (“Friends, Hear me”) is a call to the band’s own generation to remember those who sacrificed before them but also to not get trapped in the past and old ways of thinking that destroyed so many.

“Tahalamot” is a beautiful song about a woman so beautiful that the singer puts on his best robes and musk and brings out his best saddle to ride to her like a nobleman. The droning bass and snappy guitar exude the man’s confidence and determination to see her again and win her heart. “Sendad Eghlalan” (“This Constant Lethargy”) is another call for the Tuareg men to snap out of being “engrossed and seduced by a world that’s forever advancing.” It’s interesting to note that women are included in this cry, as they’ve already figured out all this and are able to see through the illusions far easier than us stubborn dudes.

“Imidiwanin Ahi Tifhamam” (“Friends, Understand Me!”) is a song about love that has come and gone, but there are no regrets – only fond memories and lessons taken to heart. “Koud Edhaz Emin” (“Even if I Seem to Smile”) has the singer putting on a brave face as he watches so many of his brothers suffering from oppression, illusions they willfully embrace, and the pursuit of materialistic pleasures while they have far better things like Tuareg songs and music to enjoy. “Emajer” is delightfully playful, and the closer, “Aghregh Medin” (“I Call on Man”), a call for unity, is like a mantra.

It’s another beautiful record by Tinariwen, among their many others, and the blend of African and U.S. desert culture is a powerful incense you’ll want to float around you for a long while.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Tinariwen – Aman Iman: Water Is Life (2022 reissue)

Originally released in 2007, Tinariwen‘s third album, Aman Iman: Water Is Life, is a stunning piece of work that tells stories of rough desert living, friendship, spiritual searches, heartbreak, and blessings.

“Cler Achel” starts off the record with Tinariwen’s characteristic handclaps and Mohammed Ag Itlale‘s snappy, raw, and blues-influenced guitar work. I don’t know how Touareg bands do it, but only they can seem to make guitars sound like this, and Itlale is a master at making a guitar sound like a desert wind one moment and a chattering, happy bird the next.

The vocal trills on “Ahimana” instantly transport you out of your environment and into a desert landscape, and the languid rhythm of “Soixante Trois” curls around you like a warm cat at your feet. “Toumast” (one of multiple calls on the album for Touraeg clans to unite) might be one of the more psychedelic tracks on the album, as the guitar tones on it shift from mesmerizing to almost garage rock sounds.

“Imidiwan Winakalin” rolls along with a danceable beat and fades out like the sun going down behind a tall dune. Other tracks lull you into a sense of being part of something bigger and yet something that can be found in something as small as a sand grain. The closer, “Izarharh Ténéré,” drifts away from you like a warm breeze moving toward a night sky.

It’s another lovely album from them, and a perfect balm for stress.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Tinariwen – Imidiwan: Companions (2022 reissue)

Tinariwen‘s fourth album, Imidiwan: Companions sends you into a hypnotic desert landscape from the first notes of the opener, “Imidiwan Afrik Temdam.” The simple, yet haunting guitar, the handclap percussion, and the group vocals during the chorus instantly are uplifting.

The whole album is like that (as is pretty much every Tinariwen record). “Lulla” will get you and everyone around you dancing. The heavy guitar chords of “Tenhert” would make Johnny Cash smile. “Tamodjerazt Assis” has a cool psychedelic rhythm that will make your head sway like its turned into a willow tree in a soft wind.

The chant-like vocals of “Imazeghen N Adagh” are almost as hypnotizing as the dust devil guitar chords and unhurried hand percussion. “Assuf Ag Assuf” moves like smoke. “Ere Tasfata Adouina” is perfect for a ride through the desert with no particular agenda or destination with its dreamy guitar licks and relaxed, but soulful vocals. The album closes with “Desert Wind,” a slightly eerie instrumental of simple guitar and synth loops that creates a mind-warping effect.

Tinariwen were making a lot of international waves when this album originally came out in 2009, and its reissue is a welcome treat for fans of Tuareg music, desert rock, and the band’s early career.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Caesar Spencer teams up with a former Miss France for a sexy new single – “When I Whisper in Your Ear.”

Inspired by the seminal duets of Serge Gainsbourg – CAESAR SPENCER – returns in 2023 with the grandiose baroque-pop of: “When I Whisper In Your Ear”.

Nodding to some of Gainsbourg’s greatest collaborations with female counterparts like Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot, on his latest single Caesar vocally entwines with Mareva Galenter (an artist in her own right and previous Miss France) in what makes for a seductive, smouldering listen.

Speaking about his passion for the works of Gainsbourg and how “When I Whisper In Your Ear” came to fruition, Caesar reflects:

“When I Whisper In Your Ear is a homage to Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg was someone who managed to combine intelligence, sexiness and mild provocation in a way that may seem a little foreign to non-Francophone ears. Leonard Cohen and Prince came close to hitting this sweet spot but still, they gave off a slightly different vibe… I wanted to capture that spirit of Gainsbourg into English. But at the same time it had to be brought right up to date. It felt important to introduce a strong female character who knows exactly what she wants. A simpering and slightly affected female lead would have felt very wrong today. That’s one reason why it was great to have Mareva Galanter onboard for this song.”Based on the star-crossed lovers who appear in the Nagisa Ōshima film ‘In the Realm of the Senses’, “When I Whisper In Your Ear” finds Caesar and Mareva step into the roles of one of cinema’s most complex relationships. A couple madly in love, but skewered by the sadomasochistic games that obsessively consume them; the new single is partnered with a stylish official video which pays reference to the closing scenes of Ōshima’s film.
Watch it here

Balancing risqué exchanges with a bespoke classicism courtesy of French soprano Aurélie Ligerot (who also guests), the track is notably adorned with verdantly beautiful string sections that come courtesy of Macedonia’s FAME Symphony orchestra. Emulating the work of Jean-Claude Vannier, who famously worked with Serge

Gainsbourg on the “Histoire de Melody Nelson” album, FAME’s orchestral flourishes provide “When I Whisper In Your Ear” with sweeping arrangements and a masterful authenticity.

The immediate follow-up to the previous singles Waiting For Sorrow and Isn’t That What Jimi Said, both tracks appear on Caesar Spencer’s much-anticipated debut solo album: ‘Get Out Into Yourself’. Due to be released through Modulor on 28 April 2023. In keeping with the explorations of “When I Whisper In Your Ear”, it’s a record that finds Caesar shining a light on French musical artistry, while infusing classic elements of English pop.

As an Englishman born in Peru, with Swedish roots, who now finds himself in France; the debut from Caesar Spencer continues in a long line of songwriters, from Scott Walker to Lee Hazlewood, Morrissey to Peter Doherty, who have long looked beyond their patch for a deeper sense of connection. Broadly echoing his own journey to date, Caesar’s debut ‘Get Out Into Yourself’, is a concept-album-of-sorts; inspired by those with nomadic origins and their search for identity. With a loose narrative that follows a protagonist journeying through different cultural landscapes, it unspools a tale laced with existential questions and the quest to find yourself in an ever-shifting world.

Whilst it’s a record that often switches from vintage British pop to gnarly West Coast surf-rock with a dextrous flick, above all else ‘Get Out Into Yourself’ is an homage to the musical heritage of his newfound home in France.

“It’s simply a love letter to France. I wanted to give something back to a country that has given me so much. And I really wanted to shine a light on this incredibly sophisticated French musical artistry.” says Caesar.

Recorded at the Studio La Fugitive (where acclaimed French band Les Rita Mitsouko recorded) with esteemed producer Gaétan Boudy (Zaz, Alex Renart, Emel Mathlouthi) and his formidable backing band of Fred Lafage (Tony Allen, Paris Dernière) and Frantxoa Erreçarret (Askehoug, Barcella); the album also sees Caesar joined by a raft of prominent special guest appearances. Alongside Jean Felzine (Mustang) and Jo Wedin (who both appear on “Isn’t That What Jimi Said”); a collaboration with 60’s ye-ye chanteuse Jacqueline Taïeb can be heard on previous single “Waiting for Sorrow”). Elsewhere, French punk icon Gilles Tandy (Les Olivensteins), the multi-talented Mareva Galanter, opera star Aurélie Ligerot and FAME’S PROJECT (Jarvis Cocker, Chilly Gonzales) all lend their talents to the album.
Deftly bridging the channel between British and French pop, ‘Get Out Into Yourself’ is a record with a timelessness of sound that dares to dream beyond typical boundaries in its quest for true identity. Available everywhere on 28th April, physical editions of the album will also be accompanied by a limited edition elegant conceptual storyboard illustrated by French artist Thierry Beaudenon.

Keep your mind open.

[N’oubliez pas de vous abonner.]

[Grâce à Caesar Spencer.]

Top 20 albums of 2022: #’s 15 – 11

We’re getting close to the top half of the list. Who’s in the top 15?

#15: Psymon Spine – Charismatic Mutations

This album is a full remix record of Psymon Spine‘s Charismatic Megafauna. There isn’t a bad remix on the whole record, which isn’t easy to pull off.

#14: Lu.Re – Ruminate

Another excellent EP that came out this year (and there were several). Lu.Re’s EP of house music mixed with a bit of dark wave was an EP that made me sit up and think, “Oh, I need more of this.”

#13: Abdul Raeva – Atlas Corporation

Seriously, there was a ton of great electro and house music released last year. I’m sure I barely heard the tip of the iceberg, and yet there were great finds like this EP from Abdul Raeva that hits heavy and with undeniable grooves.

#12: Frayle – Skin & Sorrow

It wouldn’t be a “best of the year” list for me without some doom metal, and Frayle‘s newest album fits the bill. Described to me as “Black Sabbath meets Portishead,” I knew I was going to like it. Imagine the ghost of a witch fronting a doom band, and you’ll get the idea.

#11: Goat – Oh Death

As weird and wild as the cover depicts, Goat‘s new album covers death, transcendence, and sex – three of their favorite topics – and was a great return for them. Their psychedelic voodoo sound was sorely missed.

Who makes it in to the top half of my best records of the year? Tune in tomorrow!

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Goat – Oh Death

I knew Goat‘s new album, Oh Death, was going to be a treat when it opens with a sample of a song from the film The Undertaker and His Pals.

That track is “Soon You Die,” and it brings back Goat back after a year with so much fuzz that you might think your speakers are faulty. The lyrics are about the inevitable coming of death to us all, but how it’s really nothing to worry about when you stop to consider it. “Soon you die, but don’t you cry, ’cause there’s still time to go party.” It’s great to hear the strange, intoxicating sounds that only Goat can seem to create on guitars – even as they fade out and leave you wanting more.

“Chukua Pesa” brings back their love of Middle Eastern instrumentation, rhythms, and vocal stylings. “Under No Nation” has Goat proclaiming, with groovy hand percussion and sweat lodge dance beats (and plenty of wild, acid jazz saxophone), that they’re free of labels, borders, and limits imposed by others or themselves. If you aren’t moving by the time “Do the Dance” comes along, you certainly will be after it starts.

It wouldn’t be a Goat album if there wasn’t at least one song with the word “goat” in the title, and Oh Death has two. The first is the weird, drunken hornets’ next “Apegoat” instrumental and the second is “Goatmilk” – a space-age psych-lounge cut. It perfectly flows into “Blow the Horns” – a call to beings above and beyond us whose guidance we can all use right now.

“Remind Yourself” is a reminder that we can only bring peace from within. In order to project peace, we must first remember that we have it all within us. It’s there, we often just choose, consciously or not, to not accept it. The mix of distorted guitars with clear marimba beats is a wild one. The brief instrumental of “Blessings” drifts into “Passes Like Clouds” – a lovely instrumental to remind you that thoughts, pain, pleasure, life, and, yes, death, all eventually drift away and reform like clouds. Thich Nhat Hanh once said that we are like clouds and “A cloud never dies.” Goat knows this, too, and they want to share that knowledge with us.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Tinariwen – Kel Tinariwen (2022 reissue)

Recorded in 1991 and released only on a minuscule run of cassettes, Tinariwen‘s Kel Tinariwen is a fascinating timepiece of their early sound and the building blocks of what would become the desert blues style the band that would make the band famous around the world.

Opening with a song about history, “À L’Histoire,” you hear bits of late 80s Afropop and synth music mixed with their traditional style Tuareg vocals (with female co-vocals sung in French!). “Kedou Kedou” brings in what would become their familiar, hypnotic guitar sound, and the mesmerizing sounds only increase on “Atahoura Techragh D’Azaka Nin.”

“Matadjem Yinmexan” is bouncy and lively. You’ll hear how much Tinariwen have influenced Goat on this track. “Awa Idjan War Infa Iman” puts together simple synth-strings and trance-inducing vocals and guitar rhythms. “Sendad Eghlalan” has a brightness to it that is difficult to explain until you hear it. It’s probably from the shopping mall-organ riffs and beats.

The trippy, haunting melodies of “Tenidagh High Djeredjere” are like an appetizer for the main course of the album’s closer, “Arghane Manine,” which is full of electric dance beats, hand percussion, and a simple, repetitive guitar lick that perfectly matches with the Tuareg vocals and chants.

I don’t know if members of Tinariwen thought this album would be a massive success, or if they were just happy with being able to make it, put it out there, and spread the stories of the Tuareg people. Thankfully, they decided to re-release it for all of us on a wide scale for the first time so we can hear these old stories and get lost in them.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Tinariwen re-release rare 1992 album previously available solely on cassette.

Touareg collective Tinariwen are thrilled to announce the reissue of Kel Tinariwen, marking the project’s first-ever official release since it appeared in 1992 locally in Mali on cassette, out November 4th via Wedge. In conjunction, they share its lead single and album closer, “Arghane Manine.” The track skips with percussion, grooving bass, and twangs of electric guitar. Across “Arghana Manine,” vocals call back and forth to each other. Kel Tinariwen will see release alongside two additional Tinariwen reissues, Aman Iman: Water Is Life and Imidiwan: Companion, out for the first time on vinyl the same day via Craft Recordings.

Listen to “Arghane Manin” by Tinariwen

A revelatory discovery in the Tinariwen archives, Kel Tinariwen is an early cassette tape recorded in the early 90s that never received a wider release, and sheds new light on the band’s already rich history. Not having yet developed the fuller band sound they became internationally established with, Kel Tinariwen features their trademark hypnotic guitar lines and call-and-response vocals weaving in between raw drum machine rhythms and keyboard melodies that almost evoke an Arabic take on 80s synth-pop.

In the summer of 1991, four members of Tinariwen traveled to Abidjan in Ivory Coast to record the band’s first official release, Kel Tinariwen. They were Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, Hassan AgTouhami aka ‘Abin Abin,’ Kedou Ag Ossad and Liya Ag Ablil aka ‘Diarra.’ The project was the brainchild of Keltoum Sennhauser, a painter, poet and songwriter of mixed parentage (her father was a Sonhrai, her mother a Touareg), who grew up partly in Bamako, partly in the Kidal region of north-eastern Mali, the homeland of all the members of Tinariwen. Like so many Touareg from that region, Keltoum and her family had been forced to emigrate by the droughts that tore the Touareg world apart in the mid-1970s and 1980s, as well as all the oppression and suffering that had followed independence in 1960. Keltoum became deeply involved in the Touareg struggle for freedom and self-determination and saw music in general and music of Tinariwen in particular as an essential part of that struggle.

Kel Tinariwen was never heard outside of the local community that traded cassettes back in 1992 – an activity that was important to the movement, as Keltoum explains: “I think the cassette played a crucial role as a tool of communication, a tool that was very dear to us. It served to raise awareness and awaken the consciences of those who felt that everything was already lost, or that we didn’t have the wherewithal to win our struggle. It allowed the Touareg world to develop its own conscience and move forward. In our milieu, the only thing that can make us question ourselves is music. Because we listen to a lot of music, we love music, we love poetry. We don’t read. We’re not a people who read. So, the only reading we have, about ourselves and about the outside world, is music.” Thirty years later, the album is finally seeing an official release, on vinyl, CD, and cassette to pay homage to its original format.

There’s distinct parallels with the sounds found on this tape and the work uncovered in recent years by crate-digger labels such as Awesome Tapes From Africa, Sahel Sounds and Sublime Frequencies. Aman Iman: Water Is Life and Imidiwan: Companion are Tinariwen’s third and fourth studio albums respectively. It’s a blend of West African traditional music and electrified rock’n’roll – a sound that critics have called “desert blues.”

Alongside Kel Tinariwen, Tinariwen are also reissuing Aman Iman: Water Is Life and Imidiwan: Companions – their third and fourth studio albums respectively. A blend of West African traditional music and electrified rock’n’roll –a sound that critics have called “desert blues.” Aman Iman: Water Is Life was Tinariwen’s third studio album, originally released in 2007, and recorded in Mali’s capital, Bamako. Produced by Justin Adams (Robert Plant’s guitarist and producer of the Tinariwen’s debut album The Radio Tisdas Sessions), and recording engineer Ben Findlay. The whole Tinariwen story breathes through its twelve songs, beginning with the first Touareg rebellion of 1963, which lies at the root of so much pain and trauma in the Malian Touareg mindset and which is vividly recalled by Ibrahim in his brooding song ‘Soixante Trois..’

Imidiwan: Companions was the band’s fourth album, and it possesses all the elements that have made them so alluring; raw simplicity, melodic beauty, songs ranging from the epic and universal to the intimate and personal. The 13-track album, produced by Jean-Paul Romann, was recorded in Tessalit, the Malian desert village home of band members Ibrahim Ag Alhabib and Hassan Ag Touhami.

In advance of the three reissues’ release, Tinariwen will return stateside for a North American tour this September and October. Tinariwen will kick off their North American tour in Chicago on Fri. Sept. 9th. Tickets are on-sale now and available at tinariwen.com/tour.

Pre-order Kel Tinariwen, Aman Iman: Water Is Life and Imidiwan: Companions Reissues

Kel Tinariwen Tracklist:
1. À L’Histoire
2. Khedou Khedou
3. Adounia Tarha
4. Matadjem Yinmexan
5. Awa Idjan War Infa Iman
6. Sendad Eghlalan
7. Sendad Eghlalan
8. Arghane Manine

Aman Iman: Water Is Life Tracklist:
1. Cler Achel
2. Mano Dayak
3. Matadjem Yinmixan
4. Ahimana
5. Soixante Trois
6. Toumast
7. Imidiwan WinakaliN
8. Awa Didjen
9. Ikyadarh Dim
10. Tamatant Tilay
11. Assouf
12. Izarharh Tenere

Imidiwan: Companions Tracklist:
1. Imidiwan Afrik Tendam
2. Lulla
3. Tenhert
4. Enseqi Ehad Didagh
5. Tahult In
6. Tamodjerazt Assis
7. Intitlayaghen
8. Imazighen N Adagh
9. Tenalle Chegret
10. Kel Tamashek
11. Assuf Ag Assuf
12. Chabiba
13. Ere Tasfata Adounia

Tinariwen Tour Dates:
Fri. Sept. 9 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
Sat. Sept. 10 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar Cultural Center
Mon. Sept. 12 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Tue. Sept. 13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Thu. Sept. 15 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Fri. Sept. 16 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial Theatre
Sat. Sept. 17 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Mon. Sept. 19 – Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theatre
Tue. Sept. 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre
Wed. Sept. 21 – Phoenix, AZ @ Musical Instrument Museum Theater
Fri. Sept. 23 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk – Indoor
Sat. Sept. 24 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tulips
Sun. Sept. 25 – Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater
Tue. Sept. 27 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
Thu. Sept. 29 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom
Fri. Sept. 30 – Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
Sat. Oct. 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Mon. Oct. 3 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Tue. Oct. 4 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre
Wed. Oct. 5 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Music Hall
Fri. Oct. 7 – Montreal, QC @ Rialto Theatre
Sat. Oct. 8 – Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rewind Review: GOAT – Fuzzed in Europe (2017)

Fuzzed in Europe is a six-song live EP from Swedish psych-voodoo rockers, GOAT, that compiles some of their favorite tracks from a European tour in the autumn of 2016. The tracks were picked due to them being alternate versions of album releases or even “normal” live cuts. As a result, we get to hear GOAT further expanding their cosmic sound into new dimensions.

The opener, “Talk to God,” is over seven minutes of hypnotizing psychedelia that takes on a bit more drone than the album version. The same goes for “Time for Fun,” which practically turns into a mantra by the end of it. “I Sing in Silence” transforms from a blissful dance into a trance-inducing vision of something much like the album cover.

The guitars on “Gather of Ancient Tribes” (possibly also known as, you guessed it, “GOAT”) are almost like magic wands casting spells as the female duo lead singers keep singing / chanting, “Into the fire!” “The Sun the Moon” speeds up in this live version, becoming a frantic voodoo-disco track.

A ten-minute-plus version of “Run to Your Mama” ends the EP, being heavier than other versions and no less head-spinning. You might end up dancing around shirtless and seeing visions of Egyptian gods riding boats across the sky while listening to it. I didn’t, but the fact that the image came to mind while writing this suggests otherwise.

The whole EP is full of moments like this. Don’t let it slip by you.

Keep your mind open.

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