Mdou Moctar Ilana the Creator

Top 40 albums of 2016-2020: #’s 40 – 36

I realized that I’ve been running and writing 7th Level Music for five years now, and that the five-year anniversary coincided with the end of the last decade. So, in the spirit of “Everyone loves lists!”, I’ve decided to rank my top 40 albums of the last five years. I went with 40 records after I averaged the number of albums I reviewed from 2016 to 2020 and then chopped that number approximately in half.

This wasn’t an easy task (although my #1 album was quickly determined). The list went through four revisions before I felt it was “right.” Lists like this are always subjective, and there are always good, if not great, albums that don’t make the cut. There were also bands like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Oh Sees, WALL, and Here Lies Man that had multiple excellent albums within the five-year span that I wanted to highlight, but I opted to choose one from each (another difficult task) in order to get more artists onto the list.

Shall we begin?

#40: CHAI – Pink (2018)

Japanese pop punk? Yes, please. These four ladies have made some of the most fun music of the last five years. They’ve also created their own sense of fashion by trashing fashion standards and love donuts and dancing. There’s nothing to not like. Lead single “N.E.O.” was like a shot in the arm of pure dance-punk adrenaline.

#39: Caroline Rose – Superstar (2020)

Superstar is Caroline Rose’s best album yet and one that covers everything from doing things your own way to the weird world of fame that found her after she released the excellent Loner album. Rose tackles these subjects with her witty lyrics, funky grooves, and lovely voice, starting off the record with a track called “Nothing’s Impossible” and carrying that positivity through the whole record.

#38: The New Pornographers – Whiteout Conditions (2017)

For the record, The New Pornographers saw everything we experienced in the political landscape for the last four years coming as soon as the 2016 election ended. Whiteout Conditions was A.C. Newman and company’s response to the results. He and the rest of the band knew then what was coming, creating songs like the title track (about the rise of white people embracing fear more than ever and dreading what that would cause down the road) and “This Is the World of the Theatre.” It certainly was, wasn’t it?

#37: Mdou Moctar – Ilana (The Creator) (2019)

Simply a beautiful record of Tuareg music that was all about positivity, embracing light, and searching for and finding peace through love and compassion. Moctar is a phenomenal guitarist, creating stunning riffs and power, and cool dude all around. When I saw him live, he was selling Tuareg jewelry at his merch table to support a school he was building back in Algeria.

#36: L’Epee – Diabolique (2019)

This psychedelic supergroup’s debut album is a stunner and seemed to come out of nowhere. It sounds like it was unearthed from a time capsule buried in a small French coastal town in 1966 and combines the powers of Anton Newcombe, The Limiñanas, and Emmanuelle Seigner. It’s one of those records that can instantly put you into a trance or change the mood of an entire nightclub, let alone a room.

There’s plenty more to come. Stay tuned.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re here.]

Review: Mdou Moctar – Ilana (the Creator)

Mdou Moctar’s new album, Ilana (The Creator), is a powerful, stunning record full of amazing guitar work, trance-inducing vocals, and uplifting energy sure to bring you up from any blues you might be feeling.

Starting with “Kamane Tarhanin,” a slow burn that builds to an inferno, the album makes your jaw drop in just the first track. The slightly fuzzy vocals on “Asshet Akal” mix well with the guitar licks that are somehow rough and pristine at the same time, like a gem pulled fresh from the ground. “Anna” is a lovely track that might be a love song. I’m not sure, since I can’t translate the lyrics, but Moctar’s vocals and the overall sound of the song make it appear as a love song. In a way, all of Moctar’s work is about love: love of country, fellow man, nature, art, and the Creator.

“Takamba” is a nice instrumental track, and “Tarhatazed” is another track with mind-blowing guitar work that has influences ranging from Hendrix to ZZ Top. “Wiwasharnine” is a toe-tapping, hip-shaking rocker that boosts your spirits with its handclaps, soaring guitar, and joyful vocals.

The title track is a rocking takedown of the French government’s treatment of Nigerian uranium mine workers. The album ends with the beautiful “Tumastin,” an almost meditative track that sticks with you for a few moments once it’s done.

This is one of the best albums of the year so far, and a must-have for any fan of Tuareg music.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you split.]

Mdou Moctar shares “Tumastin” from upcoming album due March 29th.

Mdou Moctar presents his newest single, “Tumastin,” from the upcoming full length, Ilana: The Creator (out 3/29 on Sahel Sounds). A departure from the high energy wedding rock synonymous with Tuareg guitar, “Tumastin” further showcases Mdou’s versatility, in what might be the first of its kind of Saharan shoegaze. Singing with ghostly reverbed vocals over echoing-with-whammy wow and fluttering guitars, Mdou sounds a plaintive note for his “Tumastin,” or “people back home.” Nostalgic with a steady loping drum crash, it ends in dreamy, Julie Cruise-inspired reprieve.

LISTEN TO “TUMASTIN”
https://youtu.be/kqaHGTQpoTY

The song is premiered in conjunction with an interview with Stereogum, who today named Mdou an “Artist to Watch,” making him, by our count, the first Tuareg guitarist to be named as such.

Don’t miss Mdou on tour this Spring, as he brings his electrifying shows to our continent.

“TUMASTIN” LYRICS
My people are dispersed
across different countries
It hurts my heart
With such pain
it stops the blood
from running in my veins

For me
it is my heart that pains me
with a deep sadness
as I pity the women
who live in the desert

Look at the other countries
And look at the world before us
The men don’t sleep
but work hard
To bring the women
into the shade
What a beautiful idea

PRAISE FOR “KAMANE TARHANIN”

“It’s easy to imagine the breadth of Mocatar’s musical influences. [‘Kamane Tarhanin’] is a droning, hypnotic, and psychedelic meditation.” – NPR Music

“blistering and gritty psych rock” – Stereogum

“While nothing captures the live Mdou Moctar experience, this is as close as I’ve heard.”
– Afropop Worldwide

MDOU MOCTAR TOUR DATES
Thu. March 28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Andy Warhol Museum
Fri. March 29 – Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class
Sat. March 30 – Detroit, MI @ Trinosophes
Sun. March 31 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
Mon. April 1 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House Revifval – Sanctuary
Tue. April 2 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Wed. April 3 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
Thu. April 4 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
Fri. April 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Psych Festival
Sat. April 6 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
Sun. April 7 – Omaha, NE @ Pageturners Lounge
Mon. April 8 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
Tue. April 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Wed. April 10 – Garden City, ID @ Visual Arts Collective
Fri. April 12 – Olympia, WA @ Octapas
Sat. April 13 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater
Sun. April 14 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
Tue. April 16 – Felton, CA @ Flynn’s Cabaret
Thu. April 18 – Oakland, CA @ Red Bay Coffee
Fri. April 19 – Visalia, CA @ The Cellar Door
Sat. April 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
Sun. April 21 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
Mon. April 22 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
Tue. April 23 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister
Thu. April 25 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas
Fri. April 26 – Lafayette, LA @ Festival International de Louisiane
Sat. April 27 – Lafayette, LA @ Festival International de Louisiane
Sun. April 28 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Tue. April 30 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
Fri. June 28 – Sun. June 30 – North Adams, MA @ Solid Sound Festival

Pre-order Ilana (The Creator) –
https://mdoumoctar.bandcamp.com/album/ilana-the-creator

Hi-res images, album art & bio available here: http://pitchperfectpr.com/mdou-moctar/

Mdou Moctar Online:
https://mdoumoctar.bandcamp.com/
https://sahelsounds.com/mdou-moctar/
https://www.facebook.com/mdoumoctarofficial/

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you split.]

Mdou Moctar’s “Wiwarsharnine” is another beautiful track from his upcoming new album – “Ilana (the Creator).”

Today, virtuosic Tuareg guitarist and songwriter releases “Wiwarsharnine,” the new single off his forthcoming album Ilana (The Creator), out March 29th on Sahel Sounds. This follows the first single off the record, the steadily-building-to-boil “Kamane Tarhanin,” which turned a lot of heads that had never heard Moctar’s hypnotizing music.

“Wiwasharnine” is one of the standout tracks on Ilana and a favorite in Niger. Unfolding with pop and upbeat vibe, “Wiwsharnine” contrasts somewhat with the heavy political sensibilities in the lyrics. (included below). This contrast is often at the heart of Tuareg guitar, where burning guitar solos carry fierce messages of resistance. Nevertheless, “Wiwasharnine” is a hometown anthem, and the recording stays true to it’s form with a chorus of stomping and handclaps that bring it back to an outdoor wedding in the desert.

In other Mdou-related news, on his recent US tour in January, he proved himself more than just a guitar hero, but a full-stop HERO, when, after witness a car accident on the highway in Tennessee, he jumped from his tour van and kicked open a car door to help bring one of the accident’s victims to safety. What a guy!

Moctar hails from a small village in the Azawagh desert of Niger. As a child, he taught himself to play homemade guitars, cobbled together out of planks of wood. In an area where guitar music was all but prohibited, he quickly rose to the status of local celebrity amongst the village youth. In contrast to the polished style of Imarhan or Bombino, Mdou Moctar trades in unrelenting gritty rock and has no qualms about going full shred. But Mdou’s success is not confined to guitar theatrics alone. From his experiments in autotune (Music from Saharan Cellphones, 2011), unfiltered field recordings (Afelan, 2013), DIY overdubbed folk ballads (Sousoume Tamachek, 2017), to a starring role in a Saharan remake of Purple Rain (Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, 2015), Mdou stands out amongst his peers for his unparalleled vision.

LISTEN TO ” WIWARSHARNINE”
YT: https://youtu.be/qA2zshM6A8g
SPOTIFY: http://open.spotify.com/track/1ohyPWrP4SOAdjLax4NPmA

“WIWARSHARNINE” LYRICS
This life today I understand nothing
The strongest are always the ones who eliminate the weak
This world is always changing sometimes rising sometimes falling
But nothing ever changes for my people
All the countries are in joy
But my people remain stranded
and this pains me

PRAISE FOR “KAMANE TARHANIN”

“It’s easy to imagine the breadth of Mocatar’s musical influences. [‘Kamane Tarhanin’] is a droning, hypnotic, and psychedelic meditation.” – NPR Music

“blistering and gritty psych rock” – Stereogum

“While nothing captures the live Mdou Moctar experience, this is as close as I’ve heard.”
– Afropop Worldwide

MDOU MOCTAR TOUR DATES
Thu. March 28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Andy Warhol Museum
Fri. March 29 – Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class
Sat. March 30 – Detroit, MI @ Trinosophes
Sun. March 31 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
Mon. April 1 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House Revifval – Sanctuary
Tue. April 2 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Wed. April 3 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
Thu. April 4 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
Fri. April 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Psych Festival
Sat. April 6 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
Sun. April 7 – Omaha, NE @ Pageturners Lounge
Mon. April 8 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
Tue. April 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Fri. April 12 – Olympia, WA @ Octapas
Sat. April 13 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater
Sun. April 14 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
Thu. April 18 – Oakland, CA @ Red Bay Coffee
Fri. April 19 – Visalia, CA @ The Cellar Door
Sat. April 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
Sun. April 21 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
Mon. April 22 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
Tue. April 23 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister
Thu. April 25 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas
Fri. April 26 – Lafayette, LA @ TBA
Sat. April 27 – Lafayette, LA @ TBA
Sun. April 28 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Tue. April 30 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn

Pre-order Ilana (The Creator) –
https://mdoumoctar.bandcamp.com/album/ilana-the-creator

Mdou Moctar Online:
https://mdoumoctar.bandcamp.com/
https://sahelsounds.com/mdou-moctar/
https://www.facebook.com/mdoumoctarofficial/

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you split.]

Mdou Moctar’s new album, “Ilana (The Creator),” due March 29th.

Tuareg guitarist and songwriter Mdou Moctar is proud to announce his new album – his first recorded in a proper studio – Ilana (The Creator) – out Mar. 29th on Sahel Sounds. He has shared the first single, “Kamane Tarhanin,” and has announced spring tour dates in support of the new record.

LISTEN TO “KAMANE TARHANIN” https://bit.ly/2QOrZBh

Mdou Moctar immediately stands out as one of the most innovative artists in contemporary Saharan music. His unconventional interpretations of Tuareg guitar have pushed him to the forefront of a crowded scene. Back home, he’s celebrated for his original compositions and verbose poetry, an original creator in a genre defined by cover bands. In the exterior, where Saharan rock has become one of the continents biggest musical exports, he’s earned a name for himself with his guitar moves. Mdou shreds with a relentless and frenetic energy that utterly sets him apart.

Mdou Moctar hails from a small village in central Niger in a remote region steeped in religious tradition. Growing up in an area where secular music was all but prohibited, he taught himself to play on a homemade guitar cobbled together out of wood. It was years before he found a “real” guitar and taught himself to play in secret. His immediately became a star amongst the village youth.

In 2008, Mdou traveled to Nigeria to record his debut album of spacey autotune, drum machine, and synthesizer. The album became a viral hit on the mp3 networks of West Africa, and was later released on the compilation Music from Saharan Cellphones. In 2013, he released Afelan, compiled from field recordings of his performances recorded in his village. Then he shifted gears, producing and starring in the first Tuareg language film, a remake of Prince’s Purple Rain (Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in It). Finally, in 2017, he created a solo folk album, Sousoume Tamachek, a mellow blissed out recording evoking the calm desert soundscape. Without a band present, he played every instrument on the record. “I am a very curious person and I want to push Tuareg music far,” he says.

A long time coming, Ilana is Mdou’s first true studio album with a live band. Recorded in Detroit at the tail end of a US tour by engineer Chris Koltay (the two met after bonding over ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres), the band lived in the studio for a week, playing into the early hours. Mdou was accompanied by an all-star band: Ahmoudou Madassane’s (Les Filles de Illighadad) lighting fast rhythm guitar, Aboubacar Mazawadje’s machine gun drums, and Michael Coltun’s structured low-end bass. The album was driven by lots of spontaneity – Mdou’s preferred method of creation – jumping into action whenever inspiration struck. The resulting tracks were brought back to Niger to add final production: additional guitar solos, overdubs of traditional percussion, and a general ambiance of Agadez wedding vibes.

The result is Mdou’s most ambitious record to date. Ilana takes the tradition laid out by the founders into hyperdrive, pushing Tuareg guitar into an ever louder and blistering direction. For Mdou, his style is to draw on both modern and traditional sources and combine elements into new forms. In “Ilana” Mdou reaches back into Tuareg folklore for inspiration, riffing on the hypnotic loops of takamba griots, or borrowing vocal patterns from polyphonic nomad songs, and combining them with his signature guitar. You can hear the effect in tracks like “Kamane Tarhanin,” where a call and response lyric lifts up over a traditional vocal hum before breaking into a wailing solo with tapping techniques learned from watching Youtube videos of Eddie Van Halen.

As Mdou travels the world, he divides his time between two places, alternating from lavish weddings in Agadez to sold out concerts in Berlin nightclubs. It offers a unique perspective, but also means that he needs to address different audiences. At home, his compositions send a message to his people. Abroad, his music is an opportunity to be heard and represent his people on a world stage.

ILANA (THE CREATOR) TRACKLISTING 1. Kamane Tarhanin 2. Ashet Akal 3. Inizgam 4. Anna 5. Takamba 6. Tarhatazed 7. Wiwasharnine 8. Ilana 9. Tumastin

MDOU MOCTAR TOUR DATES Tue. January 22 – Harrisonburg, VA @ The Golden Pony Thu. March 28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Andy Warhol Museum Fri. March 29 – Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class Sat. March 30 – Detroit, MI @ Trinosophes Sun. March 31 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe Tue. April 2 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups Wed. April 3 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Thu. April 4 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle Fri. April 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Psych Festival Sat. April 6 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center Mon. April 8 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall Tue. April 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge Fri. April 12 – Olympia, WA @ Octapas Sat. April 13 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater Sat. April 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon Sun. April 21 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah Tue. April 23 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Thu. April 25 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas Fri. April 26 – Lafayette, LA @ TBA Sat. April 27 – Lafayette, LA @ TBA Sun. April 28 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Pre-order Ilana (The Creator) – https://mdoumoctar.bandcamp.com/album/ilana-the-creator

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you split.]