Tinariwen - Imidiwan : Companions [Album]

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July 31, 2009, 02:01 PM

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Tinariwen ("empty places") are a band as famous for their background as they are for their music and I'll be the first to admit it is a fascinating story. This is after-all a band made up of former Malian guerrillas who traded in their AK47's for Stratocasters and have been performing 'Tishoumaren' (music of the unemployed) protest songs together for nearly 30 years. Of course this isn't BBC news though, it's Altsounds and as such I'm here to talk about the music and it just so happens there is plenty to talk about on that front. This has to be the most unselfconscious record I've heard in years, it sounds almost as if it were hewn from the sands of the Sahara, indifferent to whether or not the rest of the world is listening. This is as close as we're going to get in this cynical, second hand musical landscape to genuine blues music.

Tinariwen's 4th album finds them returning to their roots after the more rock orientated, spacey 'Aman Iman' and the sound is mesmerising. Every track tends to bleed very much into the next, but in a way it never once becomes tired or repetitive, the whole album feels very much like an organic entity. Opener 'Imidiwan Afrik Tendam' sets the tone for much of what is to follow with delicate, clattering percussion, wandering bass lines and some seriously inventive guitar work. It's clear from the get go that this is 'world music' as fed through western ideals and song-craft, in short there is as much Led Zepplin here as there is Ladysmith Black Mombazo. Closing track 'Chabiba' uses a very similar framework with a warm, delicate ease and simple, endearing melodies that could have just have easily have come from Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen.

The band share vocal duties and all seem to sing/speak in a voice almost reminiscent of Qualli legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan with pitch perfect undulations that sink into the mix, the language barrier ceases to be a problem after a few listens as the vocals become merely another incredibly expressive instrument, much in the same way as Sigur Ros. It's a truly individual group voice that when heard through headphones sounds as if they are right in the room with you, it's so personal and inviting, in fact the whole album possesses this quality. If you close your eyes it's almost like sitting around a desert campfire in the dead of night, only your companions just happen to be some incredibly talented musicians.

To call Tinariwen a one trick pony might seem apt at first but repeated listens reveal subtle flourishes to individual tracks. There are tracks which push the bands western influences a little more obviously, particularly with the blues struts of 'Tenhert' and 'Tahult In' which build and layer sparse riffs and rhythms on top of each other with free-form vocal lines that sound thrillingly as if the band are speaking in tongues. It's a juxtaposition that works so well it's a wonder more overseas bands haven't managed to nail it this successfully until now. We're also treated to tracks which hark back with brave imagery to the bands humble beginnings, 'Chegret' and 'Assuf Ag Assuf' use haunted African blues to hint at brutal political hardships with group chanted vocals that surround the listener like an ocean of sand. Then of course there are the more otherworldly songs such as the swirling, intense 'Kel Tamashek' which stands as my favourite track on the record. The gently building song rises from murky beginnings to a heady, beatific climax with darkly inviting acoustic guitar riffs, pulsing bass and barely there handclap led percussion, it's a hypnotising sound which feels like a beautiful incantation.

In short this is a unique record which is as bright, warm and relentless as the Saharan sun. Admittedly it won't be to everyone's taste, but if your willing to give it the time and patience it deserves, the rewards will be plentiful.

Tracklisting:-
1. Imidiwan Afrik Tendam ( My Friends From All Over Africa)
2. Lulla (Lulla)
3. Tenher (The Doe)
4. Enseqi Ehad Didagh (Lying Down Tonight)
5. Tahult In (My Salutation)
6. Tamudleras Assis (Regret Is Like A Storm)
7. Intitlayaghen (Intitlayaghen)
8. Imazaghen N Adagh (Toureg Of The Adagh)
9. Chegret (The Thread)
10. Kel Tamashek (The Tamashek People)
11. Assuf Ag Assuf (Assuf Son Of Assuf)
12. Chabiba (Youth)

Recommended:-
Imidiwan Afrik Tendam, Tenher, Tamudleras Assis, Chegret, Kel Tamashek, Chabiba

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