TINARIWEN
''EMMAAR''
FEBRUARY 10 2014
48:59
1 /Toumast Tincha
Eyadou Ag Leche/4:20
2 /Chaghaybou
Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni/4:53
3 /Arhegh Danagh
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/4:03
4 /Timadrit in Sahara
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/3:51
5 /Imidiwan Ahi Sigdim
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/4:51
6 /Tahalamot
Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni/5:03
7 /Sendad Eghlalan
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/4:55
8 /Imdiwanin Ahi Tifhamam
Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni/4:37
9 /Koud Edhaz Emin
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/4:33
10 /Emajer
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/3:37
11 /Aghregh Medin (Hassan's Song)
Hassan Ag Touhami/4:16
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib /Guitar, Vocals
Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni /Clapping, Guitar, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Saïd Ag Ayad /Clapping, Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Amar Chaoui /Percussion
Elaga Ag Hamid /Clapping, Guitar, Vocals (Background)
Fats Kaplin /Fiddle, Pedal Steel Guitar
Toulout Kiki /Vocals (Background)
Josh Klinghoffer /Guitar
Eyadou Ag Leche /Bass, Clapping, Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Mike Sweeney /Guitar
Alhassane Ag Touhami /Clapping, Guitar, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Saul Williams /Spoken Word
REVIEW
By Thom Jurek
Challenging circumstances are nothing new to the Kel Tamashek (Tuareg) band Tinariwen. After all, most of their members had been Libyan military-trained rebel fighters engaged in active revolt against the Malian government before the Tamanrasset Accords in 1991. Beginning in 2012, real danger is ever present in northern Mali -- due to the incursion of Islamist militias -- for the Tuareg people and to musicians in particular. So much so, many, including Tinariwen, have fled the country. One of their members, Abdallah Ag Lamida, was even kidnapped, though he has since been released. Tinariwen was forced to exchange one desert -- the Sahara -- for another in Joshua Tree National Park in the United States in order to record Emmaar (without Ag Lamida, who was freed after recording began). Once more produced by Patrick Votan, the sound here retains its "desert blues" heart but is also more expansive -- there's no need for alarm, really. The traditional interlocking guitar interplay involves more drones as lead lines snake underneath them, and there is more reverb in this mix. All of the material was written by leader Ibrahim Ag Alhabib or his bandmembers. Exile, anger, and displacement populate the songs on Emmaar. Multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin adds his spiraling fiddle to "Imdiwanin Ahi Tifhamamone" and pedal steel to the militant opener "Toumast Tincha" (that also features guitar from Josh Klinghoffer and a spoken intro by Saul Williams), and the atmospheric dirge "Sendad Eghlalan." Percussionist Amar Chaoui helps out on the stinging "Chaghaybou" and five other tracks, adding a sense of more dynamic urgency to balance the more drone-centric approach. "Emajer," with guest guitarist Matt Sweeney, is a different tack for Tinariwen. Its vibe is more American Southwest (which isn't so strange since this is a nomadic band after all). But Ag Alhabib's lyric and melody are pure African folk song, reflecting loss and longing, as the rolling percussion, voices, and guitars wind around one in multiple melodies underscoring the emotion. The interwoven acoustic guitars on closer "Aghregh Medin (Hassan's Song)" offer a staggered minor-key blues. They highlight the disillusionment in the lyric "... I no longer believe in unity/I will only believe in it again if/Those opinions serve a common ideal/That of the people from which they emanate." The different textures and timbres at work on Emmaar reveal Tinariwen's evolution; one derived from the need to grow musically, as well as respond to adversity with creativity.
BIOGRAPHY
By Evan C. Gutierrez
Tinariwen is a Tuareg group that performs a guitar-centric branch of Malian music that, to the untrained ear, is reminiscent of Ali Farka Touré's, but is far more rock-oriented and percussive. All of the band's musicians originate from the southern Sahara; the group's name, meaning "empty places," is a reflection of their land of origin. The band formed in the rebel camps of Colonel Gaddafi, as each of the musicians had been forced from their nomadic lifestyle into involuntary military service. Surrounded by a displaced nation of their peers, Tinariwen forged a new style of music, trading their traditional lutes and shepherd's flutes for electric guitars and drums. The style that resulted was dubbed "Tishoumaren," or "the music of the unemployed." Their music addresses issues such as political awakening, problems of exile, repression of their people, and demands of sovereignty. 
In a region with no postal or telephone system, their tapes soon became a grassroots voice of rebellion and a rallying point for the disenfranchised nation. Though outlawed in Algeria and Mali, 2001's The Radio Tisdas Sessions and 2004's Amassakoul are available to Western audiences. In 2006, they recorded their third album, Aman Iman: Water Is Life, released internationally in 2007 by Harmonia Mundi's World Village imprint. The album was produced by Justin Adams, and featured the voice and guitar of founding member Mohammed Ag Itlale. Tinariwen toured the world for the first time in its wake. They followed the album with Imidiwan: Companions, a two-disc set containing one disc of music and a DVD documentary about Tinariwen's history. This was once again followed by a world tour that included numerous festival appearances in the United States and Europe. 
Tinariwen signed to America's Anti imprint in 2010. The label encouraged them to experiment. The end result was Tassili, issued in 2011, in which the band recorded a completely acoustic set in a protected region of the southeastern Algerian desert. The tapes were flown to America where guitarist Nels Cline overdubbed electric guitars and New Orleans' famed Dirty Dozen Brass Band added horns, making Tassili a truly international collaboration. The album won a Grammy. The bandmembers were forced to flee Mali due to political and social unrest, and recorded their follow-up, Emmaar, at a studio in Joshua Tree National Park in the United States. It was released in February of 2014.
''EMMAAR''
FEBRUARY 10 2014
48:59
1 /Toumast Tincha
Eyadou Ag Leche/4:20
2 /Chaghaybou
Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni/4:53
3 /Arhegh Danagh
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/4:03
4 /Timadrit in Sahara
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/3:51
5 /Imidiwan Ahi Sigdim
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/4:51
6 /Tahalamot
Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni/5:03
7 /Sendad Eghlalan
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/4:55
8 /Imdiwanin Ahi Tifhamam
Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni/4:37
9 /Koud Edhaz Emin
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/4:33
10 /Emajer
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib/3:37
11 /Aghregh Medin (Hassan's Song)
Hassan Ag Touhami/4:16
Ibrahim Ag Alhabib /Guitar, Vocals
Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni /Clapping, Guitar, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Saïd Ag Ayad /Clapping, Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Amar Chaoui /Percussion
Elaga Ag Hamid /Clapping, Guitar, Vocals (Background)
Fats Kaplin /Fiddle, Pedal Steel Guitar
Toulout Kiki /Vocals (Background)
Josh Klinghoffer /Guitar
Eyadou Ag Leche /Bass, Clapping, Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Mike Sweeney /Guitar
Alhassane Ag Touhami /Clapping, Guitar, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Saul Williams /Spoken Word
REVIEW
By Thom Jurek
Challenging circumstances are nothing new to the Kel Tamashek (Tuareg) band Tinariwen. After all, most of their members had been Libyan military-trained rebel fighters engaged in active revolt against the Malian government before the Tamanrasset Accords in 1991. Beginning in 2012, real danger is ever present in northern Mali -- due to the incursion of Islamist militias -- for the Tuareg people and to musicians in particular. So much so, many, including Tinariwen, have fled the country. One of their members, Abdallah Ag Lamida, was even kidnapped, though he has since been released. Tinariwen was forced to exchange one desert -- the Sahara -- for another in Joshua Tree National Park in the United States in order to record Emmaar (without Ag Lamida, who was freed after recording began). Once more produced by Patrick Votan, the sound here retains its "desert blues" heart but is also more expansive -- there's no need for alarm, really. The traditional interlocking guitar interplay involves more drones as lead lines snake underneath them, and there is more reverb in this mix. All of the material was written by leader Ibrahim Ag Alhabib or his bandmembers. Exile, anger, and displacement populate the songs on Emmaar. Multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin adds his spiraling fiddle to "Imdiwanin Ahi Tifhamamone" and pedal steel to the militant opener "Toumast Tincha" (that also features guitar from Josh Klinghoffer and a spoken intro by Saul Williams), and the atmospheric dirge "Sendad Eghlalan." Percussionist Amar Chaoui helps out on the stinging "Chaghaybou" and five other tracks, adding a sense of more dynamic urgency to balance the more drone-centric approach. "Emajer," with guest guitarist Matt Sweeney, is a different tack for Tinariwen. Its vibe is more American Southwest (which isn't so strange since this is a nomadic band after all). But Ag Alhabib's lyric and melody are pure African folk song, reflecting loss and longing, as the rolling percussion, voices, and guitars wind around one in multiple melodies underscoring the emotion. The interwoven acoustic guitars on closer "Aghregh Medin (Hassan's Song)" offer a staggered minor-key blues. They highlight the disillusionment in the lyric "... I no longer believe in unity/I will only believe in it again if/Those opinions serve a common ideal/That of the people from which they emanate." The different textures and timbres at work on Emmaar reveal Tinariwen's evolution; one derived from the need to grow musically, as well as respond to adversity with creativity.
BIOGRAPHY
By Evan C. Gutierrez
Tinariwen is a Tuareg group that performs a guitar-centric branch of Malian music that, to the untrained ear, is reminiscent of Ali Farka Touré's, but is far more rock-oriented and percussive. All of the band's musicians originate from the southern Sahara; the group's name, meaning "empty places," is a reflection of their land of origin. The band formed in the rebel camps of Colonel Gaddafi, as each of the musicians had been forced from their nomadic lifestyle into involuntary military service. Surrounded by a displaced nation of their peers, Tinariwen forged a new style of music, trading their traditional lutes and shepherd's flutes for electric guitars and drums. The style that resulted was dubbed "Tishoumaren," or "the music of the unemployed." Their music addresses issues such as political awakening, problems of exile, repression of their people, and demands of sovereignty.
In a region with no postal or telephone system, their tapes soon became a grassroots voice of rebellion and a rallying point for the disenfranchised nation. Though outlawed in Algeria and Mali, 2001's The Radio Tisdas Sessions and 2004's Amassakoul are available to Western audiences. In 2006, they recorded their third album, Aman Iman: Water Is Life, released internationally in 2007 by Harmonia Mundi's World Village imprint. The album was produced by Justin Adams, and featured the voice and guitar of founding member Mohammed Ag Itlale. Tinariwen toured the world for the first time in its wake. They followed the album with Imidiwan: Companions, a two-disc set containing one disc of music and a DVD documentary about Tinariwen's history. This was once again followed by a world tour that included numerous festival appearances in the United States and Europe.
Tinariwen signed to America's Anti imprint in 2010. The label encouraged them to experiment. The end result was Tassili, issued in 2011, in which the band recorded a completely acoustic set in a protected region of the southeastern Algerian desert. The tapes were flown to America where guitarist Nels Cline overdubbed electric guitars and New Orleans' famed Dirty Dozen Brass Band added horns, making Tassili a truly international collaboration. The album won a Grammy. The bandmembers were forced to flee Mali due to political and social unrest, and recorded their follow-up, Emmaar, at a studio in Joshua Tree National Park in the United States. It was released in February of 2014.
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