Tinariwen Amassakoul (World Village)

Tinariwen is an electric guitar band from the Sahara desert that also features much background ululating.  The group’s first international CD, recorded at a desert radio station in northern Mali in 2000, seemed to convey the loping rhythms and dramatic atmosphere of long-distance desert travel on camels.  The Radio Tisdas Sessions became a hit and Tinariwen was soon playing to enthusiastic audiences at European summer festivals.  On the band’s second CD Amassakoul, or “Traveller,” the influence of those performances can be heard.  The overall sound is bigger and more aggressive, as though the group is playing to an outdoor concert space instead of a nomad’s tent.  Key personnel changes mean the voices aren’t as good as earlier, although some of the guitar work is punchier and more exciting.  The key difference between CDs is the French production on the second.  Amassakoul was recorded in the Malian capital of Bamako but mixed in France, apparently to a French producer’s taste.  One track, “Arawan,” is a ludicrous rap number with ululating, power chords and reverb.  On the other hand, Qualahila Ar Tesninam,” is magnificent – bluesy, camel-loping and satisfying in every way.  Tinariwen remains a band well worth following. 

– John Goddard