Tinariwen has gained quite a following in the last few years.  Pitchfork loves them, old straight edge dudes love them, and eh, Bono, of course, loves them.  Do you love them?  You probably should, if simply for the reason that these guys from Saharan Mali create some of the most incredible electric blues heard in a quarter century. 

In about a week (October 13 to be exact) their newest album, Imidiwan: Companions, will see the light of day, and it might be one of the most worthwhile releases of the last part of this year.

Tinariwen make playing in the face of adversary seem easy.  While The Black Keys bitch and moan the blues, these guys make freedom songs by combining their local Tishoumaren music and Western electric guitar, and there's not an ounce of self-pity in their voices. Also, they met when conscripted into Qadaffi's resistance army in the early 80s.

Bonus points that the last track on this album has a gritty enough texture to be on Earth's last record.

You know Milatu Astatke.  At least you do if you saw Jim Jarmusch's film, Broken Flowers.  Or maybe you know him since the always reliable Ethiopiques comps dedicated an entire volume to him. (The fourth in case you were wondering.) On October 27, Strut has had the good sense to release the first complete overview of this visionaries career, New York, Addis, London. It's an excellent collection, and the inventor of "Ethio jazz" is finally given a proper tribute.