Tinariwen – “Amatssou” (Released 19th May 2023)

Description

//Wedge Records//

£27.99 – 1xLP, Limited Edition White Coloured Gatefold Vinyl (plus DL Code)

£25.99 – 1xLP, Standard Edition Gatefold Vinyl (plus DL Code)

Amatssou finds the Tuareg band’s trademark snaking guitar lines and hypnotic rhythms blending seamlessly with pedal steel, piano and strings from guest musicians including Daniel Lanois. These embellished arrangements lending the songs an epic, universal application.

Full of poetic allegory, the lyrics call for unity and freedom. There are songs of struggle and resistance with oblique references to the recent desperate political upheavals in Mali and the increasing power of the Salafists. “Dear brothers all rest, all leisure will always be far from reach unless your homeland is liberated and all the elders can live there in dignity,” Ibrahim Ag Alhabib sings on ‘Arajghiyine.’ The album’s title Amatssou is Tamashek for ‘Beyond The Fear’ and it fits – Tinariwen have always been characterised by their fearlessness – and as Bob Dylan once said, the power of rock’n’roll is that it makes us “oblivious to the fear” as the music gives us the strength and resilience to confront adversity.

Tracklisting:

Kek algham
Tenere den
Arajghiyine
Tidjit
Jayche atarak
Imidiwan mahitinam
Ezlan
Anemouhagh
Iket adjen
Nak idnizdjam