Tinariwen Imidiwan: Companions (Independiente)
3/5
By: Dickon Stone
Like all great Tinariwen material, this album starts as it means to go on; ‘Imidiwan Afrik Tendam’, with its layered voice-of-the-Imam vocals (this is perhaps the only way I can describe the sound of several Tuareg - a people under an oppressive Malian regime - men singing in their native tongue over one another with this epic kind of drawl that is far from unpleasant, and yet certainly unfamiliar). Pure blues guitar, djembe drums, hand claps galore and funky body-moving grooves.
Listening to this music comes so easy; it is neither grating nor obtuse – music devoid of pretension. ‘Tenhert’ has lyrics which are almost rapped at us over the bouncing climbing and plodding bassline, claps coming from all angles, and a make-your-mum-wiggle-embarrassingly-around-the-room guitar riff that just epitomises everything you imagine to be signified by the two words ‘blues’ and ‘guitar’.
‘Intitlayaghen’ sounds like a desert-style nursery-rhyme; so filled with happiness that I don’t dare read the lyrics in case it turns out to be about a rebellious battle or something. I risked it. The lyrics talk about baby goats and camels. It’s actually quite sweet. The female vocals are obviously a reference to the lyrics which talk of a specific drum that only women play in the Tamashek culture (according to the handy accompanying booklet).
Yes, as you can already tell this is turning into the album equivalent of a National Geographic special on Tinariwen; great for world music boffs who will enjoy waxing lyrical about all these tiny new facts and figures they have learned from the ‘little book of Tinariwen’, but do we care that much?
Okay. I just read the entire booklet. It verges on lecturing, like a Fairtrade leaflet; telling you about Miriam the tea picker in Malaysia who gets paid x-amount to do blah… if I’m honest I just don’t know if I need to know this stuff; I don’t know if I care enough. I mean, isn’t it meant to be about the music? I’m only a few songs in and I’ve had to refer to ‘the manual’ already. I just want to sit back and listen; not get assaulted by the war torn history of Mali that is blatantly going to go over my head. It seems a little… desperate? You don’t need to sell me a culture when I love this music enough as it is.
That said, as the album goes on my interest begins to wane; these are such similar sounding songs, albeit the core reason we love Tinariwen; those funky, bluesy, sounds but with such a solid African, World Music, interesting percussive vibe… But it is starting to wear thin on me.
‘Tenalle Chegret’ continues with this over-arching Tinariwen sound; guitars picked and panned over each ear; layered vocals… twangy licks, layered guitar, and hugely swinging drum patterns. But this nothing new; this is the same sound they have been churning out for years. As an English speaking person, am I missing out on the beauty of the songs by not understanding the lyrics? Is it these which set each song apart truly? Perhaps then, is the necessity for the booklet. Although this seems like a lot of work…just to “understand” a band.
If Tom Vek did that… no, bad example actually; if Tom Vek did that I would read it cover to cover… If La Roux did that, nobody would care, and she would be branded a pretentious gimp for her actions. But somehow, perhaps for the intrigue of their background; their mystery; Tinariwen get away with it. The album is everything you might expect from the band, if you have heard their material before, and if you haven’t, I would certainly encourage you to have a good listen… although, perhaps in chunks spread out over several days;
Nevertheless there is something special about this band, and I do love the music they make. And, I have to admit, as preachy at times as the little manual is, it is an intriguing glance into what is to me a very alien world.
Artists in this article: Tinariwen
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment