{"id":11557,"date":"2014-03-24T22:25:45","date_gmt":"2014-03-25T03:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bostonsurvivalguide.net\/wordpress\/?p=11557"},"modified":"2014-03-24T22:25:45","modified_gmt":"2014-03-25T03:25:45","slug":"emmaar-tinariwens-return-to-the-desert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bostonsurvivalguide.net\/wordpress\/2014\/03\/emmaar-tinariwens-return-to-the-desert\/","title":{"rendered":"Emmaar, Tinariwen’s Return to the Desert"},"content":{"rendered":"
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[For the abridged version of this article, see Ryan’s Smashing Life<\/a><\/strong>]<\/em><\/p>\n

The past few years have been difficult for the people of Mali. There was a devastating drought and armed conflicts which made the country unsettled for the long-suffering population. There were military coups, people were out of work and farmers were unable to plant their crops and raise livestock. Poor harvests continued into 2013, while road conditions and security issues hindered relief efforts. Aid groups warned of a serious food crisis with as many as three million people at risk. There continues to be political instability, even after French troops successfully ousted Islamic jihadists who had taken over Northern Mali and were trying to impose sharia law.<\/p>\n

That isn’t your typical album review introduction, but then again, North African Tuareg<\/a><\/strong> band Tinariwen<\/a><\/strong> isn’t your typical band. They were founded in the Tuareg camps in Libya in the 1980s, where these nomadic people had relocated. They were looking for work and to rebuild their lives after fleeing their Saharan homeland. Truth is, the Tuareg have been continuously moved from places they tried to call home since the late 1960s. They traveled through Mali, Algeria, Libya, Chad, Mauritania and Niger. In all of these regions, they were considered refugees. They were (and continue to be) a people without a home. It is a complicated story<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\"\u00c2\u00a9Marie

\u00c2\u00a9Marie Planeille<\/p><\/div>\n

This beautiful, soulful band was born out of death and chaos, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. Founding member Ibrahim Ag Alhabib witnessed the death of his father when he was four. Later on, when his family was living in a Libyan camp, he built a homemade guitar, met fellow musicians and was introduced to Western music such as Jimi Hendrix and American blues. During that time, performances were with battery-operated amps around a campfire. This eventually grew to recorded music spreading through the region, with their popularity increasing. Unique to their life experience and infusing their sound, the musicians who would become Tinariwen alternated between playing music and fighting for Tuareg independence. They were discovered by Western musicians in the late 1990s and since then, their unique “Saharan Blues” has gained a worldwide following. Their last album, Tassili, a recording made in a tent in the Algerian desert, went on to win a Grammy Award for Best World Music.<\/p>\n

This new album, Emmaar (released Feb. 11), is a rich tapestry steeped in their traditional roots. It’s hard-won, heartfelt music that sounds like religious chants, ancient yet timeless. Sensuous guitar melodies and tribal drum rhythms that ebb and flow underpin their poetic stories. Solo vocals in their native tongue are answered back with group responses. There are none of the usual Western music signposts\u2013chorus, hook, harmonizing background vocals\u2013but rather a meandering musical journey like a camel caravan across the Sahara, full of mystery and intrigue and wildly hypnotic. It’s a visceral experience, a musical trance. In their lyrics, they speak of the daily struggle of the Tuareg people and of their desire to be free again to live their lives as their ancestors have for generations. They also sing about the beauty of their homeland and their cultural pride. The songs vary between proud anthems, funeral dirges, political protests and sacred hymns. There is nothing extraneous, just the sound of the rolling African hand drums, the rise and fall of their ageless voices and delicious guitar lines for which they have become legendary. Western guitar gods meet Malian folk heroes, they straddle a line between our worlds, sharing their lives and giving us something that’s exotic yet familiar.<\/p>\n