Tinariwen
Amassakoul


4.5
superb

Review

by Pedro B. USER (364 Reviews)
August 12th, 2010 | 7 replies


Release Date: 2004 | Tracklist

Review Summary: What is better than Tinariwen's first album? Tinariwen's second album.

What would you do if you were part of an ethnic or cultural minority involved in uprisings, rebellions and massacres and fighting to retain their identity and traditions amidst a changing world? This question has had a number of questions over the years, but for the touareg youths of Northern Mali, the answer lay in electric guitars. That’s right: in the 70’s, while their elders fought a bloody war for their way of life, the younger generation of touaregs turned to the ultimate soul-freeing mechanism, music, as a form of making themselves heard to the outside world.

This effort was, in part, successful, although not immediately. It would take a few more years – decades, even – before the world became interested in ethnic music, and for a long while touareg music was strictly for internal consumption. One small group, however, changed all of that when they managed to get a CD released in the Western world, presenting their musical traditions to a whole new audience. That group was Tinariwen. Centered around guitarist, vocalist and mentor Ibrahim Al Aghabib, the ragtag group of performers saw their Radio Tisdas Sessions become the target of a surprising amount of interest, encouraging them to further their musical career. Hence, they returned to the studio and, three years later, presented their sophomore effort, Amassakoul.

In many ways, this was the real springboard for Tinariwen’s career, as it showcased better production, a more ambitious packaging (complete with absurdly interesting bonus DVD) more varied instrumentation and stronger songwriting than the sometimes repetitive The Radio Tisdas Sessions. It also featured a rather pronounced and out-front attempt at making the group’s music more palatable to the Western audience, resulting in something which can only be described as “touareg pop”.

Fear not, however; the group have not started to infuse their music with cheesy keyboards or electronic beats. In fact, most of this album sounds like a continuation of the previous one, with its languid camelback rhythms, minimalist guitar picking and group vocals. However, there is a section of songs which decidedly try to break the mold and take Tinariwen’s sound in a whole new direction. As a result, the album shines whenever the focus is driven away from Al Aghabib – who seems stuck writing the same song over and over – and put on his band-mates, who present much more varied and appealing ideas in their songs. These tracks are where Amassakoul really breaks free from The Radio Tisdas Sessions, as there would be no space on that album for the rap section (!) in Arawan, the festive ambiance of Oualahila Ar Tesninam, the (this time definitely electrified) guitars in Amidnin, or the almost religious atmosphere of closer Assoul. Needless to say, these are the absolute standouts in the album, with the more typical songs actually detracting from the overall product this time around.

However, much as with The Radio Tisdas Sessions, the quality is so high that even the occasional mis-steps do little to decrease its overall level. The album does have its downtime, particularly towards the end, but the overall quality of the aforementioned songs, as well as strong backups like Amassakoul N’Teneré make it a mandatory listen for anyone who likes ethnic music, as well as all those who seek something truly groundbreaking to listen to. Upon listening to Amassakoul, one can only label it a resounding success, making Tinariwen’s track record at that point an impressive two-for-two, and spawning the conclusion that the only thing better than Tinariwen’s first album is Tinariwen’s second album. Highly, highly recommended.

Recommended Tracks
Oualahila Ar Tesninam
Arawan



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user ratings (22)
3.8
excellent

Comments:Add a Comment 
ConsiderPhlebas
August 12th 2010


6157 Comments


You must have a crazy music collection. Pos.

ReturnToRock
August 12th 2010


4806 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I wouldn't call it crazy, but it certainly is diverse. Between my Mom's cd's (screwy indie music, ethnic, blues/jazz, 60's folk and palatable rock), my sister's (60's folk again, plus radio-rock, ethnic and power-pop) and mine (all forms of rock, plus most forms of metal) we have a pretty extensive array of genres.



Some of my reviews are based around downloads, though (shhh...), like the novelty records, the entirety of the KISScography and all the Bret Michaels CD's (plus some of Poison's).

IAJP
August 13th 2010


378 Comments


man i love a lot of african music, is this worth checking out? ali farka toure is one of my favourites.

ReturnToRock
August 13th 2010


4806 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

if you love Ali Farka Toure, by all means check this one out! The style is similar to the Toure/Diabate albums, except with poppier leanings (on this album only).

IAJP
August 13th 2010


378 Comments


cool man, i'll make a note to check this out. my local HMV has an unbelievably comprehensive 'world' (euuurgh!) music section, so they should have this. i picked up some bundhu boys the other day, lovely stuff.

ReturnToRock
August 13th 2010


4806 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Make sure you get the DVD edition, the movie is tremendously interesting and will help you put their music into context.



If they have their first album, Radio Tisdas, pick that up, too. Don't bother with the third one, Aman Iman. I have yet to listen to the most recent one, though.

Meatplow
August 13th 2010


5523 Comments


Pretty cool desert rock.

Haven't listened to this for years.



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