Tinariwen's Ninth Album 'Amadjar' Out Today

The Grammy award-winning Tuareg musicians Tinariwen are still a desert band, only certain aspects of which the western music industry can ever hope to capture and present. Tinariwen existed long before any of their albums were recorded and their existence is still quite distinct from their discographic dimension. So, the best Tinariwen album doesn't exist. But it's still worth trying to go and find it.

Today, Tinariwen release their ninth studio album Amadjar. Listen to their latest single "Kel Tinawen" feat. Cass McCombs. The song "Kel Tinawen" is about the Tuareg rebellion and its detractors. Tinariwen's founding member Ibrahim Ag Alhabib denounces treachery and corruption and puts the stress on Tamasheq people's resilience: they will always stay true to their beliefs, never give up and never forget their past.

Recorded in southern Morocco outside of an old camper van, the band was on a journey to Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania, which takes a dozen days or so. Every evening, the caravan stopped to set up camp and the members of Tinariwen get to work under the stars - a whole lot better than being in a studio after all - to prepare for the recording, talking things through, letting their guitar motifs, thoughts and long buried songs come. Then, during a final camp in the desert around Nouakchott that lasts about fifteen days, to an audience of scorpions, the band record their songs under large tent. In a few live takes, without headphones or effects.

Once the members of Tinariwen had finished recording, a host of Western musicians added instrumentation to the record including violin from Warren Elllis of the Bad Seeds, mandolin and charango courtesy of Micah Nelson, and guitars from Stephen O'Malley(Sunn O)))), Cass McCombs and Rodolphe Burger. This nomadic album, recorded in a natural setting, is as close as you can get to the 'soul' of Tinariwen, a group of musicians that in every sense exist far-beyond their 17-year tenure and extensive discography of critically acclaimed albums.

Tinariwen will be touring extensively this fall, with US dates beginning September 12 and European dates beginning October 16. Their US headlining tour includes performances at NYC's Webster Hall, Chicago's Thalia Hall and The Mayan in LA as well as a performance at Los Angeles's Hollywood Bowl opening for Vampire Weekend; all upcoming dates are listed below.

'AMADJAR' TRACK LISTING

1. Tenere Maloulat (feat. Warren Ellis)
2. Zawal (feat. Warren Ellis, Noura Mint Seymali, Jeiche Ould Chighaly)
3. Amalouna (feat. Noura Mint Seymali, Stephen O'Malley)
4. Taqkal Tarha (feat. Micah Nelson)
5. Anina
6. Madjam Mahilkamen
7. Takount (feat. Noura Mint Seymali)
8. Iklam Dglour (feat. Warren Ellis, Rodolphe Burger)
9. Kel Tinawen (feat. Cass McCombs)
10. Itous Ohar (feat. Cass McCombs + Stephen O'Malley)
11. Mhadjar Yassouf Idjan (feat. Warren Ellis)
12. Wartilla (feat. Warren Ellis, Stephen O'Malley)
13. Lalla

TOUR DATES

9/12 - Austin, TX - Paramount Theatre ^
9/13 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall ^
9/14 - Dallas, TX - Canton Hall ^
9/16 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse ^
9/17 - Winston-Salem, NC - The Ramkat ^
9/19 - Washington D.C. - Lincoln Theatre ^
9/20 - Boston, MA - Royale ^
9/21 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
9/22 - North Adams, MA - Freshgrass Festival
9/23 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
9/26 - Quebec City, Canada - L'Imperial Bell
9/27 - Montreal, Canada - QC Mtelus
9/28 - Toronto, Canada - Danforth Music Hall
9/30 - Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom ^
10/1 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
10/2 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl w/ Vampire Weekend
10/4 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
10/5 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
10/7 - Seattle, WA - Taper Auditorium
10/8 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
10/9 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom ^
10/11 - San Francisco, CA - The UC Theatre ^
10/12 - San Diego, CA - Belly Up
10/13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Mayan ^

^ with Lonnie Holley

10/16 - Argenteuil, France - Le Figuier Blanc
10/17 - Quimper, France - Theatre de Cornouailles
10/18 - Tours, France - Le Temps Machine
10/19 - Nantes, France - La Barakason
10/20 - La Rochelle, France - La Sirene
10/22 - Hérouille, France - Big Band Cafe
10/23 - Paris, France - Casino de Paris
10/24 - Lyon, France - Le Radiant
10/25 - Moissac, France - Uvarium
10/26 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
10/27 - Leuven, Belgium - Het Depot
10/28 - Copenhagen, Denmark
10/29 - Aarhus, Denmark - Aarhus Train
10/30 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Zhaak
10/31 - Berlin, Germany - Festaal Kreuzberg
11/2 - Oslo, Norway - Oslo World Music Festival
11/3 - Gothenberg, Sweden - Goteborgs Symfoniker
11/4 - Stockholm, Sweden
11/6 - Nijmegen, Holland - Doornroosje
11/8 - Winterthur, Switzerland - Salzhaus
11/9 - Florence, Italy - Centro Flog
11/10 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks
11/11 - Dublin, Ireland - Olympia
11/12 - Bristol, UK - Trinity
11/13 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Cathedral
11/14 - London, UK - Earth
11/15 - London, UK - Earth
11/16 - Metz, France - Le Bam

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